Meeting Details

Meeting Name: City Council Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 7/22/2026 4:30 PM Minutes status: Final  
Meeting location: Council Chambers - 3rd Floor
Special City Council meeting to hold a public hearing on the Mayor's Encampment Plan. Meeting will start after the conclusion of the City Council's regularly scheduled meeting. The approximate start time will be 4:30 PM.
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Accessible Agenda Accessible Agenda Published minutes: Minutes Minutes Accessible Minutes Accessible Minutes  
Agenda packet: Not available
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PH 26-14 8/4/2026 9:01 PMBen Against This is a short sighted plan that would harm those evicted from their homes in the Pig’s Eye encampment. We need a long term plan to support those living there. This rushed plan with little warning would only mask the problem while forcing encampment residents into more instability. More encampments will pop up and the cycle will continue.
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 4:31 PMMary Lanham Against The community has made it clear that there are too many unanswered questions about the humanitarian and practical impacts of Mayor Her's plan for the encampment sweeps. A delay or cancellation of the Pig's Eye sweep is the best way to save public trust, and the Council should do whatever they can to support this. +1 -1
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 2:54 PMRyan Nelson Against Like. "The city can't delay a closure without a plan." No, the city can't DO the closure without a plan. Doing nothing without a plan is fine. Forcing people out of where they live and throwing away all of their belongings and getting them killed without a plan, that's not okay at all. Murderers.
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 2:49 PMRyan Nelson Against So Mayor Her is just charging ahead, despite unanimous public backlash. Quick question - what is wrong with you? This is called being "drunk with power".
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 2:45 PMSteve Bloom Against I am against this plan as there are too many unanswered questions. Right now it appears that too many homeless people will be hurt more than helped as needed.
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 2:14 PMSam Fasking Against The proposed encampment plan is inhumane and a waste of public money. We know from Minneapolis city do***ents that this policy will not actually fix this problem, but will only scatter people into more precarious living situations (see e.g. Minneapolis Encampment Enclosure Report Q4 2025). Further, Minneapolis' data shows that this is an expensive policy, with large sweeps costing several hundred thousand dollars (Homeless Encampment Closures Legislative Direct Response 04-11-2023, p.27). This money would be better spent on a housing-first approach that treats unhoused folks as people who need help instead of a problem to sweep under the rug +1
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 1:57 PMJillian Against These are human beings whose community & possessions you are throwing away. Our unhoused neighbors deserve support and resources, not destruction. If you proceed with these sweeps, you will be causing significant harm to people who deserve dignity and stability, as all people do. It’s completely soulless to take their belongings from them and force them to move someplace else. You are not solving anything.
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 1:14 PMAmelia  Against It is abundantly clear that the goal of the sweeps is to bring comfort to the housed while literally and metaphorically hiding the real problems in St. Paul, which are all rooted in systems of oppression. Pig’s Eye Park is home to many, and should remain as such.
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 1:11 PM    317194
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 6:42 AMDillon Against I have heard the community present concerns with the encampment plan backed by research and evidence, and have heard nothing from the Mayor, ***istant Mayor, or the City Council actually addressing these concerns. Why is this plan being forced through on a quick time frame? We could have a discussion, listen to expert opinions, read the research, and come up with a good plan that would actually help the residents of these encampments. Why aren't we doing that? +1
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 5:03 AMJerome Against There is no nuance to be had here. By continuing the sweep you are choosing to cause harm to the most vulnerable of our city. People need help, not to be repeatedly punished simply for trying to live their life. I find it very disrespectful how this is framed as helping people, destroying people's stuff and treating them like trash doesn't help. It only makes it harder for them. +1
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 4:48 AMElowyn Against I am a St. Paul resident and am deeply disturbed by the plan to sweep encampments. If the Mayor believes the encampments are unsafe the city must listen to residents demands for the resources that would make them safer and provide those resources. Sweeping encampments is nothing more than an attack on unhoused people, a continuation of other St. Paul policies that criminalize being poor and unhoused from discouraging drivers to give cash and food on roadways to the increased surveillance and criminalization of people in the Downtown Improvement District. The funds allocated to force people out of the encampments should instead go towards the resources that residents need in the encampments, residents know what they need and the city must listen to them. Stop the sweeps, stop gutting rent control, fund St.Paul resident's needs don’t criminalize and push them out. +2
PH 26-14 8/4/2026 12:45 AMCarson O Against As you are our representatives in a system built on racism, I urge you to interrupt another situation that reinforces these inequities. At this time, we have seen this same situation play out so many times, in so many places, there can be no other purpose to encampment sweeps than to committ eugenics through economics. Stop the encampment sweeps. +1
PH 26-14 8/3/2026 7:56 PMRobin Against All experts and those who have experience being and ***isting residents of these camps are vehemently opposed to this plan. The service workers who are forced to do the actual work are already swamped and panicking at the amount of damage they will have to attempt and inevitably fail to mitigate because of so little support compared to the number of people being displaced so suddenly. Yes the camps are unsafe, but they are safer and provide more community than being scattered and forced to loiter elsewhere. With a plan this unpopular and an unwillingness to walk back this decision, you are demonstrating you are definitively corrupt; NO ONE WANTS THIS, yet you do it anyway? As the people you supposedly represent, we have the means to remove you from office. Is causing drastic harm to the residents of these encampments worth that much to you? Worth ending your career over? +3
PH 26-14 8/2/2026 2:08 PMKate   There is no concrete plan for the people who will be directly affected by the sweep. Stop the sweep!! +3 1
PH 26-14 8/2/2026 2:05 PMSarah M Against Don’t go through with this! It’s inhumane and you have no real plan to actually help these people. Deaths will occur. Stop the sweep! +3
PH 26-14 8/2/2026 12:57 AMTeri   You wreck these encampments knowing full well people can't afford the skyrocketing cost of everything and there aren't near enough shelter beds. And what happens? Then end up sleeping on my porch or in my back yard. What do you think will happen by making them scatter? How does that help, except to make it even harder to get them any kind of aide? Are you just hoping they die off if you abuse them hard enough? Literally what possible good outcome could this have? These are still people of St Paul and you have a responsibility to them, just like those of us who can still afford our homes. Shame on you. +2
PH 26-14 8/1/2026 6:47 PMTheodore "Theo" Johnson Against You reopened comments just hoping someone would speak up in favor of this authoritarianism which nobody wants. I don't recall having a chance to vote for this. I wouldn't vote for any person that I thought was remotely capable of something like this. The closest thing we have is this public comment section, which makes it quite clear where the community stands. Yet you think you know what's better for us (at least that's what you claim). Every day it becomes more obvious that Republicans and Democrats are working together and ruling by monarchy. "Our response centers on safety, stability, and dignity." - Actions speak louder than words. YOU ARE CREATING A CRISIS - pointlessly, and despite continual contrary advice. Primum non nocere - "First, do no harm."
PH 26-14 8/1/2026 5:49 PMMia Against Stop the sweep!! This is such a lazy and inhumane way to address the unhoused crisis. Where will they go? There is no plan. You will end up killing people and turning your constituents against you. LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE!
PH 26-14 8/1/2026 5:33 AMAndy T Against Hi, I am a resident of St. Paul, one of your constituents. While I did see the response that Mayor Her gave in regards to the decision to forcibly remove the encampments, I still am in disagreement with this plan. Organizations like the Rising Waters Mutual Aid have confirmed that you are not working with the organizers that are providing aid for those in the encampments. Nothing from your response is specific enough to understand what will happen step-by-step after you shut down the encampment, which only leads me to believe that your only plan is to dismantle the encampments and force those who live there to leave St. Paul, which is again going to be very violent because the only way this happens is if you use force. Actual solutions would be something like permanent housing or some sort of additional financial ***istance. I am asking for the Mayor to seriously reconsider. There is no reason she can provide that would justify such harm.
PH 26-14 8/1/2026 2:45 AMEmilie  Against Pausing the sweeps will allow better and more supportive help for the unhoused people. Many from pigs eye are already moving into other encampments because they have no where else to go.
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 7:22 PMTori P Against I strongly oppose the “plan” for the unhoused encampment. It is inhumane and people will end up dying.
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 6:31 PMMaria T Against As a Saint Paul resident near Pigs Eye, I am vehemently opposed to the sweeps, stripping our neighbors of their possessions, their safety, and their well-being. They are safe and secure where they are, and if needs are not being met, it is in***bent on the community and city to meet the needs, not push them out. If Her's "plan" were truly solvent with the PEOPLE at the heart of it, needs would be prioritized and permanent, safe, abundant housing in community would be found and offered FIRST. The current operation is belligerently kicking those who are already down, not lending a hand and lifting up. This makes me NOT proud to be a Minnesotan in a time when we have proven to otherwise work to CARE for one another, not actively harm one another.
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 2:57 PMAi-Quynh Bui Against How callous. There is no backup plan, no safety net, no resources to compensate for those affected by the sweep. This doesn’t solve any problems; it disbands and displaces a community. Stop the sweeps.
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 2:20 PM    This “plan” is going to kill people. You have no safety net in place. You are committing a callous, brutal act and to continue with the sweeps shows a blatant disregard for human life. Where is your humanity?
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 2:16 PM  Against Mayor Her’s “plan” for the encampments is beyond abhorrent and inhumane. Displacing our unhoused neighbors will do nothing but further destroy and dismantle their lives. There is no support or safety net in place when they are displaced. The encampments allow our neighbors access to community and a semblance of safety. We do not have enough beds available to house everyone at shelters, point blank. These sweeps also result in many of our neighbors losing their belongings and having important items and do***ents they need being destroyed. The mayor has no real plan for how to help them or support their needs. This is merely trying to eradicate the people and places that make you uncomfortable. Our unhoused neighbors deserve more comp***ion and dignity than this so-called “plan” allows. To follow through with the sweeps would be a gross display of callous inhumanity.
PH 26-14 7/31/2026 12:37 PMMolly Overkamp Against Mayor Her can look to Minneapolis to see how ineffective encampment sweeps are in addressing homelessness. The residents of encampments in St. Paul are her constituents, not a problem that can be swept away. They have a right to autonomy in where they live, Mayor Her is coercing them through force into shelters that do not address their needs or provide them with stability. The city should try actually talking with the encampment residents and meet their demands rather than acting paternalistic and dehumanizing them with sweeps. Despicable behavior.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 10:46 PMKaris Against As a resident of St. Paul I am vehemently opposed to Mayor Her's "plan" to displace and recklessly endanger my unhoused neighbors. Destroying encampments is not a solution to the problem, it actually costs more money than providing services does and makes it more difficult for organizations that are providing services to do their work. The bottom line is, people are going to die as a result of this "plan". How can Mayor Her and the City Council live with that? +1
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 9:22 PMJacob Against As someone who has been working with the community at Pig's Eye, I beg that you refrain from the sweeps. All of the people I've met have no plans or means in place to sustain themselves after the sweeps. It is hard enough for someone to stay alive while living unhoused, it is another thing entirely when their support system is stripped away. I know that encampents are far from ideal and that they carry certain risks, but this plan does much much further harm than good. If you really want to better the lives of those in the camp, spend our tax dollars on resources for those in the camp and help them find homes instead of pushing them away from the people who are already trying to help. It is much harder for nonprofits and other groups to provide reasources and basic nessecities to those who are homeless if they are disperced throughout the city than if there were in one central location. It would also be easier for the city to manage and help those in need as well.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 8:38 PMLauran White Against As a resident of St. Paul, I demand that you s**** the mayor's plan to forcibly displace my neighbors from their encampment. The plan is as crude and inappropriate as the messages she sent. It's clear that the current plan is to force unhoused people to die in isolation of preventable neglect. My tax dollars should never be used to violate the human rights of fellow Saint Paul residents. You are not murderers yet. You can save your legacies from being that of death and cruel ignorance. There is still time to do the right thing for all of us and exchange a plan to cull, a plan to kill, a plan to disenfranchise, with a plan to house, a plan to render stable healthcare and social services, a plan that is clearly what the public hired you to do! We are exhausted by death in the Twin Cities. Deaths caused by fascism in government. You can be the fascists or you can protect us to the utmost of your abilities from fascist influence. There is no middle ground. You can still be good/innocent.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 8:13 PMEric Brodeur Against Note: I am a concerned Minneapolis resident, not St Paul, but I have seen and am well aware of the negative effects that similar plans enacted in Minneapolis have had on our homeless community. Please reconsider this plan and the consequences on our community and homeless neighbors. I understand that the plan claims to have remediation and ***istance intended, but I am also understanding that these parts of the plan are inadequately do***ented, through out, or non existent in substance. I should hope that before complete demolition of the only homes (and community) that these PERSONS have, instead, spend time resources and dollars to try to HELP these persons. Destruction of property and community should be a path of last resort -- not first. We all do better when we all do better.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 7:45 PMKelly Allen Against The duty of a governmental body to serve and protect the populace. To listen to the concerns and make policies and plans that make the community a better place. I am against the eviction because it will not be for the betterment of the city. There are not enough resources or policies in place to protect those who will be displaced. It will lead to the endangerment of those who are living in the encampments and those who do not. Where will these people go and how will it affect everyone involved? We have seen time and time again that these plans do not do anything but harm everyone involved. Please reconsider and approach their community with an attitude of grace and humanity. They are simply people just like us who are on hard times and trying to recover. It is not needed to make it even harder for them to recover. We are a humans and we are deserve kindness and comp***ion. I strongly urge you to reformat this plan into one of growth instead of destruction.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 6:15 PMDan Johnson Against There are better options than this! We are tired the same old playbook of sweeping homeless encampments and we want a new way forward. This plan does not account for the needs and desires of the city's residents who are living in the encampments. We need better solutions than evicting them. We need trauma-informed providers providing wraparound services. We need m***ive community involvement and organized volunteering to help those in need. We need better housing policies to help our communities flourish. This plan is a stain on this administration's record and I am disappointed in our leaders.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 6:09 PMKyle Dekker Against This "plan" is poorly thought out and inadequate to serve my neighbors in the encampments with dignity amd safety. There are simply not enough shelters or beds for everyone in the area. The August 5th date is arbitrary and cruel. This will sever people from their support networks and help and will lead to suffering and even death. Out government is supposed to help people.nlt harm them. I am a homeowner in Ward 7 and will hold this action against the mayor and any supporting council members im future elections and work to stop this.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 6:01 PMKatelynn Against As a Saint Paul resident and as a human with a conscience and soul, I am strongly against the Pigs Eye Encampment Sweep. These sweeps are ineffective at solving any core issue for our unhoused neighbors (as we have learned from our neighboring city of Minneapolis) as well as are inhumane and flat out murderous. People. Real people. Will die due to these untimely sweeps that where randomly thrusted upon not only the residents (who have a right to have a say in what happens in THEIR space) but as well as other city officials and outreach workers/community members. With no real time to plan, you’re pushing them to where? What real resources are available? You and your team have expressed multiple times that you simple do not have the resources. So what is the purpose other than to destroy and kill? Real peoples lives and blood will be on all of your hands if you follow through with this heinous idea. Disgusting of you all and absolutely inhumane. Shameful. +9 2
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 5:52 PMKatelynn Against As a Saint Paul resident and as a human with a conscience and soul, I am strongly against the Pigs Eye Encampment Sweep. These sweeps are ineffective at solving any core issue for our unhoused neighbors (as we have learned from our neighboring city of Minneapolis) as well as are inhumane and flat out murderous. People. Real people. Will die due to these untimely sweeps that where randomly thrusted upon not only the residents (who have a right to have a say in what happens in THEIR space) but as well as other city officials and outreach workers/community members. With no real time to plan, you’re pushing them to where? What real resources are available? You and your team have expressed multiple times that you simple do not have the resources. So what is the purpose other than to destroy and kill? Real peoples lives and blood will be on all of your hands if you follow through with this heinous idea. Disgusting of you all and absolutely inhumane. Shameful.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 5:45 PMCourtney  Against It’s laughable to even call this a “plan.” This is sweeping homelessness under the rug and hoping the problem will go away, or at least somewhere else where you won’t have to deal with it. The system is broken, and this encampment has found a crumb of stability for our unhoused neighbors, helping them more than navigating shelters and social programs ever have. I would absolutely love it if my neighbors did not have to live in a tent in Pig’s Eye Park, but until you fix the ACTUAL issues that lead to homelessness, the city of st paul is only making the problem worse. The blood is on YOUR hands.
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 5:25 PMThomas Monserud Against This plan is an unscientific and paternalistic nightmare. There exists tons of research on the effects of encampment sweeps, and the clear consensus is that its effects are deleterious and disruptive to not only the residents themselves but to the wider community as a whole. Encampments drive down overdose deaths and sexual ***aults and eupvicting encampments drives those incidents up, in addition to hoovering up funds (like the 100,080,000 being spent on 49 beds at catholic charities) that could be better spent on tackling root causes like housing affordability. This plan is cruel, expensive, and indefensible. +1
PH 26-14 7/30/2026 3:41 PMAdam Against I am against the sweeps of the communities our unhoused neighbors call home. I don’t think the city council members would like it if bulldozers came to their front door and completely demolished their dwellings. Why is it okay to do that to others - especially those are are experiencing one of the hardest times in a person’s life? +3
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. +4
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. +5 -1 4
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
7/22/2026 8:00 PMJohn Against Let's just bulldoze the shelters and throw all the residents in prison while we're at it. Clearly the only goal here is the continued criminalization of homelessness, but of course the city will try to pretend they care while blaming the people instead of the systems that continue to fail them. Feels so good to know that St. Paul is willing to risk the lives of hundreds of its residents for a little pomp and cir***stance. The mayor's salary is more than 15x the estimated average of those who actually live in these encampments, but please continue to tell us how this is about "health, safety, and human dignity" while putting eviction notices on literal tents and consulting with law enforcement instead of expert professionals or outreach providers. +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 +6
7/22/2026 4:24 PMDonna Goodlaxson Against Neighbors are neighbors - deserving of humane and dignified treatment. I support pausing encampment closures for two years while providing water, improved sanitation, healthcare outreach and housing navigation while housing capacity grows. In the meantime, build a public-private task force that includes encampments residents, healthcare providers, mutual aid groups, faith communities and neighborhood orgs. This is in the spirit of harm reduction and measures success as moving people into stable housing - not by how quickly encampments disappear.
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. +10 4
7/22/2026 4:12 PMRena Curtis Against Myself and hundreds of other St. Paul residents are vehemently opposed to Mayor Hers reckless, destructive and deadly "plan" to evict our unhoused neighbors from Pigs Eye and other St. Paul encampments. The obvious lack of forethought and care for your residents is deeply disappointing and I sincerely hope you make the comp***ionate and well informed choice to end all evictions and sweeps, and instead pour the thousands of dollars you would waste displacing and hurting our neighbors into building community infrastructure that would support housed and unhoused neighbors alike. +2
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
7/22/2026 3:30 PMLeidy R. Against My name is Leidy Rogers and I am a resident of Saint Paul. I am against the proposed evictions that Mayor Her has planned for August 2026. As many others have stated as well, these evictions will break up community and supports that camp residents have with each other. This will directly cause more hardship, and quite possibly death, for residents of the camps. On top of that, this will wreck what little trust houseless residents have with the city government. It doesn't matter what the City's intentions are, if you take away someone's home, they will not trust you going forward. This will make the issues surrounding houselessness in Saint Paul even harder to deal with in the future. Please, for the sake of the lives of houseless residents of Saint Paul, current and future, do not close these camps! Please meet with camp residents so together you can create a plan going forward that centers houseless folks' lives, personhood, and autonomy. +2
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
7/22/2026 2:22 AM    I have lived in St. Paul Since 1986. I have been fortunate in my life to have support from family and friends and to have been able to keep a steady good paying job(s) all of those years to help support my family. It appalls me that you think “sweeping” these unfortunates people out of the only home they can manage is the solution! Where do they go from there? What kind of support re you giving them? Will you be destroying the only items of what they value in their lives without a second thought? Will you offer them counseling and shelter elsewhere or do they just get “swept” into the wind like ash and soot with no where to go? If there is not a solution for rehoming them before this “sweep” happens then “SHAME ON YOU1” +5 -1
7/22/2026 2:02 AMMadison Fink Against I am a teacher who works and resides in St. Paul. I’ve lived here my entire life. People need a place to live. We don’t have suitable living situations for the population that resides at these encampments. It’s been proven that these sweeps don’t work. We need multiple levels of housing to support everyone’s varied needs. The housing we had doesn’t allow for enough choice or autonomy. It’s unsafe, things are stolen from people. It’s not a place that feels like a home. These camps are home and until we can actually provide a secure home it’s unethical to evict these people. I’m disappointed in Mayor Her’s decision to not attend the meeting. I feel the information we’ve been given from mayor Her and her office has dodged actually telling us how they’re going to help these people. This isn’t how the city I love is supposed to treat its people. +2
7/22/2026 2:01 AMCarson O'Doubhlain Against The National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National ***ociation of County and City Health Officials, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council are 3 of our country's leading organizations on this topic and they are all clear that encampment evictions worsen the safety, health, and stability of homeless people. Sweeps more than double the odds of a homeless person's death by overdose. Crime rates rise back up within 30 days, and evictions end up costing tax payers more in the long run than simply housing people. Instead of paying to get rid of homeless neighbors, let's give them housing that isn't conditional giving up the people or pets keeping them alive. This is not a good choice for the people or our budget. Let's stop hiding our neighbors in need and start actually solving the problems that need solving. During Metro Surge, we asked community members what they needed. We did not dictate it to them. Harm reduction takes time, but it WORKS. +2
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. +3
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
7/21/2026 10:58 PMKate larson   All the problems Her’s plan will purportedly solve will be made immeasurably worse instead. If the mayor is truly concerned about the well-being of her unhoused constituents, she needs to cancel the plans for August 5th immediately. This is dangerous, and it’s entirely avoidable. I emphatically request Mayor Her’s administration to reconsider and engage with public health and the unhoused community to come to safe alternatives. +1
7/21/2026 10:33 PMLouis Gagnon Against This is a staggering miscalculation on the city's part. Evicting the camps will cause a full-on humanitarian crisis. People will die. It will yield negative outcomes for public health and safety in just about every way imaginable. All the problems Her and Baker say the plan will solve will be made immeasurably worse instead. If the mayor is truly concerned about the well-being of her unhoused constituents, she needs to cancel the plans for August 5th immediately. +3
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
7/21/2026 8:01 PMheather c lou   additional questions for mayor her and city council to address: please provide a detailed list and outline of resources that will be provided to encampment residents? what is the proposed budget and line items for this eviction on 8/5? is sppd being compensated and how much? i dont believe policing should be involved in this process. any budget should be provided to prevention services and direct care for residents. why is this encampment eviction occurring during the heat of summer and while the aqi is at unsafe/unhealthy levels? are there less negatively impactful ways this administration can provide prevention and harm reduction services? what housing options will be provided? +4
7/21/2026 8:00 PMheather c lou   for transparency, i have requested mayor her and city council to be able to respond to the following questions: what local organizations, agencies, and public health experts has mayor her and or stpcc consulted with regarding the eviction and impact of sweeps on encampments? what is mayor her and stpcc's understanding of best practices regarding supporting unhoused neighbors? mayor her and some stpcc and other elected officials have visited the pigs eye encampment... and the posts on social media have been othering and dehumanizing toward encampment residents. mayor her initially said this was a county issue and then met with encampment residents... after local experts and activists called attention to the issues with encampment sweeps/evictions. can mayor her and stpcc please take accountability for this harm? this is the burden and role of elected officials- and without accountability, trust lowers. +4
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. +5
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. +4
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 !! +3
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