More than two weeks after St. Paul closed its largest homeless encampment near Pig’s Eye Park, residents living near another encampment along the Mississippi River bluffs say the situation has grown increasingly concerning.
“It has absolutely taken a turn for the worse over here,” a resident of the Waterford Bay Apartments told Alpha News. “We had to call the police about what sounded like gunshots.”
The resident described hearing what he believed was a large power source operating in the woods and said it sounded as though more substantial structures were being constructed inside the encampment.
“It also sounded like a generator was being used to build some serious structures back there — the type we would need permits for,” he said.
The resident, who asked not to be identified because of safety concerns, reached out to Alpha News with new photos and video of the illegal encampment located in the woods behind Waterford Bay Apartments, which is located between Shepard Road and the Mississippi River.
“It gets pretty scary back there, so I don’t have a ton of footage, but I am truly amazed and horrified at what we saw and continue to see,” he said before sharing several daytime videos of the encampment with Alpha News.
SUBMITTED: A look inside the homeless encampment behind luxury apartments in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The video was taken by a resident who says it’s too dangerous to enter at night, when it’s not uncommon to hear “gunshots” and people “screaming for help.”
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The latest account echoes concerns raised by other Waterford Bay residents before and immediately after St. Paul closed the Pig’s Eye Park encampment.
Earlier this month, Alpha News reported that residents saw what they described as a dramatic influx of people, vehicles and belongings near the wooded encampment following the Pig’s Eye closure.
Photos and videos provided to Alpha News at the time showed vehicles driving into the Waterford Bay parking lot, where passengers could be seen getting out with backpacks, duffel bags and other belongings before walking toward a gated entrance leading into the river bluffs.
One resident described seeing a “flood” of vehicles. Another said there had been “convoy upon convoy” of trucks, vans and other vehicles bringing people, tents, mattresses, tarps and belongings to the area.
The latest resident who contacted Alpha News said he is particularly concerned about the apparent lack of urgency surrounding the situation.
“I fear something terrible is going to happen back there before the city reacts to this horrific situation and gets a game plan together to get the proper help and shelter for those affected down there,” he said. “But right now it’s a disaster.”
The resident also questioned why vehicles and people continue to be able to use the Waterford Bay property to access the wooded area.
Concerns existed long before Pig’s Eye closure
The problems surrounding the wooded area behind Waterford Bay did not begin this month.
Alpha News first reported in June on Waterford Bay residents’ concerns about the encampment, which they said had been growing for roughly two years.
St. Paul officials announced last month that the city would permanently close homeless encampments, beginning with Pig’s Eye Park on Aug. 5.
The city called the effort a “service-focused coordinated transition plan” designed to connect people living in encampments with shelter, treatment and housing. Officials cited fires, sexual assaults, thefts, overdose deaths and other dangerous conditions at encampments as reasons for the new approach.
Police confirm calls have increased
St. Paul police confirmed to Alpha News that calls in the area near the Waterford Bay encampment have increased since the city closed the Pig’s Eye Park encampment Aug. 5. Police also confirmed receiving multiple shots-fired calls near the encampment. In two cases, offers did not locate evidence of a shooting at the time, the police department said.
Records provided to Alpha News show 212 police entries between June 1 and Aug. 21 at several addresses around Randolph Avenue and Shepard Road. Of those, 139 occurred in the 17 days since the Pig’s Eye closure, compared with 73 during the more than two months before it.
The records include both calls for service and police-initiated activity, with much of the recent increase reflecting a heightened police presence.
Since Aug. 5, the records include 50 proactive police visits and four foot patrols, along with 21 disorderly-person disturbances, 13 fire or ambulance assists, 10 suspicious person, vehicle or activity calls and three reports categorized as discharging a firearm within city limits.
Police said officers continue to patrol the area and work with the city’s Homeless Assistance Response Team and Department of Safety and Inspections.
“We are continuing to work with the nearby residents and respond to calls for service,” the department said. “We are hopeful that a solution will be coming soon.”
Police deferred questions about who owns the land, whether the encampment has grown, whether people displaced from Pig’s Eye relocated there and any timeline for addressing the site to the city.
Alpha News reached out to St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s office but did not receive a response before publication.
Alpha News also reached out to Greystar, the company that owns Waterford Bay, about residents’ concerns that the apartment property is being used as an access point to the encampment and whether that access can be restricted. The company did not respond before publication.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
