BY ED FELIEN
Late Monday evening on Sept. 15, someone shot into two homeless encampments on Lake Street. One person was killed and six more were injured. Police believe it was a turf battle for who could sell drugs in the area. Trivon Leonard, Jr., from a Chicago suburb, is being charged with first-degree riot and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting.
Fox News host Brian Kilmeade told his audience Sept. 10, “Involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill them,” referring to homeless people who reject social services.
Concern about the social chaos resulting from the homeless encampments had been alarming neighbors and business owners in the area for months.
The City closed the encampments after the shootings.
Before the closing, Lisa Houdek wrote to Southside Pride:
“Good morning,
“Please consider publishing this perspective of the encampment and Chavez’s recent vote opposing its removal. We are having trouble finding an outlet who will express this perspective.
“Dear Neighbors,
“Before I begin, I want to acknowledge a worry: that our words may sound cold or uncaring. That is not our heart. This perspective comes from 23 neighbors who love our community. We hesitated to speak up, but the situation feels too important to stay silent.
“We are writing out of concern about the 60-person Aldi encampment and Councilmember Jason Chavez’s recent vote opposing its removal. We have deep empathy for unhoused individuals—many of us have loved ones who have faced homelessness or addiction—and we agree that Minneapolis must provide real help. At the same time, the encampment has created serious safety and health hazards and Jason Chavez’s attempt to block its removal shows unresponsiveness to this part of the problem.
“The encampment lacks water service, leading to human excrement in business doorways and alleys such as ours. Drug paraphernalia is left on sidewalks, and overdoses have occurred in our yards. Individuals struggling with addiction stagger in streets; propane tanks pose fire risks; some families have faced harassment. Neighborhood children, some of whom attend the nearby school, are exposed to these unsanitary, unsafe conditions.
“Despite these problems, Mr. Chavez voted against city efforts to remove the encampment, leaving our community without relief or a clear plan. Fortunately, other council members approved legal action against the property owner, opening a path toward resolution.
“Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis that requires compassionate, responsible solutions—solutions that respect the dignity of unhoused individuals while protecting neighborhood families.
Ward 9 deserves leadership that pursues safe, hygienic shelter, treatment programs, and accountability for property owners, while also safeguarding residents.
“We believe it is time for new leadership on City Council who will bring forward compassionate and practical solutions for both our community and those experiencing homelessness.
“Thank you for hearing our perspective. We love our neighborhood, and we hope you understand our shared values of compassion and action.”
Roy Cerling
Teresa Cerling
Elizabeth Obrien
Nancy Ford
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I wrote back:
“Thank you very much for your letter. We will probably publish it along with a long article on the Coliseum encampment.
“Has your group considered renting a porta-potty for the site to prevent unsanitary practices? The average cost for a porta potty is $100 to $200 a month with a $60 to $80 weekly maintenance cost.”
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Lisa Houdek wrote back:
“Thank you for your suggestion about renting porta-potties for the encampment. While on the surface this may seem like a compassionate and simple solution, it unfortunately does not address the larger concerns we’ve outlined.
• Sanitation alone is not enough: A porta-potty does not solve the lack of running water, handwashing stations, or trash disposal, which are critical to preventing disease and unsanitary conditions.
• Safety risks remain: Even with porta-potties, issues like drug use, overdoses, propane tank explosions, and harassment of neighbors continue unchecked.
• Children are still exposed: Porta-potties do not make it safe for children walking to school to pass through areas with open drug use and unsafe behavior.
• Not a sustainable solution: Porta-potties are a temporary patch that prolongs unsafe encampments instead of working toward housing, treatment, and shelter that provide dignity and stability.
“We strongly believe compassion means moving toward real solutions—safe housing, treatment programs, and accountability from the city and property owners—not normalizing hazardous encampments. Our community deserves safety and our unhoused neighbors deserve better than porta-potties in alleys.
“Thank you for supporting communication and perspectives in our community! I don’t know if I’m allowed to write this, but fair and balanced press has become increasingly rare with our current horrific president, who seems determined to have everyone fighting rather than listening.”
________________
“Hi Lisa,
“I agree a porta-potty will not address the larger problem of a homeless encampment. However, I do think it might be a constructive temporary first step toward improving sanitation. Most porta-potties have sanitary hand wipes installed, and the unit would be cleaned and refreshed once a week. There seems to me to be no reason why the City couldn’t also drop off dumpsters for trash, recyclables and organic materials at encampment sites.
“Unfortunately, as I’m sure you know, there is a scarcity of housing options available. I think the County and the City could do more with buying and renovating empty office buildings as housing options.
“With an encampment the size of the ones in South Minneapolis, surely the City and County could set up their own tent and assign staff to offer vocational counseling at the site. Their presence would limit illegal and un-neighborly behaviors. The City has a budget of $1.8 billion. The County has a budget of $3.1 billion. Surely they could find enough money to staff someone to be present and watch over homeless encampments, offering counseling and support. Their obvious objective would be to eliminate the encampment and provide permanent housing and vocational opportunities to the unfortunate residents.”
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Lisa wrote back:
“Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate the time you took to lay out your perspective. I want to reassure you that my goal in writing wasn’t to try to change your mind. I recognize that we may see the situation differently. Our encounters with the people at the encampment have shaped both of our perspectives.
“What I hope is that conversations like this allow for a variety of perspectives to be acknowledged. Many neighbors are struggling with valid concerns about the impacts of the encampment and how best to address our shortcomings as a society. I believe it’s important for many voices to be part of the public conversation.
“Thank you again for engaging with us in such a civil and constructive way—it’s a valuable part of our community, and a practice that should be protected.”
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I wrote back:
“Yes, Lisa, I also appreciate the time and energy you spent sharing your valuable perspectives. I appreciate that for me the problem is theoretical, but for you the problem is affecting your livelihood and your community.
“If I understand your perspective, your solution is to clear the encampment. I believe that solution simply puts the problem in someone else’s backyard. I think we need the City and the County to set up shop on the site and aggressively deal with each individual’s housing and vocational problem.”
