Opinion | Once vibrant, Minneapolis-St. Paul is in decline. What happened?

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In Minneapolis-St. Paul, wealth is leaving faster than it’s coming in.

The economy isn’t recovering — it’s unraveling.

Many in the Twin Cities feel less safe.

Police shortages and rising crime have reshaped daily life for more than five years.

What has happened in Minnesota over the last five years?

In “A Precarious State,” a new documentary film premiering Oct. 2, I seek to answer these essential questions. As a journalist for more than 30 years, I’ve covered thousands of stories and interviewed more than 20,000 people on several continents. But what I see happening here at home — in Minneapolis and St. Paul today — may be the biggest story of my career.

While it is easy to associate Minneapolis and St. Paul’s challenges with the post-pandemic and work-from-home realities facing much of the nation today, this documentary reveals the truth. Much of the rest of the nation is doing relatively well. Many places are booming. There is substantial evidence that what we face in the Twin Cities has more to do with how we responded to the death of George Floyd, and what followed.

Key insights from the documentary include:

“A Precarious State” offers an in-depth look at the challenges of a once strong and vibrant Twin Cities. It analyzes the key drivers of decline and what will be needed to turn things around. The answers we’ve uncovered go beyond headlines, beyond the pandemic, to the very future of our community.

We all want a great place to live, work and play. We all want a place where business and residents can flourish. We all want to find investment in our business communities and grow jobs.