Conduct by Code?

Bad public behavior doesn’t have to be illegal to be a pain in the neck—and pocketbook. Which is why we’re hearing talk among both residents and business people about a “code of conduct” for downtown Minneapolis.

A neighborhood on the edge of downtown—Stevens Square/Loring Heights—already has one. The adoption, two years ago, of its Standards of Behavior followed meetings and a survey of 1,400 households. The resulting document declares the neighborhood’s “right to . . . and responsibility to foster” nine items, including freedom from (besides the obvious illegalities) “harassing, intimidating, and bullying behaviors, such as aggressive panhandling and rude, derogatory comments,” “excessive noise, especially at night, such as loud music from buildings and vehicles, or people yelling,” and “litter, uncontained trash, pet waste, and graffiti.”

So are folks behaving with greater civility and decorum than they did pre-code? As far as defining and articulating what’s expected by the neighbors, the document has been helpful, says Dave Delvoye, safety coordinator for the Stevens Square Community Organizaton. Unfortunately, “certain individuals just don’t care,” he adds. “I’d say [the code] is useful, but not always effective.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hoch, president of the Hennepin Theatre Trust, is discussing a survey of downtowners and the drafting of a similar code. “It’s unfair to blame the city and the police for all of our problems,” Hoch says. “Those of us who live and work downtown have to be more proactive when it comes to the way people behave.”