What used to be her spot to catch some fresh air has become anything but for Bee Bletsian in the building she’s called home for 13 years.
Just south of downtown Minneapolis, behind an old brick building on the corner of 5th Avenue South and East 24th street, on a city-owned lot, it’s easy to see why.
“I’m on the top floor so I see and hear everything. I have a bird’s-eye view of everything that happens in the encampment, and I also see and hear everything that happens in the street,” Bletsian said.
She is one of five neighbors of the homeless encampment who sat down with Alpha News to detail the nightmare they’ve been living for the last four weeks.
“It blows my mind that anyone would think it’s OK to put this here, this ‘harm reduction’ encampment where people are being enabled to use and to overdose. I think we’ve had five overdoses so far and the level of crime happening here. People being threatened at gunpoint multiple times. There are shootings happening here. So much is going on … It’s like this place has just descended into a living hell,” Bletsian said.
Disturbing images capture just some of the complaints: human feces have been found on their doorsteps, in their yards, and in what used to be a community garden.
“They’re using it like their personal outhouse. There is toilet paper and piles and piles and piles of human feces. Literally where my squash was growing,” Bletsian said.
Break-ins have been reported in their buildings where people have left their belongings behind. Even their garbage cans have been stolen. Still, that barely scratches the surface.
Joshua Fuss has been struggling to run his sober house ever since the encampment arrived. A shooting took place in front of the home a couple of weeks ago and neighbors say it was related to the encampment.
“From my understanding, two people were shot, one individual lost his life and one of my residents witnessed it from beginning to end. Initially [the sober house resident] stated he was alright, that he was OK, and the next day he ended up relapsing, going out and getting drunk from having to watch someone be murdered,” Fuss said.
“Then, last night I think there was another shooting and I get a call from the guy who is managing the house and he’s calling me and they’re laying on the floor … because they’re worried they’re going to be hit by a stray bullet. I did have one guy that went over there and they offered to sell him drugs and he caved.
“If it doesn’t get taken care of soon, it’s only a matter of time before other people make the same decision he did or I lose my business. Nobody wants to come to a sober home to get clean next to an encampment where people are getting high and selling drugs. Or people are getting shot in the front lawn,” Fuss added.
Neighbors say they started calling the city the very day the encampment moved in at the end of February.
Alpha News asked what the city’s response has been like.
“A joke,” Bletsian replied.
This encampment is just a mile from one that burned down at the beginning of March.
John Stiles moved his family out of Minneapolis a few years ago, but he rents out his triplex which is located a couple blocks from the encampment.
“It’s really important to me to provide a safe and nice place for residents to live. I have three separate families that live there. I’m the one who answers when they call. I got a call, ‘Hey, my garage was broken into, and all of my really important stuff has been stolen.’
“I just took a deep breath because we’d gone through this before with a different encampment years ago when we did live here so I know what they’re going through. I instructed them to call 911, call 311, but it feels like there’s no meaningful response,” Stiles said.
“Another resident has had his car stolen, which is what he uses for work, he drives for a living. To my knowledge, it still hasn’t shown up anywhere. There are several kids at this property. They don’t feel safe to go outside. Normally if there is a complaint about my property, OK, well let me fix it, but I can’t fix this,” Stiles added.
Neighbors say they’ve witnessed organizations supply food and firewood to the encampment while meetings with City Council members have gone nowhere. They say pleas to the mayor have been met with silence.
“I am absolutely livid. Mayor Frey is a joke. He is just so spineless. We need to have a leader in this city who can stand up to stuff like this and say, ‘You know what? Enough is enough. This has gone way too far. We’re not going to tolerate this anymore.’ And do something. Where there’s a will there’s a way. He can figure out a way to deal with this without having to endanger people who actually live here, who pay rent, who pay mortgages and pay city taxes and live here,” Bletsian said.
In a short statement to Alpha News, a city spokesperson said the camp is planned for closure this week.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin has been a truth-teller for 20 years as a multi-Emmy-Award-winning reporter and anchor. Liz is a Worthington, Minnesota native who lives in the suburbs with her husband, son and loyal lab.
