Residents of the Camp Nenookaasi homeless encampment were evicted a second time this week by the city of Minneapolis, and were forced out of a city lot in between residential homes Thursday morning.
The camp was formed two days ago when the second iteration of Camp Nenookaasi was evicted from a lot located several few blocks away. That camp was formed after the first Camp Nenookaasi was evicted on January 4. The city issued a statement Thursday, noting that it had posted a “no trespassing” sign and an order to vacate at the third encampment Wednesday.
Brianna Earth, a camp resident, carried a backpack and a paper bag as she walked away from the third camp at E. 26th Street and 14th Avenue S.
“I don’t know where I’m going after this,” said Earth, who has been homeless for the last few years.
Earth lived mostly by herself at the Wall of Forgotten Natives, a homeless encampment that was cleared by the city in August 2023. Occupants of that camp founded the first Camp Nenookaasi, located at 13th Avenue S. and E. 23th Street near the Phillips Community Center. The camps have housed many Native residents.
“It’s safer to be with a lot of people than to be out here by yourself,” Earth said. “More people are going to be sleeping in the hallways at apartment buildings.”
Christin Crabtree, a camp organizer, said about 100 people lived at the new Camp Nenookaasi. Crabtree said outreach workers were not notified about the city’s plans for this week’s evictions.
City officials did not offer Camp Nenookaasi residents an option to use small storage containers located in downtown Minneapolis before the evictions, she added. The storage containers provided by the city are not large enough for gear such as tents, and can be inaccessible for people who lack transportation, she added.
Thursday’s eviction comes after an emotional meeting Wednesday afternoon between Minneapolis City Council members where city officials were presented with updates on Camp Nenookaasi. Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw shouted at Council Member Jason Chavez, who interrupted her and abruptly ended the meeting. The encampment is in Chavez’s ward, and he was present at Tuesday’s eviction.
The city did not give camp residents prior notice of an eviction date before clearing Camp Nenookaasi Tuesday due to “public safety concerns, safety for employees, safety for residents,” Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the city’s operations officer, told council members at Wednesday’s meeting. The city’s guidelines call for providing a date in advance, she said.
Thursday’s eviction was prompted by similar concerns that led to Tuesday’s eviction.
“Due to imminent public safety concerns, including fire hazards and growing tensions between individuals within the camp and nearby residents, the City will close the new encampment on the City-owned residential lot on the 2200 block of 16th Avenue this morning,” said the city’s statement on Thursday’s eviction. “Some individuals broke into the fenced and locked lot between two residential houses, removed ‘no trespassing’ signage, and set up several yurts overnight Tuesday.”
Volunteers remove yurts during the eviction of a homeless encampment near E. 22nd Street and S. 16th Avenue in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis on February 1, 2024. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal 
Police chief Brian O’Hara speaks with lawyers representing the residents of Camp Nenookaasi trying to access their clients as the camp is evicted near E 22nd St. and S 16th Avenue in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis on February 1, 2024. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal 
Police set up barricades as they evict Camp Nenookaasi near E. 22nd Street and S. 16th Avenue in the Phillips neighborhood of south Minneapolis on February 1, 2024. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal 
Volunteers and residents remove yurts February 1, 2024, during the eviction of the Camp Nenookaasi homeless encampment near E. 22nd Street and S. 16th Avenue in south Minneapolis’ Phillips Neighborhood. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal 
Volunteers and residents remove yurts February 1, 2024, during the eviction of the Camp Nenookaasi homeless encampment near E. 22nd Street and S. 16th Avenue in south Minneapolis’ Phillips Neighborhood. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
Thursday’s eviction happened “without incident” and no arrests, according to a city spokesperson.
Dozens of camp supporters helped tear down the yurts and clean the site. There is a plan for where residents will go, said Nicole Mason, a longtime activist and camp organizer, who didn’t provide details.
Mason said she spoke with city officials Thursday and rhetorically asked if they were planning to play “Whack-A-Mole” with the camp.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she told city officials. “You’re not gonna to tire me out. I’m gonna keep doing what we do and I’m gonna protect the relatives day-in and day-out.”
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette said at a Thursday news conference that safety concerns, especially the camp site’s proximity to private homes, factored into the decision to clear the new camp.
Tuesday’s eviction was prompted by public safety and health issues, city officials said, including death threats among residents, property damage, vandalism, fentanyl use, and a stomach flu virus that sickened camp occupants.
