This petition is closed.  It received 1,068 signatures, 300 of which were from Powderhorn Park Neighborhood residents.  Stay up to date on what you can do to advocate for the needs of Minneapolis residents who are experiencing homelessness here.

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In response to the immediate needs of Minneapolis residents who are experiencing homelessness and are occupying Powderhorn Park for housing, signers of this petition unite in calling for City and County elected and appointed leaders to provide wrap-around support now! 

 

As signers of this petition, we acknowledge the following:

 

1. Housing is a Human Right

   • We understand that in order to provide housing for all, it requires City and County resources to fund the right mix of supportive services for those whose hardship or choices have resulted in experiencing homelessness. 

2. The Shadows is Not a Strategy

   • Pushing, relegating, and forcing vulnerable populations to only remain in spaces not easily seen like under bridges, behind trees, and other public areas is not a strategy. 

3. City and County Leaders Must Act

   • The strategies and desired outcomes within their 2006 commission report “The Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Minneapolis and Hennepin County” were either not funded, implemented, or both. They missed their deadline; the time for action is now.

4. Navigation Center Playbook can be Enacted

   • The City should be able to easily reference their playbook and operating procedures that supported the Navigation Center for Minneapolis residents experiencing homeless just over a year-ago at the so-called Franklin and Hiawatha Encampment. We need City Leaders to lead.

5. Resources & Safety Matter

   • We understand that without City and County leaders moving quickly to support our neighbors in the park, the burden of care and safety will rest on the shoulders of activists and residents. This is unacceptable.

6. This is Not a Knee Jerk Response

   • The needs and calls to provide adequate support to those experiencing homelessness is not new. We understand there are broad community concerns about safety, we understand that existing rules indicate that park areas are too precious to help deal with this systemic failure, and we know to remain silent and not call for immediate aid only adds to our individual and collective community trauma. We must stand. 

7. The Powderhorn Park Resident Sanctuary Must Remain

   • This is a current reality and solution that puts people over process, humanity over optics, resistance over rules, and a call for action over complacency.