Two weeks ago, seemingly overnight, dozens of tents appeared near the Broadway and Jefferson Street corner of Logan Park. An informal check of Northeast parks on July 18 found five to six tents in Marshall Terrace and Edgewater parks, and one to three tents in Gluek, Beltrami and Boom Island parks. Logan Park has the largest encampment, with 22 tents, that number remaining steady for the last two weeks. It’s not certain where residents of the other Northeast parks came from; several of the Logan residents came from a large encampment at Powderhorn Park.
During the protests following the death of George Floyd, the former Sheraton Minneapolis Midtown Hotel became a short-lived shelter for hundreds of people who lost their homes in the destruction that followed the protests. After ten days in June, volunteers who had run the makeshift operation were overwhelmed by the needs of the people occupying the hotel. By June 15, the hotel was empty again, and its tenants were mostly back on the streets. Nearby Powderhorn Park absorbed many after the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted to allow parks to be used as space for homeless people. Powderhorn had two encampments with over 500 tents between them, and tents appeared in 35 other city parks.
Within six weeks, crime and livability issues grew to a point that one of the Powderhorn encampments was ordered cleared. A number of people were arrested, and most of the displaced residents headed for other parks. On July 15, the MPRB approved a resolution to limit the number of tents in parks to 25, and the number of parks, called “Refuge Sites,” to 20.
The MPRB’s limit on the number of parks for temporary shelter includes a requirement for a temporary encampment permit. The permit can be issued to a number of entities, including individual volunteers or groups who agree to “the day-to-day oversight and regulation” of the camp. At Logan, a number of full- and part-time volunteers are members of Freedom From the Streets (FFS), a group which organizes at-risk and homeless people to, in FFS’s words, “use their own voice in making changes so everyone has a home that is affordable.” There is an ongoing discussion among camp residents about whether to request a permit application; some say it would allow the MPRB to formally deny the encampment the permission needed to stay.
FFS coordinator Junail Freeman Anderson is the person making sure the Logan Park group can function. She has been homeless herself, and can speak the language of the residents in the encampment. A mandatory daily meeting is held at 7 p.m. to discuss issues, among them daily cleanup, proper camp behavior, encounters with neighbors, and concerns about the future of the encampment. The meetings don’t always get full attendance, but pains are taken to have a civil discourse. A few disruptive residents have been told to leave the meetings.
The tents are in a cluster near the southwest corner of the park. The tent openings mostly face west, and are set just a few feet from each other. Near the north edge of the tents, a picnic table has been given a fabric roof, and the space becomes variously a desk, a dinner table, a chat room or a smoking lounge. A large white tent holds camp supplies, including food and other living necessities. The tent is surrounded by two dozen Rubbermaid coolers, the contents of each marked on the lid: Gatorade, water, energy drinks, potato salad. Clear plastic boxes are stacked on a table: toothpaste, deodorant, bar soap, bug spray. There is also a box with hand sanitizer and face masks. There is an abundance of fresh fruit, and volunteers accept donations daily. Sometimes donors bring takeout meals in cardboard containers.
A few days after the encampment rose up, MPRB delivered a dozen trash and recycling bins, which have been collected regularly. Logan Park’s lone portable toilet was moved nearer to the camp, and a portable toilet for handicapped residents was set next to it. There is a portable hand-washing station near the tents, and volunteers have fashioned smaller hand-washers out of five-gallon buckets.
Most of the male and female residents are people of color, ages range from 20s to 60s. Some have cell phones; the few chargers in the camp are always in use. Residents seldom wear face masks, but the chairs for the meetings are placed several feet apart. Anderson said Park Police and MPRB employees make occasional visits, but the city does not.
Most of the residents are reluctant to talk to outsiders. One or two are on probation, a few have injuries (taped-up arm, broken ankle in a cast) and one or more often seem to be under the influence. The residents’ access to medical care is not readily apparent.
The encampment is close to Broadway. Residents are exposed to near-constant traffic noise. They are also able to see quite clearly people walking their children and their dogs, people on bikes and motorcycles, heading their own ways to their own homes on warm summer evenings.
Visitors are sometimes offered a petition on a clipboard and asked to sign: “I recognize that everyone should have access to safe dignified housing but that current circumstances have led to encampments as being the best alternative for some. The Logan Park Encampment has supervision, a screening process for admitting residents, and clear expectations for those that stay there. They offer to meet daily at 7 p.m. with neighbors who wish to learn about the encampment. While steps are being taken to resolve homelessness at the government level, I would like to see the encampment in the farthest southwest part of Logan Park be allowed to remain until September 15, 2020.”
At the daily meetings, the residents sometimes resemble a jury, a group of strangers thrown together who have to form a temporary community, solve problems, get along with each other, and come to an agreement. At the beginning the outcome isn’t clear. But unlike a court jury, the residents of the Logan Park Encampment don’t really have a say in the outcome. They know their situation is unsustainable. And that uncertainty is with them every day.
See also this story for Alex Schlee’s report on a protest to end homelessness, and page 13 about an idea for affordable tiny houses.
Below: Close to the maximum number of tents allowed in Minneapolis parks can be seen at Logan Park. Junail Freeman Anderson is coordinator of the encampment. Camp supplies include lots of fresh fruit. (Photos by Mark Peterson)