“This is an intentional endangerment of people who are facing a cold winter.”
That is Dave Bicking who was one of several dozen Minneapolis residents who interrupted a Planning Commission meeting Thursday evening, causing the meeting to adjourn.
The advocates bemoaned the city's lack of respect for its homeless population and cruelty for forcefully moving them out without warning and without assistance.
Earlier Thursday morning, several residents claimed the Minneapolis Police Department was responsible for removing another homeless encampment near Glenwood Avenue on the west side of downtown. Social media reports claimed it was done with violence and without allowing anyone to help the homeless population evacuate the area. The group of around 30 people was move because of a new housing development going up nearby.
Three people were also arrested.
The area which is a vacant, city-owned lot, has seen various encampments over the last few years. Hennepin County had assisted some of the occupants and found them temporary housing which brought the population down to the 30 that were evicted on Thursday.
There had been other conflicts between occupants and police including in March of last year.
The new development will create houseing for renters earning below 30% and up to 60% of area median income, including some reserved for people experiencing homelessness, according to the Star Tribune.
Michelle Gross is the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality and she says they are outraged by the way the city has handled homeless people.
“They couldn't wait to find an excuse to run those people out of there, and that is outrageous to us,” says Gross.
Gross says they'll continue to interrupt meetings until the city takes them seriously. She adds that the city’s new Commissioner of Community Safety, Cedric Alexander, has not responded to repeated requests to talk about the issue.
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