Photo courtesy Minneapolis Police
Photo courtesy Minneapolis Police
MINNEAPOLIS - Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis is a hub of activity most days, a mix of business people eating lunch, organizations staging outdoor events or demonstrations and homeless residents looking for a place to take a load off.
On Tuesday, all that activity came to a halt as city Public Works crews descended on Peavey Plaza to do cleanup and maintenance on an urban gathering place that is becoming a bigger problem with each passing day.
"Over the course of the past several months it has really become a public safety and public health issue," says Sgt. Gary Nelson of the 1st Precinct.
Minneapolis Police Sergeant Steven McCarty estimates that as many as 50 homeless people sleep in the plaza every night. Many more drift through at all hours of the day, using it as a makeshift bathroom.
Statistics indicate that police have seen a 260 percent increase in calls for service and over a 300 percent increase in arrest at Peavey Plaza in 2012 as compared to the same time period last year. Although the majority of calls and arrests are for low level crimes like public intoxication, public urination, drinking and disorderly conduct, officers have also responded to serious crimes including criminal sexual conduct, robberies, and assaults.
"Pan-handling, and people being harassed walking down the street. It's not a great advertisement for us or the city," says Shane Higgins, General Manager of Brits.
The pub is one of many businesses across the street from Peavey Plaza that has felt the effects of the homeless issue. They were happy to see the clean up efforts.
The situation became worse in early April when members of the OccupyMN movement began using Peavey Plaza as a base for demonstrations. McCarty says activists have since moved on.
Workers from the St. Stephens shelter have been at the plaza prior to the shutdown, working with the homeless to assist them in getting a more permanent living space.
"First I think we should recognize that the shelters are full. There is no room at the inn anywhere in the Twin Cities," says Monica Nilsson with St. Stephens.
She says this is the worst she's seen homelessness in the 20 years she's been working in the industry. The only solution is more outreach workers, more emergency shelters and housing for people of all income levels.
"Until we have those things, people will be living in public," says Nilsson.
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