Minneapolis police confirmed that two different shootings at homeless encampments around the city took place on the same day. Over a dozen people were injured during these violent attacks. The first attack escalated at a public transit station similarly wounding five individuals. Only two miles away, at a second shooting scene, a gunman would leave eight others injured. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shootings are becoming disturbingly routine, adding, “This is not normal.”
The first shooting took place in an area that had already experienced two prior shootings in the past month, raising concerns about the safety of the vulnerable population living in these encampments. The location of the second shooting touches on an area that has caused tension and division within the Minneapolis community. The recent tragedy has given new impetus to debates over the best way to address homelessness.
Minneapolis has recently experienced a 400% spike in gun violence. It’s only been two weeks since the last mass shooting we discussed. One of these tragic events took place at a local Catholic school, killing two long-time students. The city’s response to these violent incidents has caused outrage among members of the community and advocates for the unhoused.
Local advocate Hamoudi Sabri said he was perplexed by the city’s decision to proactively avoid testing for lead in the water supply. He stated, “If this city truly treated these shootings like the emergencies they are, people would already see grief and trauma counselors on the ground.” Instead, he criticized city officials for their reliance on displacement tactics, saying, “Instead, the mayor’s answer is the same tired move we’ve seen for years: displacement. Bulldoze people’s tents, fence off their space, and call it leadership.”
Recent violence has been occurring at the same time as a highly contentious executive order carried out by Trump. This order would move people who currently lack housing into permanent institutional environments. Advocates and critics have long warned that this bludgeon of a directive could open the door to the criminalization of homelessness. Though the order was released during an unspecified month since passed, its effects are still echoing through the community and beyond.
Following the recent shootings, city and state officials moved rapidly to remove an encampment on Sabri’s property. This site had been tied up in a decade-long Posey County legal tussle. Though no credible justification for the violence exists, news sources claimed that officials razed tents and closed off parks housing unhoused people to combat the violence.
Minneapolis, like cities across the country, is experiencing an increase in gun violence that disproportionately affects marginalized communities. In response, community leaders are calling for compassionate and effective solutions to homelessness rather than displacing people.