Minneapolis homeless encampment fire takes out neighboring home — and other top public safety news
More problems for Minneapolis residents near homeless encampment
This week another homeless encampment allowed to exist in Minneapolis went up in flames, completely destroying the encampment and damaging two adjacent homes so badly that eight adults are now displaced from their homes. (But don’t worry – Councilperson Jason Chavez found them an AirBNB). The source of fuel: the yurts that have been donated and erected by various nonprofits who believe their enabling of these encampment residents is a humane action.
There is nothing humane about it, or the city’s policy that allows the encampments to form and exist throughout many of south Minneapolis neighborhoods — many times on vacant lots among private homes and businesses. Yet, vocal activists on the City Council openly oppose efforts to remove the encampments or establish a policy prohibiting them from forming.
What’s most troubling is that nearly everyone agrees — the encampments are not the result of a lack of shelter or funding; they exist because of the fentanyl crisis. Most encampment residents are fentanyl addicts who have declined shelter, housing, or other assistance. They choose to reside in the encampments so they can have easy access to fentanyl and a permissive environment where they can be reasonably sure the police won’t stop them.
The permissive policy that allows the encampments to exist only serves to impede real progress on addressing the fentanyl crisis and ending the encampments permanently.
This most recent fire was at the encampment on the 2400 block of 15th Ave So. It was believed to have been inhabited by 25-30 people. It’s blocks from the site of another devastating fire that destroyed an encampment earlier this year, also damaging nearby homes. It’s also in the section of Minneapolis which has been inundated with homeless encampment violence for years, with no fewer than eight murders occurring in and around these encampments over the past year.
Neighbors of the most recent fire described to KSTP just how frustrated they are with a city government that seems to do nothing to correct the situation.
“…no one hears us. It’s going to keep on happening, and no one does anything.”
Neighbor displaced by fire
“It’s just not safe, there’s kids in the neighborhood,” says a woman who didn’t want to give her name. “They’re going around in people’s yards, stealing stuff out of people’s yards. They’re using drugs, they leave the needles everywhere.”
Anonymous neighbor
The encampment fire is yet another example, in a long list of examples, of how the City of Minneapolis is failing its residents. The encampment problem needs to be addressed — and the city needs to have a red-line policy against allowing their existence. Only then can it find the traction needed to address the underlying issues that fuel encampments.
Violence in Robbinsdale — a blip or a trend?
Data shows that violent crime in the twin cities suburbs has fallen over the past four years. But just recently there have been signs of a troubling resurgence. Maybe it’s nothing, but we need to keep our eyes on Robbinsdale.
In just over a week Robbinsdale has experienced its first murder in over a year, followed by a double shooting of two teens — each incident involving young men and occurring in cars in residential neighborhoods.
Robbinsdale is a relatively sleepy first-ring suburb located adjacent to troubled north Minneapolis. Aggravated assaults and robberies have dropped substantially in Robbinsdale since 2021, and the city didn’t record a murder in 2023 or the first 11 months of 2024.
Time will tell if the recent violence is a random blip or a negative trend that is emerging.
Derek Chauvin seeks post-conviction relief
Alpha News has done a good job at monitoring and reporting the efforts of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin to successfully appeal his conviction(s) for the murder of George Floyd.
Up to this point, each of Chauvin’s efforts in state and federal court have failed. Chauvin’s most recent efforts have been made more difficult after he was nearly murdered by a fellow inmate in federal prison while doing legal research.
Despite these setbacks, Chauvin has hired a new lawyer, Gregory Joseph, and has filed a petition for post-conviction relief, citing, “grounds for relief in this Motion establish actual innocence, ineffective assistance of counsel, discovery violations … and related violations of due process and a fair trial under the United States Constitution.”
If successful in his bid, Chauvin could receive relief in the form of setting aside his conviction or receiving a new trial. Read the motion here.