8-5-20 Superintendent Bangoura Encampment Remarks

President Cowgill and Commissioners,

I appreciate the opportunity to provide an update on park refuge spaces and temporary
encampments for people currently experiencing homelessness. As we have done since mid-June, I and other staff will provide information on a variety of topics, with updates tonight on
crime and safety, the permit process, public comments, an overview of current encampments,
and an overview of the Powderhorn transition plans underway.

First of all, I want to remind everyone how we got here. COVID-19 has created a health,
economic, unemployment and homeless crisis in Minneapolis and across the nation. I believe
there are many Minneapolis residents who do not understand the impact COVID-19 has had on
reducing shelter spaces and the impact the Governor’s executive orders has had on
encampments and the MPRB. Executive Order 20-55 prevents local governments from closing
encampments unless there are alternate housing, shelter or encampment space or if an
encampment has reached the size or status that is a documented threat to public safety. Many
people are only aware that our Board passed resolutions related to refuge space, but do not
understand the Board resolutions are rooted in the Governor’s orders. We will continue to
share this information with the community, and I encourage commissioners to do so too.
Since the Board’s unanimous approval of Resolution 2020-267 on July 15, staff have been
working hard to implement the directives included in the resolution.

An encampment application and encampment permit were created, and we have issued
permits at four parks. Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Ringold will soon provide an update on
the permit process, the outreach underway, the benefits to permit holders, and efforts to
address some of the misperceptions about permitee responsibilities, due in part from an
external highly organized campaign to discourage encampment organizers from applying for a
permit. Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Barrick will provide an update on the parks
designated as capable of accommodating encampments, as directed in the resolution. The
need for designating parks capable of accommodating encampments is important while people
from Powderhorn are being relocated to other sites, as we work to address the size and safety
issues at that park. In early July, prior to the Board’s July 15 approval of Resolution 2020-267,
many people were already leaving Powderhorn Park due to safety issues and heading to other
parks throughout the city. Unfortunately, some set up encampments in parks that we now
know are within safe school zones or cannot meet other guidelines of the Board approved
resolution.

As you all know, we needed to vacate the encampments at Powderhorn Park. Two weeks ago,
we vacated the east encampment at Powderhorn Park due to significant crime and safety
issues. As I’ve already mentioned, volunteers and many living in the east encampment had
already le[ due to those same issues, reducing the east encampment from 310 tents down to
100 when notices were served July 17. When the MPRB arrived on July 20, they assisted
almost 30 people in peacefully relocating to another location. There were only a couple of
people who refused to leave, and they were joined by dozens of protestors. Those on site were
given multiple warnings before 20 people, primarily protestors, were arrested. We have seen
social media and email claims of police violence which simply are not true. Last Friday, to
address the ongoing crimes taking place in Powderhorn encampments and to address the fact
that the park is in a safe school zone, we issued a notice of transition to those living in the 65
tents that they needed to leave the park. There is not a set time frame for their departure but
are working to reduce the site incrementally. We have been working with our partners and
providing staff and transportation on site to assist in relocating people. Assistant
Superintendent Michael Schroeder will provide more details shortly about the transition plans
underway for Powderhorn Park.

We know that the Park Board is not the agency to solve the homeless crisis in Minneapolis and
sheltering homeless people temporarily in Minneapolis parks is not a safe, proper or dignified
form of housing. COVID has made the crisis worse. We have been asking for assistance from
our city, county and state partners who are the experts in providing services, shelter and
housing to people experiencing homelessness. It is imperative that those in park encampments
have accommodations before cold weather arrives in a mere three or four months.
In the meantime, as we continue to implement Resolution 2020-267 and work to reduce the
number of parks to 20 and the number of tents per park to no more than 25 per encampment,
I need the Board’s support for the directives in the resolution. This is a challenging situation
and an unprecedented role for our organization, and we put staff in an extremely difficult
position when we don’t support the work we are asking them to do.

Superintendent Bangoura