NYT Columnist: 'Swaths' Of Minneapolis Are 'Dystopian Ghost City'

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis native and current New York Times columnist is catching heat for writing that "big swaths" of his old hometown are now a "dangerous and dystopian ghost city, racked by gun violence."

Thomas Friedman blames rising crime rates on the "super-progressive" Minneapolis City Council and their efforts to dismantle the police department after the death of George Floyd.

The city's police force is now "diminished and demoralized" and is "unable or unwilling to risk getting embroiled in any kind of confrontation," according to Friedman.

Many Minneapolis residents took issue with Friedman's words and said his portrayal of the city is inaccurate and sensational.

"Look, we can have debates about the best detailed policy response to rampant racism and unchecked violence in policing. We can have debates about how best to reduce crime," wrote FiveThirtyEight science reporter Maggie Koerth.

"But as someone who currently lives in Minneapolis, what @tomfriedman is saying here is a lie."

Minneapolis is indeed experiencing a surge in gun violence and other crime. The number of gunshot victims has jumped 90 percent since this time last year, according to the Star Tribune.

"Our country is experiencing an epidemic of gun violence, and Minneapolis isn’t immune to it," Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement Wednesday. Frey's remarks came after the White House announced that Minneapolis would be among the fifteen cities chosen for President Joe Biden’s new Community Violence Intervention program, which aims to curb gun violence.

However, with a red-hot real estate market, Minneapolis can hardly be described as a "ghost city."

In May of 2020, the average home sale price was $416,580 in Minneapolis, according to data from Minneapolis Area Realtors (MAR). In May 2021, that same number jumped to $564,001, over 35 percent.

Last year around this time, Minneapolis homes were on the market for about 37 days. Now, they're only on the market for an average of 26 days, according to MAR.

Do you live in Minneapolis? What do you think about Friedman's remarks? Tell us in the comments!