Please note: this meeting's minutes have not been finalized yet. Actions taken on legislation and their results are not available.

Meeting Details

Meeting Name: City Council Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 8/4/2026 12:00 PM Minutes status: Draft  
Meeting location: Council Chambers - 3rd Floor
Special City Council meeting to continue the public hearing on the Mayor's Encampment Plan. Councilmember Coleman and Councilmember Jost may be participating remotely.
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Accessible Agenda Accessible Agenda Published minutes: Not available  
Agenda packet: Not available
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PH 26-14 7/22/2026 9:36 PMGaebriel Lyrek Against I oppose the plan to clear Pig’s Eye Park and other encampments. Displacement without guaranteed housing harms unhoused residents, worsening health, stability, and access to services. Research shows Housing First approaches, immediate permanent housing with voluntary support, reduce homelessness and improve outcomes. Sweeps do the opposite, increasing trauma, overdose risk, hospitalization, and mortality by disrupting care, social networks, and harm reduction access. Before any closures, the city must commit to reserved housing units, clear move in timelines, and measurable retention goals. Without these, displacement is not a solution but a harmful relocation that pushes people into more dangerous, less accessible conditions. Encampments form from necessity; removing them without alternatives deepens risk. I urge you to pause planned clearances and adopt evidence based, housing centered strategies that reduce harm rather than escalate it. Anything less is irresponsible. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 8:53 PMEmily Charakas Against I’m against the plan to close homeless encampments. You say closures are “the first step” toward a healthier community, but the practical effect is displacement without a guaranteed path to stable housing. Research shows that meaningful reductions in homelessness come from Housing First strategies [1]. Displacement harms health outcomes and perpetuates homelessness. Involuntary displacement is ***ociated with increased overdose death, hospitalization, and reduced treatment initiation for SUD. One study estimates involuntary displacement may contribute to 15.6%-24.4% more additional deaths among unsheltered people who inject drugs over 10 years [2]. Please commit publicly to housing and support before any displacement: reserved units, move-in timelines, and housing retention targets. If the city can’t guarantee that, this plan pushes folks into the same crisis again—only ****her from services. 1: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.4800 2: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101387 +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 8:42 PMTabatha Barrett Against I disagree with the approach. If you clear the encampments without ensuring that there are adequate supports in place, which there are not, you are just being cruel. I understand that it is a health hazard, but unless you are providing a reasonable alternative for the individuals living there, you are only making a bad situation worse. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 8:12 PMBrian Warden Against Thank you for allowing me to comment on the mayor's proposal, I highly suggest looking at how the city of Denver is handling encampments. Simply clearing encampments without coordinating wrap around services and support with local agencies and non-profits, and without providing actual housing, harms inhabitants, and ultimately, the surrounding communities. It disperses and disconnects folks from the community they are currently calling home and it makes them more vulnerable and less safe. The mayor's plan simply shifts the problem from one area to another area. Encampments form out of necessity and it is in***bent on the mayor her office to offer real solutions and support when they seek to remedy societal problems by taking away the place an unhoused, displaced- and often struggling individual -calls home. +4 -1 3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 8:09 PMCalli Oberembt Against Dear Mayor Her and City Council Members, I'm asking you to hold off on clearing the Pig's Eye Park encampment and the others planned after it. I get why you're doing this: the overdoses, fires, and ***aults are real problems. But clearing camps doesn't solve those problems, it just moves them somewhere with less oversight and no outreach workers around to help. There's actual research on this, not just opinion. A 2023 study in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical ***ociation) modeled what happens after sweeps in cities across the country and found they could lead to 15 to 25% more deaths among unsheltered people over 10 years, mainly from more overdoses, infections, and hospitalizations. The researchers didn't find a single scenario where displacement made things better. Here's the study if you want to see it yourself: https://nhchc.org/study-shows-involuntary-displacement-of-people-experiencing-homelessness-may-cause-significant-spikes-in-mortality-overdoses-and-hospitalization +2
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 8:04 PMBB  Against As a long-term resident, I oppose the mayor’s encampment eviction plan. While I understand the concerns about public spaces, evicting people from encampments without adequate housing and supportive services does not solve homelessness—it simply moves it elsewhere. These sweeps have serious public health consequences for our entire community. They disrupt access to medical care, mental health treatment, medications, and outreach services while increasing instability and the risk of disease, overdose, and emergency service use. Repeated evictions also waste public resources by addressing the visible symptoms of homelessness rather than its root causes. I urge the mayor and City Council to pursue evidence-based solutions that expand housing, treatment, and outreach instead of policies that displace people without resolving the problem. +2
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 7:52 PMRowan Q Against I am strongly in opposition of evicting people from Pig’s Eye and other encampments in the city. This action will cause a rise in overdose deaths, disconnect vulnerable community members from vital services and important people in their lives, and will not resolve the underlying issues that cause and perpetuate homelessness. The City of Saint Paul must work with the community to find more comp***ionate, common-sense, evidence-based ways of addressing homelessness. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 7:46 PMKiki Stevens Against I urge Mayor Her to reconsider the closing of encampments without providing a real housing solution. It is the city's job to make decisions based on evidence and comp***ion, not to make decisions that can lead to harm or even the death of its citizens. There are amounts of research and evidence that shows all the public health repercussions that displacing unhoused people without any real solutions can have. This is simply an inhumane and uneducated move from those we put in power. These citizens are also you citizens and responsibility; they are not lives to be disregard. +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 7:30 PMEmily Regan Against Destroying encampments and displacing people is not only inhumane and cruel, but an irresponsible use of public funds. Public health research evidence shows that bulldozing camps severs essential connections within communities, to outreach workers, health and social services, and essential medications. I'm vehemently opposed to Mayor Her's & city council's actions. You are supposed to represent all St Paul constituents, not just those who own property. +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 7:23 PMAndre Robinson Against As a Saint Paul resident and homeowner, I am strongly against the encampment eviction. These encampment clearings have been shown to be harmful to people living in them, do not solve the issue of housing for anyone involved, and are a m***ive waste of money. Public health officials have a large body of evidence to support the claim that these evictions are dangerous and can even be deadly. If the city wants to prevent encampments, then they should invest in more low-barrier housing. My next vote for council and mayor will be heavily influenced by the decision that Molly Coleman and Mayor Her make on this issue. +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 6:23 PMWanda Classen, LICSW Against Like you I am concerned about current overdose deaths, conditions of the encampment and safety. I am, however more concerned about safety of residents if these sweeps happen as scheduled. Studies show that after sweeps, people loose do***ents they need to access services, they use alone, and overdose. It is another trauma to add to the list of traumas folks have faced. Trauma does not motivate people toward positive change. its reported that there have been services at the encampment and people dont want to enter housing. This is simply not accurate. People want housing, but it needs to be extremely low barrier. Folks need to declare who their "family" is as they enter shelter, need to be able to bring pets/ belongings, need to come in "using", need locks on doors so these extremely sleep deprived folks can sleep without fear of ***ault. Trust is going to take a long time to build, not just a few weeks.Postpone the sweep, please. provide housing like Avivo village/verytinyhomes +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 4:17 PMGracie Lindblad Against It is no exaggeration to say that what you are doing is deadly. I hope you understand this. When people’s homes are upturned, they are at higher risk of overdosing, becoming out of care for chronic health conditions like HIV or diabetes, exacerbate dangerous infections, among many other things. Each individual will have their own health needs that will be challenged by these encampment evictions. People who are experiencing homelessness already have to go above and beyond for themselves and their health every day. Not having a stable place to stay makes it even harder. Pay attention to what has actually worked. There are virtually no veterans who are homeless at this time in Minnesota. Why? Steady funding, inter-organization teamwork, dignified housing, veteran specific programming, and years of work. Take lessons from programs that work listen to the camp resident’s voices. Don’t repeat harmful cycles. What you are doing is deeply inhumane. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 4:13 PMGracie Lindblad Against I work in public health and it is no exaggeration to say that what you are doing is deadly. I hope you understand this. When people’s homes are upturned, they are at higher risk of overdosing, becoming out of care for chronic health conditions like HIV or diabetes, exacerbate dangerous infections, among many other things. Each individual will have their own health needs that will be challenged by these encampment evictions. People who are experiencing homelessness already have to go above and beyond for themselves and their health every day. Not having a stable place to stay makes it even harder. Pay attention to what has actually worked. There are virtually no veterans who are homeless at this time in Minnesota. Why? Steady funding, inter-organization teamwork, dignified housing, veteran specific programming, and years of work. Take lessons from programs that work listen to the camp resident’s voices. Don’t repeat harmful cycles. What you are doing is deeply inhumane. +9 3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 4:06 PMJohn Sand Against I strongly oppose clearing encampments across St Paul. According to a 2025 report published by National ***ociation of County & City Health Officials, encampment sweeps may account for as many as 24% of all deaths among unhoused people who use drugs. Unhoused people regularly forced to relocate suffer 70-90% high rates of overdose death. I urge our city leadership to refrain from directing ANY public health funds to clearing encampments, when this money needs to be directed toward housing and services for these St Paul residents. +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 4:04 PMZach Schmit Against As a public health staff member and Ramsey County resident, I am strongly against the proposed "closure" of encampments. We have countless evidence in both the literature and the history of the last decade in the Twin Cities that show encampment clearings only further exacerbate the issues of homelessness, substance use, and violence. It is inhumane and illogical to clear encampments when there are nowhere near enough open shelter beds to house the folks being evicted. "Research shows that dispersing encampments without also housing residents can lead to an increase in disease, death and a shortened life expectancy among people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who inject drugs." (Evidence for Housing-Based Encampment Strategies, CDC and HUD) +4
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 3:44 PMJasmine Burbank Against "Although involuntary displacement might reduce the visibility of homelessness, it rarely results in permanent housing and can exacerbate health and safety challenges for people who are unhoused" (Meehan et al., Homeless Encampments and Involuntary Displacement, 2025). This is an impossible task given on an impossible timeline. There are simply not enough shelter beds to house all of these folks and even if there were, shelters are temporary. Encampment closures displaces people and makes it harder for them to access human services and health care. Stop criminalizing homelessness. +7
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 3:22 PMTristan Against I am entirely against the Mayor's plan, which would cause immense and lasting harm by closing encampments over evidence-backed responses to encampments that include community-directed resources such as access to bathrooms, harm reduction services, and sanitary services. No matter the care or intention of any plan that forces the closure of encampments, it will always be a violent response to houselessness rooted in the bigoted hate of unhoused people. Research continuously shows forced closures of encampments lead to increased overdoses, loss of critical possessions, reduced harm reduction practices, and other health, functioning, and longterm consequences. Please do genuine research into the effect of encampment closures and the very rational reasons people refuse shelters and other offered resources, instead of listening to politicians who only repeat inflicting the m***ive harm and constant failure to end cycles of houselessness by using state violence to again close encampments. +4
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 2:46 PMAmber P Against I am strongly against the inhumane actions suggested of encampment evictions that will cause further harm, continued displacement of individuals who are already facing unsurmountable barriers, loss of connection to supportive services and/or medical care and causing further trauma on a very targeted population. Forcing those living with homelessness to once again attempt to find refuge is ignorant and an act completely void of any comp***ion, understanding, person focused care, or solution-based reasoning. Having a consistent location to call home allows professionals that work closely with people living with homelessness a continued connection for care, the ability to provide vital services, long term support, medication distribution, and it supports positive relationship building within an already marginalized community. +5
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 2:25 PMChase Underwood Against As a Public Health staff member, we have seen the larger implications of encampment closings on public health time and time again, and with an encampment sweep this large, it is almost certain there will be an increase in HIV infections, Hepatitis infections, and other infectious disease if we disperse this camp. The camp offers an opportunity for people who otherwise do not have access to healthcare have a central place where outreach workers, nurses, and housing workers to find them. Without a phone and permanent address, moving everyone will cause people to lose contact with the resources they need and result in people losing access to medications for infectious diseases which not only impact those in encampments, but the larger population as a whole. The availability of housing is extremely sparse right now. It is a daily struggle for housing staff to find opportunities for people and if someone's housing opportunity becomes available, we cannot find them if they are lost. +6
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 2:07 PMNikole Bensing Against I am strongly opposed to the plan to close the homeless encampment at Pigs Eye Park and across St Paul. The research is clear - housing first policies are the only thing that works. Clearing encampments in this way is cruel and does nothing to stop the problem as these people have no where to go. Any plan should require placement of these poor unhoused folks somewhere else BEFORE the encampment is cleared. Time and again these clearings have done nothing to stop homelessness - and instead destroys all the belongings of those less fortunate, disconnects them from social services, and is a huge expense to taxpayers for something that only very temporarily stops the issues at the site - until eventually it is rebuilt elsewhere. I would much rather my tax dollars go to giving these folks free housing and access to social services. +4
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 1:48 PMLouise  Against The Mayor's plan is a continuation of a genocidal, imperialist, settler-colonial violence against indigenous, black, brown, disabled, immigrant people in this place. This policy demands a slow death of our neighbors through forced removal. Where are people supposed to go? Treating our neighbors as though they are disposable, like trash, is despicable. The Mayor and all of those who align themselves with the interests of the ruling elite, rather than with the people of this City, are the real danger to our communities' safety. Those living in these encampments are constantly at the brunt of rampant state violence via over-policing, surveillance, inaccessible health infrastructure, and forced housing instability. STOP THE SWEEPS. FREE THE PEOPLE. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 12:42 PMTaylor Hill Against I'm a Saint Paul resident with lived experience with homelessness. I strenuously oppose the mayor's inhumane eviction plan. Even if there were enough shelter beds available - and we know there are not - that's still a short-term solution that separates people from family, partners, or pets (their network of care and support), from their belongings, and from their autonomy. Most shelters only have space overnight, then folks are back outside during the day without the belongings they had to give up to access shelter - belongings they need to survive the day. Encampments aren't "ideal" solutions but they provide stability where people can consistently engage with resources and services. The mayor claims this plan is because the encampments are dangerous but research shows evictions are known to increase deaths and overdoses, so that argument doesn't hold water when the alternative is more devastating to safety and stability. Don't sweep people under the rug with nowhere to go! +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 6:14 AMKristina Brenner-Adam Against I am against the pigs eye encampment eviction on 8/5. the money should be used toward resources, shelter, medical care, and support for encampment residents, not to displace and harm them. evictions and encampment sweeps make an already vulnerable population even more vulnerable to incarceration, institutionalization, and trafficking by ice/federal agencies. these sweeps make dispersing resources and medical care during crises such as heat waves and bad air quality days even more dangerous to residents and their livelihoods. i urge mayor her, saint paul city council, and collaborating agencies to halt the evictions and to meet directly with encampment residents, local organizations, and public health experts to develop and transparently share a plan moving forward that centers the health and safety of all constituents. public servants must be accountable to constituents- and the current planned eviction/sweep on 8/5 will result in further harm, destruction and even death. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 1:23 AM    I am a St Paul Homeowner and I oppose the Mayor’s plan to support our homeless neighbors. I would like to see a detailed plan as to what resources they supposedly will receive, the community partners involved and if they have the capacity to serve all these residents, and a summary of interviews with residents and what support they asked for. Do we have enough resources to serve everyone adequately? I think not, because if we did there would not be these camps. There are not enough beds in St Paul or Mpls to serve everyone. The wait list for housing is long. We have empty buildings in downtown, a developer is putting in more office buildings and hotels we do not need on Snelling. We need to direct services and resources to things we actually need - housing, community services, food banks and soup kitchens. +4
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 1:11 AMmarie purcell Against An entire community is urging you to reverse course. At a time when more and more of us are at risk of becoming unhoused ourselves, these sweeps will demonstrate where you stand in the fight against poor, sick, and traumatized people. The systems you wield are killing people, and your actions against the unhoused community of Saint Paul, should you decide to take them, will be choosing a side. You will be sacrificing the safety, survival, and actual lives of a significantly oppressed people to maintain the dominance of the system you work for and benefit from. The system is inhumane and each of you has a human responsibility to use your power to help the people it hurts the most. Clearly, in this moment, that means our unhoused neighbors. I implore you to listen to the people your actions will further devastate. Listen to the unhoused and those of us who care most deeply for them. Stop the sweeps. +3
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 12:58 AMMatthew Rydberg  Against Please reconsider the eviction of unhoused people's from the various public parks. The current shelters and places to go are full. There's not enough room for everyone with the current budgets and restrictions we have. Don't let the only home these people have be taken away with no fix it all approach. +2
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 12:45 AMViolet Fink Against We have to stop this encampment eviction. Encampment sweeps are proven to end in disaster. They create life-threatening conditions by destroying medication, medical equipment, and other items necessary for survival. Sweeps also sever connections to their current care providers, we simply can’t do this logistically without someone dying. It undermines trust in our own government and service providers leading to trauma and worsen mental health conditions. We must provide them housing before eviction. We can provide services mentioned in your plan alongside allowing them to camp there. If we push them out we only exacerbate the problem. Overdoses occur during sweeps, people are lost in sweeps, residents are ***aulted during sweeps. It costs the city millions of dollars. Spend that money on housing, not distruction. +2
PH 26-14 7/22/2026 12:03 AMMolly Westfield Against The "plan" to close encampments on such a short time scale without a proper plan for actually housing those living in the encampments is unacceptable. The people in the camps need to be properly housed well before the encampments are closed, if closing the encampments is deemed necessary. Displacing people will cause them much more harm, especially if they aren't able to be housed before the winter. I believe that proper housing services and a real plan to help people transition from the encampments is necessary before sweeps are even considered. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 11:12 PMAnna Dadabo Against Please consider the importance of providing resources using evidence based practices to keep these vulnerable members of our community safe and well. This is a priority over forcibly moving people. Please use you political powers for good. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 9:31 PMMali Schroeder Against I have seen the justifications that fires, sexual ***aults and overdoses are happening in the encampments. Those things are also happening in my neighborhood in St. Paul, both inside houses and apartment buildings, and outside in the streets. As a society, we can find the resources to address those issues at the encampments as well as in any other neighborhood. Please do not further undermine the safety of our unhoused neighbors by forcing them into more and more dangerous situations. +6
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 8:59 PMLily Against This method goes against best practice and you have obviously not listened to any of the street workers. It's easy to say we should clear the encampments when you're entirely insulated to the effects. All this will do is push folks into different corners of our cities where they cannot reach services as easily. This will then place the burden on St Paul neighbors who want to do the right thing but are not equipped with the proper tools or skills. You should be ashamed. +7
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 8:32 PMZach North  Against Destroying encampments continues the same cycle of harm that has been used for years around the twin cities and is only hurting affected communities more and more each time! Find new ways to support people rather than wasting money making people's lives worse and continuing the same problems +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 8:20 PMJeff White Against Pushing folks who need stability further into instability by wasting taxpayer money to trash their belongings and arrest anyone who resists is not a plan, it is cruel, and the mayor's excuses for why it must be done have not retained any semblance of logic or humanity. We should treat our neighbors with the dignity, courtesy, and respect they deserve, not play kick-the-can with these clear policy failures at the city, county, state, and national level. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 6:44 PMDarren Smith Against I fail to see how this helps anyone. Violence, drug abuse and crime aren't unique to encampments. When those things happen in houses, we don't bulldoze the houses. Bulldozing the encampments doesn't make the problems go away, it just spreads it out. It also pushes people who are unstable footing in life further away from a life of stability. Bottom line: no help, only harm. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 5:21 PMRachel Robison Against I strongly oppose Mayor Her’s plan to displace our neighbors. I have witnessed the harm and desperation that these types of city actions create in Minneapolis and I’m disappointed to see the same patterns repeat in St. paul. It is well do***ented that eliminating encampments for the sake of “public health” without care for where the people who live there will go leads to increased deaths, overdoses, loss of essential belongings, and worsened outcomes and conditions for unhoused people across the board. It is disingenuous to insist that people need to try harder to access existing resources. If the current systems were supportive, inclusive, well-funded and humane enough, people would not choose to live in encampments. Please consider investing these funds into actively aiding city residents rather than wasting that money on acts of destruction and austerity. Dishonest beautification and “clean up” projects such as these come at the cost of our neighbors lives. We deserve better. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 5:00 PMKatie Kienbaum Against Encampment sweeps are not the solution that Saint Paul residents, including our unhoused neighbors, deserve. If the city proceeds, we'll be choosing to harm people to achieve the appearance of action instead of finding real, lasting solutions. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:59 PMSydney L Against The sweeping of the encampments with no plan to house, feed, or care for our neighbors is a blatant disregard for human life. I implore you to have humanity and to have courage to stand up to the precedent that mayor Carter and Frey set in the Twin Cities. The only outcome if you go through with this eviction is that lives will be lost and they will be your hands. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:59 PMXavier Decker Against The city's plan to evict encampments is disgusting and murderous. This action shows no regard for the safety and dignity of residents and will cost many people their sense of community. It is remarkable to see the amount of resources is willing to invest in repeatedly disenfranchising people instead of providing permanent housing, potable water, sanitation, and healthcare. Mayor Her should absolutely be held accountable for these villainous actions and the city of St. Paul must listen to the needs of it's unhoused residents. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:59 PMJuliet Against I am strongly against Mayor Her's plan to evict residents who live in encampments throughout St. Paul. Despite being a Minneapolis resident, it has become abundantly clear through conversations with folks who live in and around the Pig Eye's Encampment that these sweeps will traumatically upheave the lives of people who are already continually har***ed by law enforcement. As a Minneapolis resident, this violence is deeply and horrifically familiar. If the city geniunely cares about this issue, and about the safety of their neighbors at large, I plead for y'all to actually work alongside the people and organizations who have lived and organized throughout these encampments for years. Proceeding with this plan despite the tremendous amount of community pushback is both insulting and incredibly dangerous. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:58 PMSommer Wagen Against I hope the Mayor and City Council see the flood of comments from their constituents AGAINST clearing the Pig's Eye encampment for what it is: a bright, flashing sign that what they plan to do is not right. Nobody should have to sleep outside, especially in increasingly hot and smoky conditions, but encampments are where unhoused folks have the freedom to form community on their own terms. Why do overdose deaths spike after encampment sweeps? Because there's no longer anyone close by to help you through the stress of losing your belongings, of being har***ed and ***aulted by police, or to save your life with Narcan. Why do people not want to go to shelters? Because it removes their autonomy, and shelter conditions are far from ideal. You cannot solve a problem by sweeping it under the rug. I'm disgusted by the blatant lies the City of St. Paul is telling people about this plan, as clearly no community organizations or unhoused people themselves were consulted about what they need. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:58 PMLaura Bessenecker Against I strongly oppose Mayor Her’s decision to sweep residents from encampments. This decision is said to be made from the concern for health, safety, and dignity of said residents. Public health data shows us that health and safety are greatly reduced after encampment sweeps and we know from hearing the voices of residents over many years and particularly now during this recent announcement that this action would not be leaving them with dignity but fewer options, more risk of criminal charges, and even less support from the city. We need more structure, more options, more programs to support residents before sweeping encampments. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:58 PMJoe Adcock Against I'm very disappointed in the Mayor's approach to supporting our unhoused neighbors. I understand that encampment conditions can pose health and safety risks, but the solution is not to forcefully clear encampments and leave their residents with no resources or support. Until the city and county can guarantee adequate support and affordable housing for every single resident, encampment evictions will only do more harm than good. Please delay any evictions for at least two years and commit to building out the support systems (affordable housing, food ***istance, employment ***istance, mental healthcare, addiction treatment, etc.) that are necessary for our unhoused neighbors to have an actual alternative besides encampment living. Encampments exist for a reason - they provide communal support systems that are currently lacking at every other level. Evicting residents without providing sufficient support in return is inhumane and counterproductive. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:57 PMAaron Against This “plan” is nothing more than a co-sign onto trumps fascist anti homelessness agenda. These are good people. These are your constituents.They will die if you evict the camps. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:56 PMTanya Against I understand the health and safety problems that come with encampments. However, clearing encampments when service providers are saying there are not enough resources to help the people who need it just hurts the most vulnerable in our community. This is not what St Paul residents want. If Mayor Her proceeds with this plan, it seems she wants to be a one-term mayor met by protesters wherever she appears. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:55 PMJon Against The clearance of encampments is a short-sighted and cruel way to address the issues of the unhoused. Clearance increases risk of overdose, displaces vulnerable people further, and offers them no solution to their actual problems. Our residents need housing and until housing solutions can be provided, the least the city can do is allow people to stay in their own communities +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:50 PMLeah Shepard Against You must stop this plan the close encampments, which is deeply disturbing and ineffective as outlined by the many, many comments against. Instead, please work with the encampment residents to see what they need to make them safer, while also working with unhoused community and partner organizations to address root causes that lead to people being unhoused and to identify ways to get people into permanent housing. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:49 PMMyrka Zambrano Against Find a better way to place ur neighbors . DO NOT INHUMANELY SWEEP THEM UP !! BE BETTER !! +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:48 PMKatherine Schlasner Against I oppose Mayor Her's unilateral decision to close down encampments for unhoused people. It's unethical and inhumane, and a poor business decision. We do not have the affordable housing to house everyone, and our shelter system is fundamentally broken but also full. A lot of the people in these encampments are some of the same immigrants that you chose to fight for when ICE was detaining them, as there are both sizable Karen and Hmong populations in these camps. Why fight the feds at all, if our own police are going to make them more housing insecure. There are numerous health and safety concerns for this plan. Shutting down encampments did not consider any voices from the effected population of homeless or any or the organizations that work closely with unhoused. It's is extremely short sited and dangerous to put this plan into effect. I strongly urge the council to place a moratorium on evictions for homeless encampments until actual unhoused people and community partners have input. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:43 PMMarta Roser Against Mayor Her - please do not proceed with the current encampment clearing plan, it is a blunt and cruel way to deal with a complicated situation. It is clear that community partners working directly with the residents of these encampments were not included in this decision and many would lose the community that they have built, it would make it harder for social workers to find their clients, etc. We have allowed vulnerable people to fall through the cracks of our social net for a long time and it just seems like there is a lack of willingness from your office to meet the moment with creative and comp***ionate solutions that will ACTUALLY help rather than hurt Saint Paul residents. Where are people supposed to go? There are not enough beds or housing options available. I am deeply disappointed with the way this has been handled, do better. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:42 PMBrooke Against There is no comp***ion in bulldozing our unhoused neighbors, displacing them, increasing risks of overdose significantly, reducing social workers abilities to locate their clients, and ultimately destroying any semblance of community these folks currently have. It is reprehensible and inhumane. If Mayor Her doesn't like the conditions of the encampments perhaps she could offer real infrastructure to create safer spaces for people to live. There are plenty of big office buildings sitting empty in St Paul that could house a lot of people. Shelters are NOT a viable solution to homelessness by the way. As someone who has been working with unhoused folks for years, I fully understand why someone would choose to sleep outside rather than going to a shelter where they have to clear all their belongings every morning and be back to the shelter by a certain time every day or risk losing their bed. Vulnerable people need community, consistency, and comp***ion, not bulldozers. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:42 PMWiley Schultz Against I don’t support clearing encampments, it is not a solution to homelessness +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:41 PMEileen Against Mayor Her, I have to imagine you have loved ones who - like a significant chunk of your constituents and of the United States - are one missed paycheck or bad injury away from losing housing. Can you honestly say this is how you would want them to be treated, were they to have that misfortune? That the rhetoric about "comp***ion" and "difficult decisions" wouldn't feel hollow and self-aggrandizing as you watched your elected officials sleep well at night knowing they intended to rip away the tiny bit of safety, stability, and community your loved ones had cobbled together? That you'd be pacified by one-sentence platitudes in an online FAQ designed to conceal that your tax dollars were about to be spent on paying police overtime to do harm instead of paying for basic services? That you'd shrug off the well-do***ented spike in deaths following this kind of violence as unfortunate but unavoidable? Everyone is somebody's loved and cherished child, partner, friend. We all deserve better. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:37 PMJacque Pokorney Against I'm am writing to request that Mayor Her change her mind on the proposed encampment evictions. I strongly encourage the entire city council to support the following recommendations: (1) 2-year moratorium on evictions to build real solutions, not create more harm (2) The city of Saint Paul will work with a public-private coalition of groups and individuals, committed to this cause, to invest time and resources into the basics: sanitation, water, healthcare outreach, storage, and housing navigation to save lives and build stability (3) Measure success by what matters: Saint Paul is a resourceful and innovative, let's create something NEW with a "housing first" model to work collectively to find solutions to end the need for encampments. I voted for you Mayor Her, because I thought you stood for innovation and innovation-oriented solutions to complex problems such as Saint Paul's housing crisis. Saint Paul is not unique with this issue; however, we could lead MN in finding a better way. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:36 PMAlicia Rice Against People deserve better treatment from our government. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:30 PM  Against Evicting people without first providing a place to go is bad enough but doing so during extreme temperatures is just outright cruel. You could be sending these people to their deaths. +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:29 PMCharles Ernst Against Mayor Her, I voted for you because I was convinced of your genuine desire to protect the most vulnerable among us through combating ICE brutality in our city. As such, it is frankly horrifying to learn that your first substantial action as our new mayor reflects the exact same cl***ist, uncaring, and xenophobic tendencies that caused ICE to transform into an authoritarian machine in the first place. If you take anything away from these comments, it should be this: by implementing this plan, you are subjecting hundreds of our most vulnerable neighbors to a choice between living in prison-like conditions and nearly certain death. When thousands visit Saint Paul for the State Fair in a month, I want them to see our city for what it truly is, not for what you think it should be. Especially if that involves sweeping an entire group of people under the rug and pretending as though they never existed. In short, I have never been more ashamed of my city than I am today. +9
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:24 PMMorgan Against Seeing mayor Her align with the federal government’s rhetoric that removing homeless individuals from public life and forcibly committing people to treatment facilities or psychiatric institutions is somehow comp***ionate care is absolutely disgusting to witness. I don’t put much faith in any politicians but I hoped mayor Her would approach this issue much differently than mayor Frey. I was obviously mistaken. We have ample proof that encampment sweeps/clearings/whatever verbiage you want to use are a complete waste of tax payer money, incredibly cruel, a death sentence for many people who have been residing there for years. This is the worst path that our city could go down when it comes to addressing homelessness and supporting our unhoused neighbors. A housing first approach and developing more deeply affordable permanent housing is the solution, not destroying people’s belongings, displacing them, and effectively criminalizing homelessness. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:21 PMElliott Rankin Against Evicting people from the little amount of stability they have is cruel and dangerous. The city should be trying to help people in need by investing in housing, reentry programs, housing first policies, and meeting people where they're at. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:19 PMMicheal Pemulis Against The lack of kindness towards those who need it most is disgusting. These people need help, and if we can’t provide we should at the very least leave them alone, instead of trashing their stuff and arresting them for nonviolent crimes. These people stick isn’t the right move. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:18 PMCherise Against Further destabilizing unhoused people results in deaths and permanent homelessness. This isn't an opinion. These are facts we have known through data for years. When we move unhoused people along--destroying what little community and ***ets they have, we create desperation. We create crime. We create worse health outcomes. People lose what little do***entation they have. They lose their p***ports, IDs, birth certificates. All these things make it nearly impossible for them for find work again. Crime spikes. Hospital visits spike. We know how to solve homelessness. We know it is cheaper to house people. Other countries have accepted the data and used it to their advantage. They have had real success. If we want to lower crime rates--we must listen to science AND comp***ion. Our unhoused neighbors will always be desperate if we continue to treat them with contempt and outright violence. Sweeping homeless encampments IS violence. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:17 PMLuke Against Disrupting homeless encampments is both inhumane and ineffective. These people don't have homes, and there often isn't enough shelter space to house them. It's not as if there's anywhere else for them to go. Even looking past the cruelty of displacing people, if someone goes from sleeping in a tent camp to sleeping in the street, how does that benefit our city or community? It's abjectly cruel, and does nothing to fix the underlying problems that cause homelessness. If we dislike having so many homeless people on the street, we should invest in better and more shelter infrastructure, pathways to employment and opportunities, and better social and health services to help people before their lives reach this breaking point. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:08 PMMatt B. Against We are the way we treat our most vulnerable. We are our actions and not what we tell ourselves and definitely not what we tell other people. Voting yes for this is shameful and deplorable. Decomodify housing. The middle cl*** can take some heat for once in their lives. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:07 PMMisko Against Pt 2 We need to tackle this situation with understanding and a commitment to finding solutions that address the root causes of their difficulties, rather than taking actions that only cause more harm. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:06 PMEmma Stanley Against Displacing our unhoused neighbors robs them of what little community resources and safety they may have in their vulnerable position, wastes city resources, and literally leaves them in the gutter. Have a better plan in place and somewhere for folks to transition to and then let the social workers and community care workers do their jobs that we don’t pay them enough for. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:06 PMKatie Stairs Against I've lived in some of these shelters. I know what the city calls "help." It's dehumanizing. You're often controlled, judged, & treated like a criminal just for existing. The city says people refuse that unhelpful “help.” The problem isn't stubbornness. It's that the system was built this way, & the city is choosing to harm the victims it creates with decisions like this instead of supporting residents. Sweeps don't help. They displace people, break communities, & make outreach harder. Eviction days are linked to higher OD death rates. ICE is killing people. 3 died in TX, ME, & FL over 8 days this month. At least 21 people have been shot by ICE since Jan. These sweeps make our unhoused neighbors harder to find & protect, & more vulnerable to federal violence & death. St. Paul is banning re-establishment in the city. If you scatter them, where will we reach them? How will we keep the most harmed among us safe? This isn't a plan. It's cruelty dressed as p... +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:05 PMKevin Schneider Against The Mayor's office is painting the removal of our neighbors as a humanitarian effort. However, those of us on the ground have witnessed how the city evicts its encampment residents firsthand: by throwing away the few belongings they have and leaving them with nowhere else to go. The Mayor and the City Council must take responsibility for the wellbeing of these residents, some of which are our most vulnerable neighbors. Scattering them elsewhere is neither responsible nor humanitarian, and the Mayor's Plan will only serve to exacerbate the problems these residents face. How will they obtain services if they are scattered across the city? How will they achieve any semblance of stabilization when their property is thrown away and they are forced to move? We have already seen enough government-sanctioned violence against our neighbors from the federal government. We do not need more from the city. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:03 PMCamille Nicholson Against People deserve safe and affordable housing. The way we achieve that is not by taking people's temporary housing away; it's by creating more housing, and creating the conditions that support people so they don't lose their housing in the first place. Mayor Her's approach is poorly conceived and is a direct copy of Minneapolis' failed tactics. If the City follows through with this "concept of a plan," it must take responsibility for using unhoused neighbors as political bargaining chips and abusing them in the process. If the Mayor feels that the County hasn't done enough, there are real actions that can be taken to advance change—pushing people away from what limited safety they have and severing the connections that outreach groups have is not a solution. The folks living in encampments are our neighbors and relatives, and they deserve what little stability they can get as we work toward a real solution. As our elected officials, you must do better by all of us. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:02 PMRebecca Homard Against I am a Ward 7/District 4 resident, and am vehemently AGAINST the Mayor's encampment "plan". Other commenters have explained in thorough detail why this plan is less of a plan, and more of a crisis in the making. I want to call in our City Council, and specifically mine - Councilmember Johnson. I expect an elected official to represent all of the residents of their Ward, including those at the Fish Hatchery encampment. Every human deserves shelter, access to clean water, and culturally sensitive care/support/community. With this plan, many, many people will not have access to any of these things. They already have a tenuous grasp on these resources - why are we taking that away from them? Why now, in the heat of the summer? Why now, with no extra shelter beds available? Why now, with no advance notice for real, strategic planning to occur across the city and county? +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:01 PMLily Eggers Against In two weeks, my friends will watch their homes get demolished. Many have previously lost everything, from ID do***ents to relatives’ ashes, in past evictions. Many will lose everything again. Some will die in the coming years due to lack of reliable access to supplies like naloxone. But there is another way, one where the Mayor does not turn her back on her own neighbors. It starts by pausing sweeps and investing in basics: portable restrooms; running potable water; healthcare outreach. St Paul could invest in rehabbing old housing stock, building new shelters, and using strategies like Avivo’s indoor tiny homes. This would lower costs to first responders and address the housing crisis. Action to stop these sweeps will be remembered by many at the polls for years. Inaction will be remembered just as strongly. If these sweeps occur, I pledge to never again vote for Mayor Her or any Councilmember who doesn’t oppose the sweeps. I want to live in a St. Paul that does better by its people. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:00 PMKevin Schneider Against The Mayor's office is painting the removal of our neighbors as a humanitarian effort. However, those of us on the ground have witnessed how the city evicts its encampment residents firsthand: by throwing away the few belongings they have and leaving them with nowhere else to go. The Mayor and the City Council must take responsibility for the wellbeing of these residents, some of which are our most vulnerable neighbors. Scattering them elsewhere is neither responsible nor humanitarian, and the Mayor's Plan will only serve to exacerbate the problems these residents face. How will they obtain services if they are scattered across the city? How will they achieve any semblance of stabilization when their property is thrown away and they are forced to move? We have already seen enough government-sanctioned violence against our neighbors from the federal government. We do not need more from the city. +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 4:00 PMNichole I Against Stop this plan to displace people! Give the encampments the resources they need to be truly livable and go from there. Anything else will cause more harm than good. Let’s be known as a comp***ionate forward-thinking city and care for our neighbors. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:59 PMRoy B. Against It would be wonderful to have a Mayor who actually wants to represent the people of St Paul and not just those living in luxury on Summit Ave. Mayor Her, I urge you to listen to the people of St Paul who need you. Stand with us, not against us. This is your chance to turn things around and do the right thing. Your residents need you. Your community needs you. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:58 PMmelody kamba Against I urge the Council to halt the encampment closures, until real shelter and housing capacity is shown to exist. The City cites overdose deaths and safety. Yet research in JAMA (Barocas et al., 2023) found that displacing unsheltered people who use drugs increases deaths and hospitalizations, and a 2025 review by the National ***ociation of County and City Health Officials found sweeps don’t reduce homelessness—they cut people off from medications, including those treating addiction. A plan justified by overdose deaths will cause more of them. The City points to police-call volume, but its own records show mostly welfare checks and “person in crisis” calls—a vulnerable population, not a violent one. And when asked how many beds exist, Ramsey County offered a commitment, not a number. A commitment is not a bed. Secure permanent, funded housing first, then talk about closures. Anything else is displacement. These are our neighbors. We must meet their crisis with more care than this. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:55 PMMaija Kittleson Wilker Against I am against Mayor Her's current plan. I think that the city needs to work on a long-term plan to provide safe and stable housing for all residents of St. Paul. The large-scale encampment closures need to be stopped and sanitation, water access, healthcare outreach, and housing navigation need to be improved at the camps while long-term housing capacity grows. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:47 PMAngela Jerome-Tuckner Against The shelter system doesn't work. In shelters people have to sleep in one room with hundreds of other people. They have to leave the shelter at 7am and cannot return until 7pm, no matter the weather. This is treating people as if they are not human. No wonder unhoused people don't want to enter the shelter system. Unhoused people have to live one year on the streets before they can even sign up for any programs that will consider housing them. Is it any wonder that unhoused people would rather live in an encampment? In an encampment they have their own space where they can keep their belongings. They have community, and people they can look to and depend on. If the city is unable to to build housing for people where they can have their own space that is clean and safe, then I can understand why people who are unhoused would choose to live in an encampment. What I don't understand is Mayor Her's decision to evict encampments on August 4th. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:46 PMBen Damberg   We've seen what historical president that the City has NOT been good stewards when previously working with these camps. Services said to be provided were either lacking or non-existent. We know people are feeling more financial burden now than since before 2020. Mayor Her, help your residents, because they are YOUR constituents. And you are destroying their homes/livelihoods when they are at the hardest part of their life. This city has already had a hard and tenuous year, don't make it worse for your people. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:44 PMKarla Moreno Polanco Against I am a Saint Paul resident against the eviction of the Pig's Eye encampment. Mayor Her's plan is cruel and in continuing this plan with the knowledge that housing resources are already spread thin with over 2000 unhoused people on the waiting list for housing in our city, Mayor Her is sending our neighbors to die. Though the city pretends to plan to carry this out with dignity of our neighbors in mind there is no dignity in your humanity being labeled a 'public health issue' and watching all your belongings destroyed by a skid-steer. I urge the city council delay the clearing of the encampments and send these funds to focus on providing appropriate resources to residents. +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:38 PMFlannery Dahlberg Against It's clear to me that this plan is not empathetic nor dignified. If Mayor Her really cared about the people living in this camp, she would listen to what the people of Saint Paul are requesting. The current state of the provided shelters is absolutely atrocious, and it doesn't surprise me at all that people would rather live in the current encampments despite their problems. These people will not disappear once you get rid of their camps- they will end up in much worse condition. I am appalled by the lack of empathy displayed by this plan. Perhaps if the shelters were actually liveable, and residents had a real say in the changes they would like to see we wouldn't be in this position. I believe there's still time to build a better future for the city of Saint Paul if Mayor Her would listen to these Public comments. +6
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:35 PMMatt Ehlert Against The planned August 5 eviction of residents at Pig’s Eye Park is a dangerous and irresponsible move that puts lives at risk. Local shelters have basically no available beds. Research shows encampment evictions sharply increase overdoses. Forcing people out will leave them without shelter, sever their community ties, disrupt access to essential resources, as well as leaving them vulnerable to ICE. +7
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:30 PMRev. Teresa Kim Pecinovsky  Against I’m a voting constituent for Ward 4 and a local clergy member. The encampment sweeps only cause more harm and interrupt any stability that these residents have built for themselves. We cannot criminalize our neighbors for existing—something we continue to witness our own federal government of doing with Metro Surge—when there are no viable housing options available. Mayor Her, we will not forget how you have treated the least of these neighbors of ours. +7
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:28 PMStephanie P Against Fellow Saint Paulites have shared many of the same concerns I have through already submitted comments, so I won't repeat them all, but, in short, I would like to see the precious resources we all contribute to the City be used to connect unhoused people in Saint Paul with support that meets them where they are --in the current emcampments-- rather than clearing encampments and dispersing those very people in need of better-organized support. I urge you to change course on the plan and consult with organizations, nonprofits and community members who have recommendations to approach this differently in ways grounded in community. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:28 PMKeven Skiles Against These people are human beings and deserve as much respect as anyone else. With no real plan other than just kicking them and trashing all their belongings tells everyone that you don’t see them as anything other than a nuisance to be kicked to the wind until they become a problem for another time or for someone else. Having been homeless myself when I was much younger, I understand the struggles that many of these displaced folks go thru. I have spoken to many of them of a few different occasions and we have shared stories of our struggles and I let them know that there is hope so we all have the power to give them that. They are not trash. They are not the hopeless. I would rather my ever increasing taxes go to helping them than some millionaire’s event center that I already pay top dollar for any venue that is held there. STAY HUMAN. +6
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:26 PMMorgan Against Seeing mayor Her echo the federal government’s rhetoric that forcibly committing people to treatment facilities or psychiatric institutions is somehow comp***ionate care is absolutely disgusting to witness. I don’t put much faith in any politicians but I hoped mayor Her would approach this issue much differently than mayor Frey. I was obviously mistaken. We have ample proof that encampment sweeps/clearings/whatever verbiage you want to use are a complete waste of tax payer money, incredibly cruel, a death sentence for many people who have been residing there for years. This is the worst path that our city could go down when it comes to addressing homelessness and supporting our unhoused neighbors. A housing first approach and developing more deeply affordable permanent housing is the solution, not destroying people’s belongings, displacing them, and effectively criminalizing homelessness. +13 3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:24 PMEvyn Bishop Against Dear Mayor Her and Council members, I am strongly against evictions of the major St. Paul encampments. With no backup plans to help our neighbors, evicting them from their homes and destroying their belongings will not only uproot what sense of community they have, but forcibly keep them down. The homeless are an extremely vulnerable community and this plan only makes them more vulnerable. I urge you to rethink this decision. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:22 PMMichael Kaup, LGSW Against I urge the Mayor and City Counsel to pause the Mayor’s current plan for 60 days, and develop an interdisciplinary task force to prepare a proposal for sanctioned encampments, also known as designated camping, that can increase safety of encampments where no alternatives are available that suite the individuals needs and barriers. Sanctioned encampments provide ground for addressing the worst safety risks, while increasing safety for those for whom encampments are their only safety. Then proceed to implement the sanctioned encampment plan. The Seattle U School of Law produced this detailed guide to authorized homeless encampments: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3173224 And there are other quality briefings on sanctioned encampments: https://ciceroinstitute.org/research/issue-brief-sanctioned-camping/ +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:20 PMJessica moskalik Against This is disrespectful treatment and does not solve the problem. Everyone deserves dignity and respect. If you destroy these people's only home/belongings, it will only make it harder for them to find stable housing. If you want people off the streets, you need to help them, not sweep their belongings. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:18 PMThomas Ulsby Against The $162.5 million-dollar public tax for Grand Casino Arena investments could be better used to help those who are routinely overlooked rather than those who have excess income for recreational sports and leisure activities. The increased risk of death, increased disenfranchisement, lack of forethought, lack of ***essment of city and community resources able to fully provide services to these clients, total abandonment of dignity, and pushing this problem onto other cities and counties is why I am against this program. [2/2] +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:18 PMMisko Against I’m really concerned about the decision to move forward with the encampment sweep. It feels like a significant oversight in showing care, empathy, and comp***ion for our unsheltered community. This action seems not only inhumane but also unethical, as it overlooks the basic human rights of people who are already dealing with major challenges. The housing waitlist is incredibly long, leaving many without a realistic way to find shelter. In these situations, it’s vital that we focus on building a sense of community and support for those in need, rather than tearing down the only stability they’ve managed to create. The Pig’s Eye encampment, for example, is a community that has come together under tough conditions, and its residents desperately need resources and care. Destroying their shelters will only make their struggles worse and push them further to the margins. We need to tackle this situation with understanding and a commitment to finding meaningful solutions that address the root +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:18 PMThomas Ulsby Against Mayor Her should be ashamed. Per the City of Saint Paul, this "functionally similar" encampment closure is providing nothing new for our neighbors and only causing chaos. It is interesting to see the city cite dangerous conditions as the main factor for sweeping the encampment when the city has done little to provide safety for the residents of these encampments. According to Mayor Her, she wants to send our neighbors to other parts of the state without actually making any changes for the betterment of our city. In an interview with KSTP dated July 10th, 2026 Mayor Her stated, ‘“Here’s the — here’s the question you should be asking, Renée, is that, are there beds just outside of St. Paul? Because this is not a St. Paul issue… This is a statewide issue. So, the question we should be asking is, how many beds are statewide that have not been offered to be part of this solution?”’ [1/2] +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:13 PMAudrey Carlson Against Displacing people from a stable home--even if that stable home is a tent community--is an act of genocide against our neighbors and your constituents. The number of people displaced by this cruelty will directly correlate to the number of overdose deaths, loss of jobs due to destroyed do***entation, the loss of photos and memories. People lose their parents ashes in these sweeps. Bulldozing the homes of your neighbors earns you no goodwill and puts the work onto the back of an already suffering and overwhelmed community. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 3:13 PMJoseph W Against I am incredibly disappointed in the decision to permanently close the camps using what would be an incredible amount of taxpayer money. These camps are the best option that residents have right now, and it is clear that a better solution is not going to be implemented along with these evictions. Please do what you can to stop this travesty from happening. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:55 PMMichael Kaup, LGSW Against Available resources are no where need meeeting the needs of the unsheltered community, and will remian a community need. "There is ample evidence that encampment sweeps increase social and health harms without achieving any of their stated policy aims - reductions in homelessness, encampments, or mortality among marginalized populations of unhoused people." From https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2835712. The well do***ented methods of increasing public health for people living in encampments include access to toilets, handwashing, and general hygiene. "Access to health and hygiene services like water, bathrooms, and waste removal are important public health measures for preventing the spread of infectious disease and should be prioritized wherever possible." This is from MDH's guidance on promoting health and preventing infectious disease in encampments: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/homeless/coe/encampment.pdf +5
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:54 PMJ Against This winter, someone I trust told me that a mutual acquaintance living in the encampments thought that she might be miscarrying. I went out to the camp with a midwife friend, where it turned out that she was actually still pregnant. We kept returning to check up on her. It was very difficult for her to leave the camp to get care somewhere else, partially because of the threat of the city destroying her belongings if she wasn't there. This was the best option at the time. If the city's current plan had been in effect, what would have happened? If someone is moving from place to place under har***ment from law enforcement, it is so much harder to build trusting relationships to share medical concerns, and it is harder for people who can help to find the people they're looking for once, let alone consistently. The city is not prepared to provide adequate stability and resources to the residents of the encampments. Sweeping the camps will cause needless trauma and instability. +6
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:48 PMSadie Harmon Against It is deeply disappointing that this plan is being proposed immediately following the incredible harm caused to our community by Operation Metro Surge. This should be a time that Mayor Her unequivocally demonstrates her dedication to improving St. Paul for all community members, especially our most vulnerable. Instead she has made it clear that our unhoused neighbors are not valued and, in fact, are an eyesore to be removed. I'm imploring the city council to demand nuanced, robust and long-term solutions for people experiencing homelessness in St. Paul. This is a complex, human issue, and the humans at its core deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I am proud to live in St. Paul, and I am proud of the care we show to one another. Mayor Her's plan does not reflect the character of the city that I love, and I know that she and this council can do better. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:47 PMMichael Kaup, LGSW Against Dear St Paul City Counsel, and Mayor Her, I write against the Mayor’s plan to close encampments. I have worked downtown providing then managing services for unsheltered and sheltered unhoused adults in downtown over the last 5 years. The Mayor, the City, the County, and Community Providers do not have emergency shelter, housing, or other placements in enough volume for the encampment community, additional available resources do not adequately provide for the needs and barriers that these community members are experiencing. Public Health consultants have advised against the planned encampment closures, and emphasized the risk of overdose and death, displacement ceases so many client provider relationships, the property destruction leaves individuals more unsafe than they were and drains community resources as providers and volunteers work to re-supply tents and other goods. +2
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:22 PMJacob C. Against The evidence is clear that encampment sweeps worsen access to healthcare services and reduce mental health for those affected. See this study from the Journal of Urban Health: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13070430/ Additionally, a study by the Rand Corportation found that encampment sweeps have no long-term impact on the number of people experiencing homelessness: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1890-4.html Clearly, this will not solve anything, and will likely make things worse for those who need the most help. Instead, the city of St. Paul should first and foremost be focused on helping those experiencing homelessness by providing better access to healthcare, mental health services, and rehabilitation services with a harm reduction policy. To address some of the root causes, the city should invest in affordable housing, renter rights and protections, and worker rights and protection, including raising the minimum wage. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:22 PM66 Against We already know that doing something like results in DEATH of human beings. Do not do this. This isn't a plan. Stop ignoring the people who voted for you +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:12 PMJake Frazier Against Eviction of encampments without any necessary replacement shelter provided by the city is needlessly cruel, a waste of resources, and only ensures that the encampment residents remain on the streets with even less shelter and resources than before. This policy echoes the trump administration's cruel and inhumane treatment of homeless people everywhere by punishing them rather than giving them resources. +3
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 2:09 PM  Against Eviction of encampments without any necessary replacement shelter provided by the city is needlessly cruel, a waste of resources, and only ensures that the encampment residents remain on the streets with even less shelter and resources than before. This policy echoes the trump administration's cruel and inhumane treatment of homeless people everywhere by punishing them rather than giving them resources. +4
PH 26-14 7/21/2026 1:53 PMAva Allen Against These encampment closures will not solve the public health and safety crisis that is homelessness in Saint Paul; it will only sweep the issue under the rug. A policy paper from the American Public Health ***ociation (2023) found that, in New York City, "only 90 of 2,308 people forcibly removed from encampments remained in a shelter for more than one day afterward, and only three people obtained housing." Closing the camps will not result in encampment residents being housed or sheltered, instead people will be forced to sleep on the streets, like in Minneapolis where vital pedestrian pathways are fenced off to prevent people from sleeping on them. Mayor Her's plan will result in more petty crime and deaths as these forcibly displaced and dispossessed people desperately try to survive without the support structure that they've built over the time that they've spent in the encampments. For all the reasons stated above, I urge the Saint Paul City Council to denounce the Mayor's plan. +9