9-2-2020 Superintendent Bangoura Encampment Remarks

President Cowgill and Commissioners

Since mid-June, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has committed significant resources to respond to temporary encampments in a humane and dignified manner. We have provided maintenance and hygiene station support, outreach and engagement, and assistance with the encampment permit process.

Since mid-July, staff have been working diligently to implement Resolution 2020-267 which was unanimously approved by Park Board Commissioners. We have been focused on reducing the number of parks with temporary encampments to no more than 20, limiting the number of tents per encampment to no more than 25, getting encampments permitted, and addressing encampments with serious crime and safety incidents and those located within safe school zones.

In the past several weeks, we have effectively reduced the number of temporary encampments down to 21 park sites – from 44 in early August. We have done this by disbanding almost two dozen encampments having anywhere from one to 30 tents, with almost all of these done in a peaceful, uneventful manner. This includes successfully clearing encampments at the following parks with documented threats to health and safety or within safe school zones: Powderhorn, Elliot, Kenwood, Loring and Matthews.

Today is the first day of school at Hope Academy, located on the same block as Peavey Park. On August 10, the MPRB issued notices to vacate to those living in approximately 12 tents in the park. Hennepin County and park outreach staff were on site for several days offering assistance and providing transportation to other locations.  On August 12, an estimated 100 protestors amassed on site to “defend” the encampment. When a park staff member arrived at Peavey Park that morning, they were attacked by protestors who climbed onto his vehicle and equipment. We have deescalated and backed away from conflict during a time in the city of ongoing civil unrest. The camp has since grown to 30 tents, with the understanding that some of the tents are for advocates and protestors staying on site. We continue to seek a peaceful disbandment of the camp, with law enforcement used as a last resort; however, the Minneapolis Sanctuary Movement and other advocates have created a challenging situation for the school and families who attend the school. The issue has been compounded by some park commissioners who have not supported use of law enforcement to remove encampments and arrests of protestors who have disregarded multiple warnings and have attacked staff and officers at Powderhorn Park during demobilization of encampments, which will be discussed later on tonight’s agenda.

For now, we continue to focus on reducing the number of parks with encampments and issuing permits. Of the 21 park sites with encampments, five have only one or two tents and we have issued permits for 15 temporary encampments.

As permitted temporary encampments in park sites have become full, our park outreach staff have joined Minneapolis and Hennepin County outreach staff in spreading the word about the availability of shelter spaces. There is no limit to family shelter capacity and Hennepin County continues to report available openings in single adult shelter spaces.

The need to transition people into shelter spaces is becoming critical. Not only because park sites are at capacity, but because temperatures will soon start to drop, and health and safety concerns will rise.

The current conditions in parks is not sustainable. For many months we have openly stated that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is not the agency to serve unsheltered people and that living in parks is not a dignified form of shelter.  I have been expressing MPRB needs during conversations and meetings with our city, county and state partners that have clear and defined responsibility for addressing homelessness. Recently, we have also made formal requests.

On August 19, I sent a letter to city and county officials requesting assistance and requesting they provide housing or more permanent shelter by November 1 for those living in approximately 400 tents in the park system. Last Friday, President Cowgill and I sent a letter to Governor Walz requesting a virtual meeting to discuss the situation and requesting the State provide additional funding to Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis, so they can expand available shelter and housing options and health and human services for those living in the park system before the weather turns cold. We made it clear that winter encampments will not be permitted within Minneapolis parklands and that we need detailed plans from state and county social services for sheltering those living in the parks before the time comes to disband the encampments.

Resolution 2020-267 states “sheltering homeless people in Minneapolis parks is not a safe, proper or dignified form of housing and is, at best, a temporary solution for encampment individuals before cold weather arrives.” While predictions of cold weather are a guess at best, recent weather records from weather.com suggest that the average low temperature in October reaches 40 degrees F, 12 degrees colder than the September average low temperature. These temperatures will soon pose a health and safety risk for encampment occupants. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, hypothermia most likely occurs at very cold temperatures but it can also occur at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain or sweat.

Because of anticipated cold overnight October temperatures and because fires in parks are restricted per Ordinance PB2-20, outreach efforts to those living in temporary park encampments will soon include messages urging people to seek shelter before encampments are disbanded, likely sometime in October.

Superintendent Bangoura