Homeless Shelter Hopes More Police Lessen Chaos On Street
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A third of all police calls in downtown Minneapolis originate from a block where the city's largest homeless shelter sits.
According to Minneapolis Police, people living at The Salvation Army's Harbor Light shelter are dealing with livability crimes.
Narcotics, simple assault, trespassing, and other crimes are keeping officers busy. They made 189 arrests on one block alone last year. And in 2015, police investigated a homicide just outside of the shelter.
Police presence is one way of helping reduce crime. On Monday, first responders were there serving food to the homeless.
Most who work or help in this area say it's not the people who stay in the shelter causing problems. They say it's the drug dealers and other criminals who come to exploit those looking for a hand up.
1010 Currie is home to some of the most vulnerable in our community. Some are chemically dependent, others suffer from mental illness.
"We're doing more today than we've ever done and having much greater success with our residents," Operations Director Dominic Bouza said.
But with that success comes setbacks.
Bouza said some who don't make it through the program become liabilities.
"We're seeing much more violent people out here -- people who have been in our building and been in our program, but they weren't participating in our program," Bouza said. "They were taking advantage of people inside our program."
Many end up on the corner selling drugs and creating more chaos on the street. Of the 189 arrests in 2014 on the Harbor Lights block, most were from narcotics, drinking in public or warrants for other crimes.
The MPD has increased the number of officers who police the area.
"It's definitely manageable, but it takes a focus on that area," inspector Mike Kjos said.
A portable camera is there and meters in front of the building are bagged.
"There was a lot of activity around parked cars, including drug activity," Kjos said. "We did make several drug arrests in that block."
Working with the Downtown Council, Kjos said work is being done to drive away those who prey on the city's homeless.
Bouza said it's important to act now before things really heat up.
"Our security is out here every day, but at some point, when people are starting to pull weapons on them, as they have been in the past six months, we have to take another course of action," Bouza said. "We absolutely need an off-duty police officer to help us."
Bouza hopes to raise enough money to hire an off-duty officer to help our during the daylight hours.
Most activity happens on this block when residents are let out early in the morning.
The MPD hopes that an off-duty officer, and an increased on-duty presence, will send the notice to those who come here to stay away.
