Can't speak for MPLS, SF, LA, NYC; but have been a resident of IL for 66 years. Although I mostly grew up in ECI, spent a lot of time in Chicago. It's not perfect. There are isolated neighborhoods that need to do better.
Note I didn’t say anything about Chicago.
I’ve been to the other cities many times over the last 20+ years and have seen their decline. Was in SF 2.5 years ago (before they cleaned it up for Xi) and LA/SD a few months ago, MPLS twice in last two years, NYC in October of 23.
Tempo keeps talking about which side of history people want to be on, but I sure as fuck don’t want to be on the side of the people that ran Minneapolis (and these other cities) into the goddamn ground.
It used to be a beautiful, safe city you could walk around anytime of the day or night. I couldn’t believe my eyes the last time I was there. It’s like a dystopian hell escape downtown. Same for Saint Paul. No one is outside, there’s no nightlife, people at the hotel are telling you not to be outside after dark. There are weeds growing everywhere.
That’s what these people are fighting to save? It’s already lost. And the people that oversaw losing it are the same people lying to you about what’s happening there right now. All they’re doing is trying to prevent the collapse of the house of cards that they have built. They’re not going to give up their rampant fraud and destruction of the cities without a fight.
Of course, no one other than MN and I have been there recently, so we’re a bunch of assholes for pointing out what you can clearly see when you go there. Hilarious.
In California even the damn tourist attractions are run down, everything looks like it needs a scrubbing and a new coat of paint, most public places smell like weed and urine. You go to the beach and the toilets in the restrooms are overflowing with shit and everyone seems to be too stoned to care. At least they haven’t fucked up the natural beauty there yet.