A Minneapolis-St. Paul restaurant owner, is closing his doors, saying crime and a lack of accountability from city officials have made it impossible to keep operating safely.
Brian Ingram, who owns several restaurants, including the Apostle Supper Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, said he’s shutting down the business over crime in the area. Now, he wants to send a message to local leaders.
“Crime has just kind of spiraled out of control,” Ingram said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Friday. “It is maddening that our city officials are not standing on every corner going, ‘We’re done.’”
Ingram blames the breakdown in public safety on what he describes as a failure by local prosecutors, judges, and attorneys to hold offenders accountable.
“As our DA and as our city attorneys and judges decided that we were no longer going to prosecute criminals, that we’re just going to let them back out, it just kind of keeps exploding,” he said.
He pointed to repeated break-ins and ongoing safety concerns for staff and customers as reasons for closing.
Adding to his frustration, Ingram said it’s difficult to even file a police report.
“I called 911 twice in the last month and both times the dispatcher told me I could not have a police officer come to my business and do a report,” he said. “Well, of course, crime is down when you can’t file a police report.”
According to the City of Minneapolis’ crime dashboard, certain crimes, such as assault, burglary, robbery, and sex offenses, have declined compared to this time last year.
Still, the city experienced a wave of gun violence over a 24-hour period earlier this week, with five people killed and six others injured in multiple shootings. Police are investigating whether the incidents are gang-related.
Ingram said he knows at least one repeat offender who has burglarized his restaurant multiple times despite numerous arrests.
“He robbed me, got out of jail, came back, burglarized me again a few days later, came back a couple weeks later and did it again,” Ingram said. “This is madness.”
In response to the recent violence, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara released a statement expressing outrage over the shootings and promising increased patrols.
“The level of violence this city has experienced in less than 24 hours is infuriating,” the statement read. “Each individual act causes immense grief and tears families apart.”
While Ingram welcomed the police department’s response, he said it’s not enough unless elected officials speak out too.
“It’s time to stand together,” he said. “I’m so tired of this Republican-Democrat, it’s like, we can all agree that crime is crime, and if you commit a crime, you should go to jail.”
He urged the Minneapolis-St. Paul community to come together and push for policies that prioritize public safety.
“As a community, we can stand together, be proud of our community, love on our community, and stand for it, and just stop the madness,” Ingram said. “Common sense has to prevail.”
