Small town life beats the chaos of the Cities

Just over a year ago the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted into fiery chaos as a Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, a black man, after he (Floyd) had attempted to pass a fake $20 bill.
Portions of the Twin Cities were set ablaze.
The chaos spread to other cities throughout the United States. For one year our nation’s cities were gripped by violence.
Compare that to a small town in Dodge County that is erupting with pride after the Vikings of Hayfield captured the 2021 Section A State Baseball Championship. There was no burning of private businesses or homes. Just celebration.
There was pure energy that spread out from the baseball team’s accomplishment. It followed on the heels of the Vikings’ accomplishment earlier this year when its basketball team claimed the state basketball championship title.
Gov. Tim Walz did not call in the Minnesota National Guard to quell the rioting and looting in Hayfield. There was no looting or rioting.
I guess that’s the difference that comes to those of us who have chosen to live in a small town, where everyone tends to know everyone. A boy’s baseball team can ignite excitement that grips the town, county and the region.
It’s sad to think that with each shooting of a known criminal by police (this time a criminal chose to fire on U.S. Marshals and was killed in the process) there will be riots and protests.
Having grown up in the Gopher state, I do not recall any situation that caused rioting when a known criminal was either apprehended or killed when confronted by police.
While Minneapolis city government is defunding the police, it has become one of the nation’s murder capitals. It’s crime rates have soared in the last 12 months.
Without doing exhaustive research, I believe it is safe to say that the crime rate in Hayfield has been low, if not non-existent.
In recent surveys asking outstate residents of Minnesota if they were fearful or unafraid to travel to Minneapolis, the responses were overwhelmingly in favor of staying away from the state’s largest city due to the increase criminal activity.
Residents of Dodge County are proud of the accomplishments of the Hayfield baseball team’s accomplishment, but equally proud of the people who make up Hayfield and the rest of Dodge County.
 
SMALL TOWNS
Human nature cannot be studied in cities except at a disadvantage--a village is the place. There you can know your man inside and out--in a city you but know his crust; and his crust is usually a lie.
Mark Twain