Events draw large crowds to downtown Minneapolis, organizers and police keep safety top of mind
Downtown Minneapolis continues to see an increase in traffic after Friday night's Red, White and Boom Independence Day event.
The Taste of Minnesota, an outdoor festival featuring Minnesota cuisine and live music, runs through Sunday night.
With high crowds comes an increase in safety measures.
"For the first time in recent years, we did not see widespread chaos involving groups recklessly firing fireworks at people and property," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in a statement. "The absence of dangerous fireworks activity is a clear reflection of the success of MPD's holiday safety plan and the dedication of our officers. As part of our proactive strategy, officers arrested one man downtown for carrying a pistol without a permit and towed a vehicle filled with illegal fireworks."
"The presence of Minneapolis Police having a plan and following through with it really made a difference," said Pam Lindgren, who lives in downtown Minneapolis and was attending Taste of Minneapolis on Saturday.
Lindgren remembers the so-called "widespread chaos" seen before.
"This year has gone without a glitch!" Lindgren told WCCO.
"When you're planning an event, you have to think about every factor in general," said Josh Vosberg, who's on the planning team for Taste of Minnesota.
Vosberg says they hope to see roughly 100,000 attendees each day, with a new bag policy and security and police enforcement handy.
"Twenty-four-hour security all night every night. We're just trying to keep the perimeters safe, outside and inside just to keep everyone safe at all times," said Vosberg.
The Minneapolis Police Department says gun violence remains a serious concern. It'll maintain increased staffing throughout the remainder of the weekend.
More information on Taste of Minnesota can be found
