Park Board Approves Two Temporary Permits For Homeless Encampments
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board approved two temporary permits for new homeless encampments in city parks.
The permits approve camp locations in Marshall Terrace Park in Northeast Minneapolis and near Lake Harriet. These permits come as the city is clearing more people out of Powderhorn Park.
This week, more than 400 people were camping in Powderhorn Park, city officials say.
RELATED: State, City & County Officials Respond To WCCO's Footage Of Nicollet Mall Homelessness
According to the park board, the city cannot shutdown or limit people in homeless encampments unless there is a documented threat to public safety, per Gov. Tim Walz's executive order on COVID-19.
In a statement to WCCO, the park board said that the park encampments are not a dignified form of housing, adding that they are only a temporary solution.
