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A lawsuit is expected any day against property owner Hamoudi Sabri after boldly planning and allowing homeless encampments on his parking lot in south Minneapolis. The city closed the camp on Tuesday after seven people were shot there, four suffering life-threatening injuries. That violence and mayhem would occur at the camp was very predictable — in fact I predicted it when I wrote a commentary that was published in this paper a mere two months ago (“Welcome to another season of encampments in Minneapolis,” July 19).
I waved a red flag in that piece by pointing out that violence and various other illegal behaviors were sure to occur in the camp unless the city shut it down quickly. I pointed out how the city has the power to stop and remove homeless encampments even when they exist on private property, and I asked if any officials are going to do anything about it and ended by saying, “The ball is in your court, city of Minneapolis.”
Unfortunately, however, it took seven people being shot for the city to finally act and shut down Sabri’s encampment. In the meantime, there has been further damage to the residents of the neighborhood, prolonged inaction by numerous city departments and an unhelpful escalation in tension in the city.
After the city closed the camp, Mayor Jacob Frey publicly and correctly stated that the camp was an active crime scene, that needles were everywhere and that homeless encampments are not safe. He also stated that the city has the power to shut them down, and that the city would defend its actions. I wholeheartedly agree with the mayor, and it is obvious that he cares about public safety in our city. But he might as well beat his head against the wall rather than trying to get the City Council to work with him on closing encampments.
Of the 13 members of the City Council, only three have track records of supporting important public safety issues like closing homeless encampments: Michael Rainville (Ward 3), LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4) and Linea Palmisano (Ward 13). The other 10 council members, many of them Democratic Socialists of America members, have at best been silent on the issue and at worst hostile to the city’s efforts to close the camps.
Mayor Frey is right — homeless encampments are not safe, and they should not be allowed to form or spread. But this November the entire City Council is up for election, and any voter who cares about public safety and resides in any wards other than 3, 4 and 13 should commit to electing new leadership to bring solutions and safety to our community. So, now the ball is in your court, voters. Let’s elect a City Council that will support public safety and stop these camps in their tracks.
