City Council - Regular Meeting

🎵 Thank you. Thank you. Bye. 🎵 🎵 Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone. Our recess is over. I'm calling our special city council meeting to order. I'm Council Vice President Elsie Yang. I'm chairing our special meeting for today. I want to thank everybody for being here. Just so you all know, today's special meeting, it's a continuation of our public hearing about the mayor's encampment plans. And we had our first public hearing on July 22nd. So this meeting is from noon until 1 p.m. So today's topic, you will be able to come and testify. It's a chance for the council here to hear from each and every one of you who are interested in speaking on the topic. You do have two minutes to speak, and as the chair of our meeting, my role will be to make sure that we keep to the time so that we can get to everybody. Also, I do want to make a big ask that we prioritize folks who haven't had a chance to testify yet. Also, if you are an individual from the encampments or an elder or have a little one with you, make sure that when we line up that you come your way to the front. That way we can get to you. For public testimonies, because we are ending at 1, I do want to make sure that we wrap up the testimonies right at 1255. That way I can make a couple of quick comments at the end. And then we can also get everybody here out on time at 2 o'clock. So if you are here to testify, we're going to do roll call.

Council Members, Kim.

Here.

Jost. Johnson. Here. Coleman. Here. Bowie. Yang. Here. And Naker. And so that is four present, three absent. Council Member Bowie is expected shortly, and Council Member Jost and Naker are excused.

Thank you so much to our city clerk. Before we get right into the public hearings, I do want to give a shout out to my colleagues on the council here. As we know, homelessness is truly a collective work that requires partnership from our public and private partners. In terms of public partners, that's the city, county, state, legislators coming together. And I am really proud of the work that we did recently to invest over a million dollars in additional emergency shelter beds. And so I also want to Let folks know, like today, I'm grateful. Assistant Mayors Schumacher and Baker, thank you for joining us in the room today, too. If folks here are interested in continuing to give testimony to your city officials, just know that you can email us, call into our offices as well, and this isn't the only chance for you to share your thoughts to us. Okay, so I know that we want to be efficient with time, so I do ask in terms of to make sure that we get through everybody, if folks can just refrain from the clapping and the chanting or any side comments that'd be really helpful. So if you are here to testify, please make your way to the microphones. You can line up on both sides of the microphone and then make sure to sign in. After you're done testifying, you don't have to move the mics. They'll pick you up perfectly fine.

So come on up to the front if you're here to testify.

There's a timer in front of you. You'll see your two minutes. All right, you may begin. Thank you, and please share your name and where you're coming from, too.

My name is Jim Seaman from the New Freedom Store. We've been working in Pigs Eye Lake for about the last year and a half, maybe two. We've been working with the homeless and those incarcerated who have been getting out and needing a place to live for the past 20 years. I hate to say this, but I know this population well, and I know their problems. I speak today because I want to offer you, each and every one of you, council members and your assistants our services to help seize control of the conversation that's going on. There are people in that camp who are dying of cancer. never heard of anyone mentioned this medical bankruptcies I can go on if you want there are people who with great courage in this camp one man has given away his own tent to somebody else three times already these people are citizens of st. Paul and they deserve not to be swept away now I believe that that what we need here is a permanent solution. I don't want to talk beds. I think that if we wanted to, we can look at this and go, oh, we spent all this money on Catholic charities. That's $20,000 a bed. And I'm wondering, we're all worried about money, county, city, everybody else. I'm wondering, why are we spending $20,000 on a bed? Now, I'd also like to point out that the mayor has been quick to point out the crime and the emergency calls, what, the 750 or the 800? That averages out to be $35,000 per homeless person per year. One thing I'd like to say, if I can, I'm running out of time.

Thank you. That is time. Thank you so much. Jordy? Make sure to sign in, too.

Yield your time.

All right, come on up.

Hi, my name is Mary Manning. I'm a citizen of Bloomington, Minnesota. I was impacted by housing insecurity from 2014 to 2018. I was fully homeless from 2016 to 2018. I'm a middle class working class non indigenous culture and I was deeply impacted by this issue. I stayed at a hostel and at the Moose Towers when everything was open before the riot and pandemic. It was very free. i had people that stayed out of my life did not tell me what to do it allowed me autonomy freedom and liberty to do what i needed to do each day while i was homeless this encampment is like Moose Towers. It's the last breath of space where people can be free, make their own choices, and have some sort of liberty. The million dollars is going for 50 beds. It ought to go for 4,000 beds if you're going to do that. And those are not always safe. Those shelters are unsafe. People get scared in the middle of the night. People ring the doorbell. get in fights and attack each other and stuff. At the camps, people are friendly. They grow communities. They grow families. And that's what they have to offer. And if you do the sweep, you're taking away their autonomy and their human freedom. Not only that, what are you going to do with them? I begged, and I'm offering this to homeless people right now, beg. Beg tomorrow if you get kicked out tomorrow and carry a sign and study where you can beg legally. They need money, they need vouchers, and they need help now. And the only way to get it is to take something like that million dollars and feed it to vouchers. Feed it to personal freedom. Give them rental assistance.

Thank you. All right, come on up.

Hello, my name is Jordan. I'm a volunteer with Jim and his organization. If it's okay with counsel, I would like to yield my time to him so he can continue speaking.

Sure, thank you.

I'm not going to take all two minutes, I don't think. But I'm going to ask you all a question. What would happen if you just gave these people a key? An efficiency in St. Paul costs $900 a month, maybe $1,000. Throw in some utilities. That's $15,000 a year all in. That's half the cost. Sorry, half the cost of what it costs to do nothing and answer all those calls. Your homeless population would disappear overnight. And we know statistically that 13% of these people on their own will find jobs once they get a permanent address. So please, people, a lockable door, some privacy, some protection, and supporting services, of course. It will save the city money. And you can have something to say we are different than Washington, D.C.

Thank you. All right, come on up. And remember to sign in after you're done testifying.

I'm Catherine Card. I live on Edgecombe Road in St. Paul. As I listened to the last hearing that we had earlier and then I see now, too, I look around and I just wonder, is this any good? I mean, where is the mayor? Is the mayor here? Where is the mayor? And you guys, are you touched? Have you been touched by any of the testimony that was there the last time we had a testimony? Have you guys gone down there to Pig's Eye since then? Have you read the Wilder Foundation studies on homelessness? You know, a director of the Wilder Foundation is a close relative to the mayor. And that support, their information does not support, give any support to this clearing of this camp suddenly. There is a foundation that has to be laid. People are complex. They've had trauma. And I don't see any, any opening from you guys in all that I read this week in response to the testimony last month. Where is the compassion? In some people of faith, some faiths, I'm a retired Lutheran pastor, we find holy in the midst of the most needy, the most vulnerable, the most hurting people and situations. There is holy. And yet, where are you? Do you see the holy? Do you see each of these people as your neighbors? My gosh, to move a neighbor out suddenly and just to another spot on the street.

Thank you, and that's time. Thank you. Make sure to sign in. Next testifier.

Good afternoon. My name is Joshua Fuss. I'm the executive director of a nonprofit that helps homeless individuals in the encampments as well as a drop-in center on Rice Street for them to get the supplies that they need to survive. I just want to first say the harsh reality of this is the decision's already been made. So there's no changing it. Tomorrow is going to happen. I just want to give a timeline of how we, part of the problem and how we got here. I've been working in my field for about five years now. And last year, they cut the funding and stopped allowing chemical dependency treatment centers to provide beds to individuals coming out of the encampments to get substance use and co-occurring mental health help. And now we're sitting here a year later wondering how we got to this point and why there's so many people in these encampments when it was the state's decision to remove, we went from almost 10,000 beds down to 1,400. 10,000 that were being paid for for people to get the help that they needed. Down to 1,400 that are non-existent. $1 million is a joke to try to take care of the amount of people that are on the streets right now. And in my time, I have realized You know, there's this image of people who are homeless. They're drug addicts. They deserve it. They are where they are. Most of the people I've run into don't even use drugs or alcohol. Most of them are down there because they can't afford to live. Senior citizens, their social security won't pay for it, right? Trying to figure out a way. They lost their jobs. They couldn't catch back up because the cost of living and property tax and everything is going up, so they can't get back on their feet. Right? And now you guys are going to go in and destroy the only thing that they have. I will say this. You know, online I saw a lot of horrendous comments about the homeless population. And one of the ones that kept coming up is, why don't you let them move into your back street or into your backyard? What do you think is going to happen to everybody when they don't have a centralized location? And then you guys are going to be complaining about the fact that they're all over the place committing crimes in so many other cities and counties. This is a joke.

Thank you. Please sign in. Come on up. Thank you.

Hey, everybody today. My name is Melissa O'Connell. My life basically was saved. I survived a building buyout in Los Angeles in 2018. In 2006, I filed for Social Security. I had to find out through a long passageway, due to my genetics, that I was born with an inherited condition that causes mobility issues and affects all systems in my body. With that said, it was a long road when I ended up being homeless due to this building buyout, which was just pure greed at the time. Half of the building that had 100 people, 100 apartments in it, were evicted due to the buyout. So needless to say, I was there during the sweeps in Los Angeles and watched this over 10, oh my god, 2014, 2018. It's like you can't keep track of the years if this keeps on repeating. And we need to really see each other. We need to help heal our families. We need to do this work for what's inherited in our genetics. We need a lot of support around this. It isn't just people making bad choices. We're born into it. It needs to stop. With that, I did survive those sweeps. I got shelter, but it was under very painful, distressful circumstances. Being in those shelters was no joke. When I got a chance to grow, survive, go through a wellness center in Sacramento, that only got closed during COVID. 500 people who were serviced lost their help at that time. I watched people who were in their late 70s and 80s lose access to Social Security and not be able to get any help. And I just could walk up to them on the street and say, my God, why are you here? With that, getting to Minnesota, because I decided to flee my life because that Social Security case turned into a 20-year case, which still has not been resolved to this day. I had to file three times here in Minnesota recently, again, which is so traumatizing.

We are out of time. Thank you.

So I just want to end by saying I'm a solutions-oriented person who knows how to help the system get through this and needs to be heard. And there's so many people in this room that can help with the system hand in hand. Thank you.

Thank you. Please make sure to sign in. Next testifier.

My name is Justin Levendusky. I'm the Executive Director of Open Hands Midway and a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the Midway. Today, I'm speaking on behalf of 94 people of faith representing more than 25 faith communities and faith-based organizations, including bishops, pastors, rabbis, imams, chaplains, ministers, spiritual directors, lay leaders, and congregation members who have signed our interfaith call to pause and plan. In a recent Axios article, Mayor Herr asked, where the hell have we been? Why haven't we brought these 30-day, 60-day solutions years ago? Answer to that is simply, we have been there. Community has been there. Faith communities have been there. Ramsey County staff, outreach workers, health care providers, faith communities, like I said, mutual aid networks, and Camden residents themselves have been doing this work for years. What's been missing is not effort, it's been sufficient time, capacity, resources, and coordination. Giving the county, providers, residents, and community only 28 days to prepare for a large-scale displacement is negligence. Alongside the county's efforts, faith communities and resident-led mutual aid networks could accomplish a great deal in 60 days. We could organize more volunteers. We have been doing that. We've got 250 sandwiches going out there tomorrow morning. We're organizing cell phones to keep people who are being displaced in contact with folks. If you support the encampments being swept, give us more time. You can't do that, though. That is on Amir Herr. What we need right now is every county commissioner and every St. Paul council member to publicly say, just give us more time. We need time to save lives. We need time to mitigate the harm that these sweeps are going to cause on behalf of so many people of faith across the wonderful communities that represent St. Paul. I'm asking you to please publicly call the mayor. Every one of you make a public statement. Every county commissioner make a public statement. What we saw from that article in Axios was chaos behind closed doors. And that's exactly what we've heard from our county friends who are being forced into this work. We don't have enough time, but we could save lives and prevent harm if we just had 30 to 60 days. Please, I'm begging you. We have lives to save and we can reduce harm. We just need more time.

Thank you.

My name is David Menakee. I'm a resident of St. Paul and the coordinator of the St. Paul Outreach Center, outreach and service ministry of a dozen churches and three schools in St. Paul. We've been engaged with visiting the homeless camps and offering services and support for the last year and a half on pretty much a weekly basis. The thing that struck me is the humanity of the people there. The chance to go and sing every week with a friend, to offer blessing, to offer food, to let them know we're here. These people are scared now. And most of them are thinking of simply moving from one tent to another tent because there isn't enough place for them to go. And the other thing I've noticed in the last year and a half is there are so many people, so many volunteers, so many good people in this city that go out that want to help and are offering their services.

And it's a resource that we have here in St. Paul. Yes, we have a budget deficit. Yes, we have cuts in the state. But we have this huge resource of the people, the resources, the love that can be brought together. And you have an opportunity to bring that together, to coordinate this. But it cannot be done by tomorrow. So if we can simply have an extension, come up with a plan, tap into the resources and the ideas and the creativity that we have that can address this, and ultimately look at these people, talk to the people at the campus, what do they need? And then how can we meet that?

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Thank you. Come on up.

Can't wait till it resets. Hi, city council. My name's Adam Beers, formerly unhoused, public health professional. I believe in data making decisions, so I'm here to provide more of that to you this week. I did the math. I looked for information from St. Paul, but unfortunately couldn't find data about it. But I looked at Minneapolis data, so it's probably comparable. The amount they spend per person on police to remove each person from this camp is $1,375.38 per one person to the police. That amount of money, and that doesn't even include the skid-skier company that you bring in that's worthless, that you're also giving a bunch of money to. So I'd say it's probably around $2,000 per person to remove them from their tent. That money that you spent on that, you could about one month of permanent housing, a new state ID, birth certificate, other vital documents needed to obtain housing, a basic cell phone, and several months of service, allowing someone to stay in contact with case managers who you say are out there every day connecting with these folks but are absent from these meetings. Work boots, clothing, and tools for someone starting a job with their own business. Literally a plethora of other things you can provide for these folks for at least a month, but you're supporting the police. And I'm sure all of you were on the city council while ICE was terrorizing our communities. You're supporting ICE by doing this encampment sweep. Keep that.

Thank you. Next testifier. Please remember to sign in after testifying.

Hi there. My name is Violet. Do I hit this green button to start my time?

Just go ahead and speak, yeah.

Okay. I guess when I'm looking at all of you from the past couple of weeks, Councilmember Kim is like the only person who's giving, like, paying attention. I'm in Molly's ward and I'm on... I appreciate you all being here. I'm confused why there's no emergency moratorium with all of the public backlash. It's just an obvious thing to do. I think an emergency, you know, halt on this. I literally don't understand why that hasn't happened. I think I haven't heard a single opinion in the other direction on continue. I have not heard a single opinion. I want to bring up a fact. Somebody named Tom is in line behind me. I think he's running for governor.

Is that right?

And he was calling me some, he was like, he saw me and he called me like, trans, and he's like, nice nail polish. And I was like, goddamn, that's kind of mean. And I've never even been in a room with a transphobic person who is coming at me like that, surprisingly, because we live in this amazing place. But for him and me to be aligned on this issue? He's transphobic and we're aligned. I agree with this man. We have to stop the sweeps. What are we thinking? And why are your faces like that? You're just staring at me deadpan. I'm not trying to make a joke. I'm trying to be serious and bring serious attention to this issue. So please. I know that you trust in the government. That's why you have your jobs. And I want to believe in you guys. But the police aren't like tied to you guys in a nice, neat bow. They're going to brutalize tomorrow. And it's going to be on you. So I better see each and every one of you out there tomorrow. If you believe in your job and you want to keep your jobs. You better be out there tomorrow or stop this whole thing, OK? And I see the assistant mayor over here who has done nothing. And I see the mayor's office that has done nothing. Where is Mayor Herr? Where is she? This is ridiculous. This is a perfect opportunity to stop what she's doing. She's being ridiculous. And you guys can look amazing if you just turn the ship around. Please.

Make sure to sign in. Thank you. Okay, come on up.

Good afternoon, members of the city council. My name is Tom Evenstad, and part of what this person has right is I am running for governor as a Democrat. Primary's coming up on August 11th, so please keep that in mind. The reason I'm here is because the other person that spoke before me talked about something that's very important, the stereotype of the homeless. I'm facing homelessness. I grew up out in Edina, Minnesota. I'm running for governor, and I'm facing homelessness. It's called background checks. It's called wrongful conviction. Things happen to people. A lot of people in the state are one paycheck away from being homeless. So I'm here to stand up. For the homeless, and I'm here to call out Mayor Herr. I mean, where is she at? Looking for the good wienering from Axel Henry? I mean, this is outrageous is what it is. So as the moral leader of this state, I am calling out Mayor Herr. I'm calling out Axel Henry. Sex on the desk with four more cops listening in like it's... This is outrageous that it has to end. So I'm asking for you people to give 60 days to these people. These are human beings. And... Government should be helping these people along with the private sector. There needs to be a marriage. Since we're so concerned about how marriage is in this state, why don't we marry the government and the private sector and find some solutions? So I'll leave you with this. We are living in a $1.75 billion police state. It's $3.5 billion in the biennium. And do you know how much that helped Mariah Samuels? She did everything right. She went and got all their paperwork. She was calling the Minneapolis police, who I don't see in here, do we? We're in St. Paul. But she was calling the Minneapolis police all the way up until the point where David Wright unloaded his gun into her. So out of $1.75 billion that we have that doesn't keep anybody safe except the politicians and the rich people, What I'm proposing as governor is we take one little sliver out of that, which is $250 million. I've Googled it, and if anybody can do better than Google, please contact me. I'm at evansteadforgovernor.com. That is time. Thank you. For $250 million, we can house every single person in this state that is homeless. So... I'm facing homelessness. Please make sure to wrap up your thoughts. We have a whole line waiting. Thank you. We need to do better. And we need to do a 60-day moratorium. And I'm demanding that as what will hopefully be our next governor. 60 days. We need some time for these folks to people figure this out. Thank you.

Please make sure to sign in.

Thank you.

Next testifier.

Hello. My name is David. You may commit an action in a comfy suit in a beautiful room, do it with your voice or a keystroke or a pen, but that doesn't reduce the harm of the effect. All that dressed up of the first domino pushed with a docent's white glove doesn't change the wrath in the weight of the last one's fall. Allowing the sweeps is pulling the trigger on a gun that is miles away. That would make it seem like you don't care. But why is that? Shouldn't you really want this? If you're going to be cruel, why isn't that cruelty in your voice? Why don't I hear the bloodlust in your heartbeat? Is it maybe not there? If you're going to do it, then say it with your whole chest. Stand 10 toes down in your decision. If you're going to do something unkind, but you're not doing it with the passion, then I don't want to fight you. Because I, all of us here, and all of us here we represent are bringing our passion and our righteousness to this conversation. Even if this wrestling match's outcome is predetermined, the heel should feel something, should seem to feel something. The anodyne attitude is insulting. If you're going to take the position of the con, then finish it with viction. Or defer to a democracy that has some. Thank you.

All right, next up.

Council President and Council Members, thank you so much for the time and space to continue offering our thoughts about tomorrow's eviction of the fish hatchery encampment. My name is Rebecca Homard, and I live in beautiful Ward 7, the home of this encampment. I wanted to take my time today to ask, rhetorically, where is Mayor Herr? She has not been present at a single public-facing meeting with the exception of a very brief appearance at Council Member Yang's budget meeting. We've been told time and time again that we need to be voicing our concerns with the mayor's office, not with city council or county commissioners. But how are we supposed to do that if we can't actually meet with her? Our many, many voicemails have gone completely unanswered, and we're all receiving canned email responses. We've gotten a total of over 200 public comments online to this exact agenda item, and every single person has opposed this action. We've heard live public comments from encampment residents, public health scientists, outreach professionals, and folks from Minneapolis who have already started experiencing what is going to be our future if we don't stop this eviction. All of these folks have stellar ideas on an achievable and concrete plan to support these folks via encampment resolution. Many of them are not present today because they're busy being actually at the camp supporting the residents. What will it take to stop the eviction? And just listen. If we don't take action today, encampment residents will be harmed tomorrow by overdose, by police brutality, by losing their community and safety nets. They will continue to be harmed because outreach professionals and volunteers won't be able to locate and serve them. They will also lose their personal property, some of which keeps them alive, safe, and able to enroll in the housing or assistance programs. I'm calling on each one of you and specifically my council member, Johnson, to use compassion and empathy to understand what tomorrow will bring and to use your influence with the mayor and SPPD to stop this eviction today.

Thank you. All right, next testifier. Come on up.

Hi, my name is Kelsey Fire. I'm going to take a different approach here. I have spent time at these encampments around St. Paul and have never felt unsafe. That does not invalidate the experiences that others may have had, but it does not mean fully aligned with the narrative that I was presented with my own experience. It invites us to reflect on whether we are viewing these situations with fear and judgment or through understanding and empathy. And what does that say about ourselves? Like, psychology teaches us that perception shapes interpretation and that the reactions to others can sometimes reveal something about ourselves. And, like, what is it saying about our government and the state of our government? Addiction is not a thing of moral failure. Neither is mental health. And neither is, like, situations that happen that are out of your control. Those are all spiritual... situations with spiritual solutions and treating people with decency and humanity and kindness. I mean, that's spiritual principles. I'm going to quote Carl Jung here to end this, but it's a couple. If we want better outcomes, we must stop shaping policy through fear and control alone. We need to restore humanity to our decisions. Every person must be seen as an individual because that is where healing begins. And he wrote this in 1953, I want to say. A society becomes dangerous when people are encouraged to surrender their individuality, conscious, and personal responsibility to any collective ideology without question. The true community does not come from everyone thinking the same. It comes from individuals who are grounded in themselves, who respect the humanity of others, and who can come together without losing their identity. A healthy society is built on people who know themselves, that think critically and act from conscious. It begins to break down when individuals abandon their inner authority and allow a collective identity to think for them. This isn't a matter of safety. It is a matter of the human spirit. When we lose connection to that, it causes harm and it kills people. Thank you.

Hi, city council. I'm Scout. We've talked before. I'm with We Are Zine, a zine that publishes art from residents at Pig's Eye Encampment. My thoughts. Mayor Hurst said if we do not have a real plan with resources behind it, that the city cannot delay the closure. I think that's a really confusing statement for everyone in this room. We can, for some reason, displace hundreds of people with no real plan and no real resources, but we can't plan a delay. We're all aware of the call that took place between Mayor Herr and some officials last Thursday about delaying this encampment sweep. And even they were pushing back on Mayor Herr's poorly thought out plan. But unfortunately, Mayor Herr's too caught up in her own scandals and image issues to care about her constituents. Several of the call's attendees reported to Axios that they believe the call was unproductive and went off the rails because Mayor Herr's angry and focused on her own sexual assault allegations. So is that it? As council members, as all elected officials, you're telling us because Mayor Herr is in a bad mood about her shitty public perception? No one can stop her inhumane policy. She's the new Donald Trump raging across our city. No one to stop her. No regards to the people. And who are you all? But her do-nothing fronies? You're just going to let her because you're scared of what her backlash might look like? I can tell you who's scared of what her backlash already looks like. Are you the elected representatives of the people? Are you going to stand with the people?

That's all I have to say. Thank you. All right, next person.

I'm back.

Oh, earlier you testified already. Is that right?

I didn't get to sign last time.

What was that?

What did you say?

Oh, I said, did you testify earlier? Yeah.

I did. OK. I testified for myself first, but I'm also with Micah.

Oh, OK. Can you just give me a pause? Yeah.

MICA is an organization.

OK. All right. I'd like to first prioritize the folks that haven't spoken today yet.

Does anyone have to, or do you want to come up if you haven't testified yet?

So I just want you to know, we have 14, about 20 minutes, 20 minutes for testimonies. And I still see a line here. So I would like for us to prioritize the folks who haven't spoken today and even from a couple of weeks ago. So if you haven't, please make your way to your front. And then I'm happy to take anybody else in line if we still have time. I do see a few people who haven't testified before. So come on. Come on. Come on up. OK. Well, I don't see anybody coming up, so. OK. Go ahead. Thank you.

OK. I think this is honestly ridiculous at this point. The mayor isn't even here. Assistant Mayor Cash is still waiting on that phone call. Oh, you have my number. You have Nan's number. No. I just have a question for all of y'all. When I go back to the camp after this and I see all my friends who have nowhere to go and don't want to get brutalized by the police tomorrow, where the fuck am I supposed to take them? And the rest of my two minutes, if anyone has a response.

Some and all of ours take them there.

These people cannot be pushed around constantly. What? Take them to the other camp? Let it overfill? Let tensions rise there? Fuck up their community? What the fuck are we doing here? What the fuck? These are good people. These are beautiful human lives. What the fuck? This is stupid. We got work to do.

Thank you. All right, next testifier.

Hi there.

My name is Lenin, and I want to take a break from all the vibes and the pleads and stuff to take a look at the material reality of what we've got going on here. What we're all participating in here is a settler colony on stolen land. This is a government that represents the settlers and the capitalists and the other neoliberal fascists that live amongst us. Why are they brutalizing all of these innocent, beautiful people? It's crazy. I mean, I'm sure they take care of their pets at home, and they take care of their kids at home, and they kiss their kids goodnight and all that. But what this government, what this system exists to do is to enforce private property. And if these people think that they can just go live in the park No, no, no. That'll bring all our property values down. That'll collapse the whole system. So what can we do besides beg and plead, you motherfuckers, for a little bit of humanity? I think what we should do is take their ability away to brutalize us like this. I think we should take away the weapons from the armed group of thugs that they use to brutalize all of us. Until we do that, ain't a damn thing going to change.

Thank you. Please make sure to sign in after testifying.

Hi, I'm Nen. I have just some notes. I didn't prepare anything to say today because, like many of the people in this room, I've been fucking busy, losing sleep, supporting neighbors in ways that the city should be doing. I have been on the ground nearly every day since the eviction was announced. And again, as we've been saying, there is fucking nowhere to go. They... There's been claims, there's been claims that there has been an influx of support from the city, and the residents have said again and again that that is not true. You're saying that, like, well, that's not fair to say. I know that they're there. Well, I'm there, and they're not fucking there. The people in the camp are saying that they have not been helped, that they're only being helped by people who, like, are on the verge of homelessness themselves, going and fucking spending all their money and time trying to help them. So... My fucking god. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. OK. Cops said this morning to my friend that lives there that they will be arresting anyone who is still there tomorrow. There is nowhere to go. We are moving people, and we are not moving them into shelters because there is no fucking shelters. We are moving their tents to different places. We are scattering them, isolating them where they are more vulnerable to overdose, to further state violence, and to have less access to resources. Okay, I saw cops this morning throwing away people's belongings, destroying their tents, and tackling people, and harassing my friends. When people are still there tomorrow, because they will be, because there is nowhere for them to go, When they are having their belongings destroyed, when they are being brutalized, I want you to think, what the fuck am I doing? Why did I not do anything? Nobody fucking wants this. And I think that that's what we've gathered from all of these hearings. Nobody fucking wants this. Cash is waiting. You said that it hurts your heart that Cash hasn't gotten resources. I haven't heard from you, okay? And I know that you got your feelings hurt when Aaron said that blood will be on your hands. Blood will be on your hands. That's the truth, okay?

Thank you. Make sure to sign in. All right. We have time. Just so you all know, we have time for six more people, all right? So come on up. Go ahead. Thank you.

My name's Dan Krivit. I live at 1071 Cleveland Avenue South in Ward 3. I've been down to the camps. I've met with Assistant Mayor Baker, Rebecca Maker, several times. This morning, there was a County Board of Commissioners meeting. I don't know if you've gotten a readout, but the part that wasn't in the resolution is that County Manager Lynn Becker stated they need more time. They've got contracts that are just beginning. The money you gave them, I think, just went out for solicitation. These are phases, they say, in the resolution. Phases that are taking weeks for your money to go into effect. They need more time. Everybody, everybody is saying we need more time. Why? Why not do the right thing? Why not become a leader in this issue? Why not take the opportunity? Yes, there's urgency that the mayor's created. She can take a win. She's got to pause, though. She's got to pause this. She has a choice. You have a choice. Although sometimes we're hearing you don't, and the county commissioners don't, that's not true. You have a choice. We understand it's the mayor's authority, but she needs to pause. Assistant Mayor Baker, please deliver the message. She can take a win on this. She could use one right now. Take a pause. There's plenty of partners that are ready to come to the table. And I understand you've got commissions and committees now. But there are real people with real commitments that are ready to help. You need some time. People are going to die.

Thank you. Make sure to sign in. Next testifier, come on up.

I'll say it again, I'm back. So my name is Melissa O'Connell. I also made it to Minnesota to be able to get with MICA. MICA is the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing. They've been working towards bridging these causes for the transition of bringing up community solutions that actually help us survive things like this and grow beyond not having emergency placement. I don't mean just for the people in this respect in housing, but we're not doing emergency planning as these populations are continuing to grow. And it is also from the lovely person who came forward and talked about this as a spiritual crisis. It's in all of us. It's not just the people who are on the street. What's good leadership? Bringing out the leadership in others. So with that, Mayor Cedric, I want to offer to build that bridge with you. I want to offer, buy us 60 days. We need it. When people have been working for 60 years, To bring this point around home, this is not a financial decision. This is about saving lives. Do you want that death toll? I don't want it. I saw it in Los Angeles. I saw our armed faction shooting rubber bullets at people in wheelchairs. Please don't let that happen here, today, now. Those are things you can't erase from your memory. That's just one memory. Imagine if it's... thousands of those memories, day in and day out, when you can't escape the system because we're not building this bridge. And we have the capability. The people are here. They're showing up. They're testifying. And they're doing it peaceably. We all have that capability, right? It's not about the money. It never will be. It's about building these bridges. Thank you.

Thank you.

Can you hear me? Yes. I'd like to thank Lennon, who spoke earlier. As long as the means of production are in private hands, these problems will continue to sprout up. And that's really the only way we can solve this in a lasting way. But I have a quote from Friedrich Engels from 1845, if anyone resonates with this and recommend reading more of it. When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter. When the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call this deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or by the bullet, when it deprives thousands of the necessities of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live, forces them through the strong arm of the law to remain in such conditions until that death ensues, which is the inevitable consequence, knows that these thousands of victims must perish and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual. When you do sweeps, you are guilty of the act of social murder. And as a class, we have a right to self-defense and a right to the preservation of life. I've been to Pig's Eye a couple dozen times now. You know, we hear people talking about drugs in these communities. Where are the drugs coming from? Not once have I seen a poppy plant growing over there. But US soldiers in Afghanistan protected and guarded poppy fields. Just as the British used opium as a tactical war against China, the US government uses opium and crack cocaine as a tactic of war against its internal colonies and marginalized communities, and then go and use it as a justification to further attack these communities. This has to stop.

Thank you. Thank you. OK, come on up. Remember to sign in after testifying.

Good afternoon, everybody, board members, community members. Nice to meet you. My name is Matthew Resnick. I'm one of seven people that helped start the very first nationally recognized tiny house village in the nation in Seattle. I volunteer with three nonprofits for three years, Nicholsville, Lehigh, Low Income Housing Institute, and Shared Wheel. And together, we created the Tiny House Village program. From there, I was elected spokesman at the very first village, give on-camera interviews with nonprofits all around the world on our prototype program to solve the encampments and the overcrowding of the shelters. worked in conjunction with law enforcement, board members, and the community, and built that bridge that she talked about, and it became a very effective tool to combat the crisis that we're facing right now. We started with one village, and we have over 40 to date in Seattle. We were able to organize the homeless people and the people that are challenged with financial burdens right now, get them in the places that they needed to be so they could do what they needed to do to get where they wanted to be. Now, I could go on for a long time and talk about what I've done and what I can do for Minneapolis and St. Paul and for the community. But what I'm going to do is just call it short. I'm going to leave my name. My name is Matthew Resnick. I'm going to leave my phone number. And if you guys wish to contact me, you guys want to have a private meeting, want me to have a presentation, I can break down to you in complete detail how the Tiny House Village program benefits everybody in the city. Everybody. how it intertwines and can work with a low-income housing institute, how it can intertwine with Catholic Charities and Union Gospel and other shelters in conjunction. Thank you.

That is time. Make sure to sign in. Okay. I see three people in line, so after our three speakers, I'll be closing the public hearing.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to be able to speak before you all. As I said earlier, I'm a volunteer with Jim, who's sitting right over there. I've been volunteering for about a year since last September. And what had initially gotten me into caring about the homeless my own experience of being homeless with my mother for about eight months or so. And because I wasn't in school that entire time, I was placed in foster care, in which I spent a year. It was a very difficult time in my life, but I've since become a Christian. And one of the main experiences in my life that really pointed me on to Christ that I look back to is the fact that the first love that I had really ever experienced was just a normal person, a normal family gave my mother and I $1,000 and a box full of food. And they told us about Christ, and they prayed for us. And that is one of the most defining moments of my life. And so now I want to do the same for others. Because I believe Jesus Christ is God. I believe he is our Lord. He created us. I believe he died on the cross so that we may have eternal life if we place our trust in him. He is our Lord, which means we are his servants. We are his creation. And so I believe that we have Jesus Christ as our example. I look at Christ and I see someone, my God, who gave his life for me on the cross. And so now I have been set free from my sin and I can give my life in service to others and love to others as Jesus Christ loved me. And you all, we have been placed under your authority. You all have authority over us. The government is a great thing. as long as the government sees Christ as its example, as the government looks at its Lord and sees that the Lord is supposed to serve those who is placed under them. And I don't think that that's what's being done right now. I don't think the mayor is doing that right now. I don't think the mayor is serving the people that is under her right now. But we look to Christ as our example.

gave his life so that we can give our lives to others so please look to christ as your example thank you that's time make sure to sign in come on up hi city council adam beers again uh just a little bit of your time saying that one million dollars for temporary housing is solution that's not a solution 49 cots does not there's absolutely nothing to help these folks so you just threw one million dollars away from a city in a very large deficit that i just heard at a budget meeting when it could have been used for so much more good Last thing, let me remind you quickly of how fucked up this government is. At the last city council meeting, your city council director, I don't know where he's at, tried to kick all of us out of this room if you didn't know that. Your mayor is also a sexual predator who should step down immediately. And last week, I was stalked by Cedric Baker and his little goon here while they hid behind a tree for 20 minutes and recorded me. This is your leadership. It's your legacy that you're leaving behind. And it's an embarrassment for St. Paul and Minnesota as a whole. Not only are we the laughing stock of the country right now, but you're also committing genocide on our unhoused neighbors.

Thank you. OK, last speaker.

Hello. My name is Elise Thompson, and I have been out at many events in the last month with STS. I engage both personally and as an educator and resident of St. Paul, though I do not speak for any institution or organization. I am tired. I am exhausted. My entire adult life, I have had to bear witness to injustice. I'm 29. One after the other, a dumpster fire catapulted at me. Everyone in the community, one after the other. This is exhausting. I do have a quiet voice, though. Do not mistake my meek demeanor or my colorful clothing or makeup for apathy or a lack of rage. My hope keeps me grounded. And in that grounding, I come to ask once more for the city, the county, and the mayor's office still Still, I'm asking and extending to the mayor's office to do the right thing. You have heard from experts, social workers, and community members who have taken hours out of their time to be here and try to reach you. But most importantly, you heard from over 40 residents, over 40 residents, the experts in their own life and their own truth. This is the last hour. The eviction is tomorrow. And I'm going to invite everyone to share their voices together with me and to share their courage, because I hope that song could help change your mind.

You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with love. You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with love. You gotta put one foot in front of the other and lead with love. One foot in front of the other and lead with love.

Thank you. That's time. Make sure to sign in. All right. Make sure to sign in. All right, everybody. I want to say thank you all so much for being here with us today. Just so you all know, we have received your testimonies. And I'll take a motion from Council Member Kim to adjourn. All in favor say aye. Aye. And close the public hearing. Oh, so I'm going to motion from Council Member Kim to close the public hearing. All in favor say aye. Aye. And then. Five in favor, none opposed. Public hearing is closed. Motion from Council Member Johnson to adjourn today's meeting. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Great.

Five in favor, none opposed.

Thank you. Thanks, everyone. Thank you. Thank you.