Uptown Mass Shooting

Solstice was at 4:43 PM (4 + 4 + 3 = 11) Central Time in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, June 20, 2020.

A mass shooting, among other shootings, occurred afterward.

One "237" Shooting

Minneapolis police reported they received 911 calls at 12:37 a.m. on June 21, 2020, reporting several people shot on the 2900 block of Hennepin Avenue South, just north of Lake Street. It’s the commercial center of the Uptown neighborhood, lined with bars, restaurants and retailers.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that individuals on foot started shooting in the mid-2900 block of Hennepin Avenue South and proceeded north. People scattered and suspects fled," police said in a news release issued shortly after 4 a.m.

Photographs posted to social media showed windows at the Landmark Uptown Theatre and another storefront shot out.

Screams were audible on a live video posted to Facebook that showed the aftermath at the scene. Small crowds of people gathered, with some crouched over victims lying on the pavement before police officers on bicycles showed up to attend to them.

There has been a rash of gun violence in Minneapolis in recent days. Police said at least seven other people were wounded by gunfire in the city in five incidents from Saturday afternoon, June 20, 2020, through early Sunday morning, June 21, 2020.

A man was killed in CHOP-Seattle, on Friday, June 19, 2020.

Three people were stabbed to death in a "terrorist incident" at a park in a town just outside London on Saturday, June 20, 2020, police said. Three others were left seriously injured in the attack.

The attack took place in Forbury Gardens, a public park in Reading, a large town around 40 miles west of London, at around 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), Thames Valley Police said in a statement shortly after the incident.

Enki King mentions to me that, "The park, which features a lion statue and a cross memorializing Henry I, had hosted a BLM protest earlier in the day."

History of Uptown

Uptown is a commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota, centered at the Uptown Theater (the former Lagoon) at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, ECCO, South Uptown and East Isles neighborhoods, within the Calhoun Isles community. Historically, the boundaries of Uptown are Bde Maka Ska to the west, Dupont Avenue to the east, 31st Street to the south, and 28th Street to the north.

Uptown has proven to be a popular destination for those seeking retail, nightlife, and cultural events, and the district was famously written about by recording artist Prince.

Uptown is a youthful fusion of global cuisine, local retail, and lively nightlife with nature rooted just beyond the bustling main intersection. Block by block you'll find multitudes of restaurants, bars and shop there.

As Minneapolis expanded south, housing construction boomed through the 1920s. A commercial district began forming just east of the Lakes Area. At the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue, the Lagoon Theatre was built, a multi-function vaudeville theater. When the Lagoon burnt down in 1939, owners sought to rebuild and the business community took the opportunity to rebrand the area. Following the success of Chicago's Uptown District, the Minneapolis Tribune announced the new Uptown District of Minneapolis centered on the newly renamed Uptown Theatre.

Charlestown and Old Town

I detailed how "Charlestown" and "Charles Town" (= Charleston") are part of the history of June 17th. (See here.)

June 17, 1775.

Lafayette lays the cornerstone at the Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown, Massachusetts.

June 17, 1825.

Crews in historic Old Town Alexandria quickly removed a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier named "Appomattox" on Tuesday morning, June 2, 2020. The memorial was erected in 1889 to honor Confederate soldiers from the Virginia city and stands with its arms crossed and back to the north. It is one of many controversial Confederate monuments nationwide that have faced repeated demands for removal. (Note the "Prince Street" sign.)

Enki King shared on June 16, 2020, why we might wish to look to "Old Town."

The new rally date of June 20 in Tulsa (original name Tallasi, meaning Old Town) is the summer solstice. On the previous summer solstice, Lil Nas X's first EP featuring "Old Town Road" dropped. This month, a Confederate statue was removed in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia; BLM protestor Oluwatoyin Salau was murdered in Tallahassee (also meaning Old Town); and a man was allegedly shot by a vigilante group member during an attempt by protestors to topple a statue in the Old Town section of Albuquerque. I recommend staying away from Tulsa, any other town or neighborhood called Old Town, and even statues on the 20th. (Per comment here.)

Meanwhile,

Johanna Lenski wondered on Facebook if another "active shooter situation" was due on June 20 or June 21, 2020.

One man was shot near the Albuquerque Museum as a protest over the “La Jornada” sculpture in front of the Albuquerque Museum erupted into violence Monday evening, June 15, 2020.

The City of Albuquerque has removed the statue of conquistador Juan de Oñate in Old Town on Tuesday morning, June 16, 2020. On Monday, June 15, a male was shot during a protest for the removal of a statue of Oñate that's located on Mountain and 19th Street. The sculpture sits outside the Albuquerque Museum.

Steven Ray Baca, 31, has been arrested in connection to a shooting of a protester near Old Town on Monday, June 15, 2020, according to Albuquerque Police. Baca has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and firearm enhancement. Baca ran for city council on a small government platform last year in District 2, where he lost to Councilor Ike Benton.