Camp Nenookaasi occupants say Minneapolis didn’t give them notice before surprise evictions

Camp Nenookaasi occupants and organizers say they weren’t given notice before police arrived at three homeless encampments Thursday and evicted dozens of residents.

“We had no idea,” said Andrea Benjamin, Native American Outreach Coordinator for Amethyst Recovery Solutions, as she stood outside a police barricade at one of the camps. She had arrived at 7:30 a.m. to help move occupants’ belongings and find her clients.

Benjamin and camp organizers said police arrived at the camps at 6:30 a.m.

Benjamin said that the night before, camp occupants and organizers discussed resolving issues at the camp “so we could all live together” and remain at the site. Some of the issues included tents being set up on sidewalks, open drug use and children being brought into the camp.

The city’s guidelines on responding to encampments say it will post a vacate notice at least 72 hours before an eviction. However, the guidelines say, the notice can be posted late if other risks are involved, such as threats to city employees and increased violence.

Camp organizers said camps at 2844 Bloomington Ave., 2839 14th Ave. S. and 2729 Cedar Avenue were evicted. Several police cars set up a large perimeter around the first two camps, which each house about 15 to 20 people. There was a smaller police presence at the third camp location.

Jess Olstad, a city spokesperson, said in a written statement when asked if the city issued vacate notices with eviction dates at any of the camps:

“Over the past few months, individuals at the 14 ^th Ave encampment were repeatedly informed that they were trespassing and that the encampments would be closed. Additionally, immediate public safety concerns existed at the encampment at 14 ^th . It is up to private property owners’ discretion on how and when to provide notice (Bloomington Ave.). In both cases, the lots were fenced and had ‘no trespassing’ signs posted before individuals entered the property. For the Cedar Ave. site, there were no people there and the site was already posted as “no trespassing.”

It’s the fourth time this year the city has evicted the south Minneapolis homeless encampment, which is largely occupied by Indigenous residents. The city evicted the encampment from vacant city lots twice in January and once in February, prompting residents to relocate each time to nearby locations.

The city issued a vacate notice for the first eviction of Camp Nenookaasi. Camp occupants and organizers said they weren’t given enough notice for the second eviction. The city has said that for the third eviction, a “no trespassing” sign and vacate notice was posted ahead of time.

Enrique Velaquez, Minneapolis’ director of Regulatory Services, said in an emailed statement that the camps that were evicted Thursday from 14th Ave. S. and Cedar Avenue were located on city-owned lots, and that the Bloomington camp was on private property.

A city spokesperson said that the Cedar Avenue camp had “no people” and only included structures.

“Due to activity in and around the encampments that threatened the surrounding neighbors and people within the encampments, the sites were deemed public safety risks,” the spokesperson said of the 14th Ave. S. and Bloomington Ave. campsites.

Camp Nenookaasi’s account on X, formerly Twitter, put out a call for help Thursday morning, asking volunteers to bring water, duct tape, carts and wagons, permanent markers, snacks, first aid, and Narcan. It also asked for bags such as thick trash bags, roller suitcases and backpacks so residents can move their belongings.

“A lot of people lost their stuff,” Benjamin said. “It’s unfair, this is it–this is all their belongings.”

Throughout the day, garbage trucks and dump trucks circled around the camps collecting belongings to throw away, such as tents, yurts, blankets, mattresses and chairs.

“That’s four-five months that we’ve been there that has been wasted,” said Nicole Mason, a camp organizer.

A U-Haul truck arrived around 11 a.m. to move belongings to a new camp located at E. 28th Street near Smith Foundry.

Camp Nenookaasi was founded by residents who were evicted by the city in August 2023 from the Wall of Forgotten Natives homeless encampment. Camp Nenookaasi has occupied seven different sites in south Minneapolis’ Phillips and East Phillips neighborhoods after being evicted by the city multiple times, and after a March 1 fire destroyed its fourth location.

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