Prayers. I hope I make it out unscathed. Thank you very much for your prayers as I venture into South Minneapolis. (updated)

 It’s finally happening, I’m headed into the worst of it this morning. The epicenter of all of the fear and fascism. I hope I make it out unscathed. Thank you very much for your prayers as I venture into South Minneapolis.

Well, I made it out.   The biggest thing that I noticed was that S MPLS looked and felt exactly the same way it always does.  People walking along the sidewalks, with dogs and children.  Church was pretty much the same attendance as any other incredibly cold January Sunday.   The homeless folk outside the BK looked exactly the same way that they always do.  The POC that I encountered at various businesses seemed to lack the terror I'd been told to expect.   

In short, maybe the media (MSM and social) just might be exaggerating the level of "terror" that is allegedly gripping S MPLS and underplaying the normalcy that really exists. 

FYI, I spent Friday working in an environment where I interacted with many POC, and again, pretty much normal atmosphere as well. 

I've been seeing a LOT of social media posts which are headed by some version of the person claiming to have first hand knowledge, which are then followed by a list of random claims from random/unidentified persons with absolutely zero way to confirm or disprove the claims.  (Much like this post)   Personally, I think that these posts do a disservice to everyone and are simply passing along second and third hand, unverified gossip as if it is absolute Truth.   

Fortunately my post is as much a mockery of those posts (albeit actually an accurate representation of my morning) as anything.  

I did see people struggling with ice though, but only because the city of MPLS does such a poor job of maintaining the streets and sidewalks.