Special City Council Public Hearing on the Mayor's Encampment Plan

The Saint Paul City Council held a special public hearing on July 22, 2026, to receive testimony on the Mayor's Encampment Plan, which proposes clearing homeless encampments. The meeting began at 4:34 PM and recessed at 6:30 PM, with the public hearing continued to a future date to allow additional testimony. Nearly all speakers opposed the plan, citing public health evidence, personal experiences, and concerns about harm to vulnerable residents.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Israel Dupree (St. Paul resident): Opposed the plan, stating the encampment community has built a village and asked for skills training and construction assistance instead of displacement.
• Jacqueline Levanier (Ward 7 resident, educator): Argued the plan does not address safety but makes unhoused neighbors invisible, and called for resource investment in outreach and housing rather than clearing encampments.
• Adam Beers (former homeless, now behavioral health worker): Described how sweeps destroy trust built over months, cited data that Heart Houses served only 75 people in 2023 against 115 unsheltered per week (now tripled), and referenced Seattle's tiny home villages (63% move to permanent housing) and Austin's community first village (88% retention). Urged rejection of the plan.
• Guadalupe Fongen (homeless since March due to fraud): Asked for restitution and compassion, stating she does not want to live in a tent and that the plan ignores systemic causes.
• Isaiah 5:20 speaker (name not given): Challenged council to show evidence contradicting the American Public Health Association’s evidence that sweeps are ineffective and deadly. Noted that frontline workers were unaware of the plan as of July 8, and criticized lack of coordination.
• Mariah Anderson (17-year-old, Ward 4 resident, youth on boards): Called the plan “fake” and suggested investing the $300,000 into renovating abandoned buildings for housing. Urged long-term solutions rooted in empathy.
• Kumi Smith (epidemiology professor, U of M): Stated that sweeps do not prevent fires, overdoses, or create shelter beds. Cited her team’s research showing overdose rates spike up to two weeks after a sweep. Called for halting closures and investing in care systems.
• Melissa Kennedy (encampment resident): Said she has received more help from those with nothing, and that separating the community would silence residents. Asked the city to help, not hurt.
• Tuvia Bergson Michelson (Ward 1 resident, policy student): Criticized the plan as having no endgame, noting research showing most displaced remain unsheltered, overdose deaths rise 71% after sweeps, and violence increases. Urged working with encamped neighbors for long-term solutions.
• Jerson Lopez (homeless five years): Described deplorable conditions in shelters (feces, roaches, theft) and stated he feels safer in the encampment. Opposed the plan.
• Rebecca Homard (Ward 7 resident): Opposed the plan due to lack of shelter beds (only 49 additional beds for ~200 residents), lack of advance notice, and inadequate planning. Called on councilmember Johnson to represent all residents.
• Mike (first name only): Expressed that being told they failed and swept out is undignified.
• Ixul (multi-ward resident): Connected encampment sweeps to colonialism and internal colonies, calling for systemic change.
• Nick Stary (Frogtown resident, in recovery): Described building trust with encampment residents and helping connect them to services. Stated closure without housing will scatter people, break relationships, and lead to overdose deaths. Proposed a six-month stabilization effort with wraparound services.
• Timothy Roderick (encampment resident): Warned that closure will push people to roadsides and jail, and that a friend recently died. Asked for housing and encouragement.
• Wolf (facilitator at Big Saiyan Campbell encampment): Lived in the woods since 2012. Said encampments provide safety and opportunity to move to housing. Tearing them down signals the city does not care if residents are killed or raped.
• Scout (mutual aid worker, We Are Zine): Presented survey results from Pig's Eye encampment residents. Residents reported shelters are unsanitary, restrictive (8:30 PM curfew), and have long waitlists. They believe the eviction will cause “total chaos” and death. Suggested using funds for heating, running water, and restrooms instead.
• Aaron (Ward 5 resident, We Are Zine): Read residents’ quotes stating they look out for each other and that sweeps will increase deaths. Called the plan targeting for incarceration, ICE, or death.
• Nen (Ward 4 resident, U of M instructor): Presented more survey results: residents asked for empty buildings to be used for shelter, more time (three weeks insufficient), hotel vouchers, and utilities. One resident suggested using city council pay raises for homeless.
• Speaker for Styles and another resident at Fish Hatchery: Styles recounted tents bulldozed in winter with propane tanks; the other asked for a plan after August 5, noting insufficient housing.
• Matt (Ward 1 resident, first responder): Acknowledged the encampment will likely be closed but asked for solutions, suggesting Totem Town or a city-run encampment as immediate options.
• Lucid (Ward 2 resident, housing justice program manager): Called sweeps “active cruelty” and said the timeline is impossible for humane relocation. Stated that if housing could be provided in a month, organizers would have done it already.
• Anine (Native foundation leader, not representing): Warned against repeating Minneapolis’s failures, where millions were spent on sweeps with no improvement. Urged radical thinking.
• Sam Lagner (Catholic Charities worker): Argued housing is cheaper than emergency services. Proposed safe consumption sites for drug users. Noted changing demographics, including more elderly homeless.
• Linda (Ward 1 resident): Reported hearing an SPPD officer joke about a frozen dead body, and described videos of wheelchairs being destroyed. Said actions show the city does not care, despite using words like “dignity.”
• Natasha Bennett (Senate candidate): Stated addiction is an illness, called for using $40 million rental assistance for encampment residents. Urged three days to ensure housing, not 30.
• Unnamed speaker (spiritual nature): Said love conquers all and suggested redirecting taxes if the plan proceeds.
• Casper Boyles (Miriam Park, assistant professor of public health): Cited GAO data that a $100 rent increase leads to a 9% increase in homelessness. Urged addressing upstream causes like affordable housing. Noted 5% of St. Paul public school students reported homelessness in the last year.
• Amanda (homeless since July 2025, shelter resident): Described being kicked out of shelter three times for bug infestations and inappropriate clothing. Said HUD program had fraud.
• Valerie Jarvis (Ward 4 resident): Noted the majority in the room oppose the sweep. Challenged proponents to appear and speak. Criticized Mayor Her for being regressive.
• Julia Schaefer (paramedic, formerly homeless): Said community saved her life; overdosed twice and was revived by others in the camp. Opposed the plan.
• Steve Tuckner (Ward 5 resident): Suggested Mayor Her and Mayor Frey are influenced by landlords who benefit from visible homelessness to deter tenant organizing.
• Corey Cole (Ward 7 resident, public health scientist): Cited consistent public health literature showing sweeps increase overdose and harm. Stated there is no humane way to forcibly remove people from their homes.
• Sam Robertson (women’s advocate, Ramsey COC): Reported that Assistant Mayor Baker presented the plan as an “approach” (persistent helpfulness, coordinated entry, expanded shelter) but no concrete plan. Coordinated entry is not quick; it’s a tool, not a Plan A.
• Tom Diamond (lifelong St. Paul resident): Acknowledged the city’s role in causing the problem but argued that enforcing existing park rules (no camping at night, no alcohol/drugs/weapons) would help, and that encampments have led to increased crime and harassment of park visitors.
• Cal (outreach worker, Ramsey County assessor): Seconded that assessments take 3-4 months, so relying on them in less than a month is ridiculous. Described losing contact with youth after sweeps in Minneapolis.
• Seneca Krueger (longtime resident, street outreach worker, therapist): Chairs youth advocacy work group on Ramsey County Steering Committee but was not informed of the plan until the July 8 provider call. Said Minneapolis providers have not been asked to help. Urged creative solutions before closures.
• Julian Shoffler (Ward 3/4 resident): Told story of providing midwife care to a pregnant woman in the camp who stayed sober for the baby. The woman feared losing her belongings if she went to a hospital. Asked how the city will provide such care after destroying trust.
• Lily Eggers (Ward 1 resident): Asked for a show of hands from council members willing to stop the sweeps; none raised. Described two worlds: one where council places a moratorium and pursues alternative solutions, another where people die. Vowed to remember council members’ actions at the ballot box.
• Ben Ames (Ward 1 resident, public defender): Noted the absence of prosecutors, judges, and police (except for control). Argued the plan violates the Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) and will criminalize homelessness.

Key Outcomes

• The City Council recessed the public hearing at 6:30 PM and will reconvene at a future date to hear additional testimony.
• No vote was taken on the Mayor's Encampment Plan; the hearing was continued.
• Council President Noecker acknowledged the courage of speakers and committed to scheduling another opportunity for those who could not speak.