A Twin Cities restaurant owner who recently announced the closure of one of his businesses slammed city and state officials for failing to hold criminals accountable.
On Fox News, Ingram told host Lawrence Jones that crime has “spiraled out of control” over the past three to four years.
“As our DA and as our city attorneys and judges decided that we were no longer going to prosecute criminals, that we were just going to let them back out, it just keeps exploding,” he said. He described calling 911 twice in the past month, only to be told no officer could respond. “Of course crime is down when you can’t file a police report,” he noted.
Ingram, the owner of Purpose Restaurants, announced last week that he will be closing Apostle Supper Club in St. Paul on June 1. In a Facebook post that has since been made private, Ingram reportedly said “downtown Saint Paul is simply not a viable place for small, independent restaurants to thrive.”
Ingram’s frustration boiled over in an April 22 Facebook post detailing incidents at his restaurants. At The Gnome in St. Paul, he said someone intentionally set fire to the deck. “We have them on camera–lighting it,” Ingram wrote. “And yet? I was told I couldn’t file a police report.”
At Apostle Supper Club, a smashed front door met a similar response: “I was told to just go online and fill out a form. I asked to speak to an officer. Dispatch said no.”
He questioned, “When did it become controversial to care about crime in our city? When did loving your city and wanting it to be safe become something people roll their eyes at?”
“This is madness,” Ingram told Fox News host Lawrence Jones on May 2. “The fact that our governor, our mayor, our city council, our D.A. isn’t standing with these business owners and standing out on the street corner and just saying ‘It’s enough. We’re done.’”
As an example, Ingram highlighted a repeat offender who allegedly burglarized The Gnome. “Guy robbed The Gnome. He had 50 prior arrests. He robbed me, got out of jail, came back and burglarized me again a few days later, came back a couple weeks later and did it again,” he said.
Jones also pointed to broader leniency, noting a recent case in Minneapolis where the county attorney declined to prosecute a vandal who damaged six Tesla vehicles, causing thousands in losses.
Recent violence underscores Ingram’s concerns. Minneapolis police responded to shootings that left six dead in less than 24 hours last week, prompting Police Chief Brian O’Hara to call the violence “infuriating.”
Ingram rejects the partisan divide, urging unity. “I’m so tired of this Republican, Democrat,” he said. “We can all agree that crime is crime, and if you commit a crime you should go to jail.” We must “love our community and stand for it and just stop the madness and common sense has to prevail.”
He criticized city leaders’ inaction: “Where is our mayor? Where is our city officials and city attorney going, ‘We’re done. You commit a crime, you’re going to jail?'”
“For some reason, I think people feel like you can’t be proud of your city if you’re talking about crime,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you can’t hold folks accountable.”
Symone Harms
Symone Harms is a Media Production and Business Marketing student at Bethel University. She is actively involved in The Royals Investment Fund, The 25, theatre, and other leadership positions. She also cohosts Rooted, a podcast dedicated to being rooted in truth, growing in freedom, and prospering in life. A Minnesota native with a passion for storytelling and digital media, she aspires to a career in broadcasting as a news anchor and reporter.
