Minneapolis mayoral candidates differ on homeless encampment policies
Mpls mayoral candidates on homeless encampments
Minneapolis mayoral candidates are sharing their proposals to solve the issue of homelessness after a mass shooting at an encampment injured seven people. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the full report.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - This week’s clearing of a Minneapolis homeless encampment after a mass shooting has generated a variety of opinions among voters contemplating the city’s upcoming mayoral race.
READ MORE: Mass shooting at Minneapolis homeless encampment injures 7 people
Mayor Frey maintains stance after camp clearing
What they're saying:
Candidates for Mayor of Minneapolis, including current Mayor Jacob Frey, are clarifying their positions.
"Encampments must be closed after services are offered," Frey said on Tuesday. "Once service and shelter have been offered, once wraparound support and attempts to provide care have been made. This is simply not a strategy that works. It is not safe."
"Homeless encampments are not the answer. They entrench harm, they do not reduce it," Frey continued.
When reached for comment Wednesday night, Mayor Frey’s campaign reiterated his stance, saying that after a mass shooting, a "responsible mayor must clear an encampment," and defended the city’s actions this week.
Mayoral candidate policy positions differ
The other side:
Meanwhile, Mayor Frey's challengers, Dewayne Davis, Jazz Hampton, Omar Fateh, and Brenda Short are outlining different approaches to the problem.
The candidates spoke at a rally at the Lake Harriet Bandshell on Wednesday.
"If you just get law enforcement to sweep them, you’re just moving the problem," Davis said. "The idea is to get people help. Providers are ready, they just need resources."
"I’m not part of sweeping. I’m part of the solution," Hampton said. "I don’t want to make these permanent places for people to live. I want to make sure they have a permanent solution to move on."
"For me, moving on does not mean bulldozing," Fateh said. "It means connecting them with social workers, with city workers, with county workers. Going in day after day to make sure that we’re plugged in with them."
"There is a nursing home that has been empty for a year and a half," Short said. "I would put 250 people in that facility. If they want free housing, they have to sign up for a training program."