MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is closing the homeless encampment located near Currie Park in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Officials say the site has "become a critical safety concern following a fatal shooting late last week," according to MnDOT officials.
Last Thursday, Minneapolis police officers found an unconscious man, later identified as Adnan Mohamed Ali, 27, of Minneapolis, at the homeless encampment around 6:30 a.m. Ali had life-threatening gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Outreach teams regularly working with the homeless say the location, near 15th Ave. S. and S. 6th St., was one of the largest encampments in Minneapolis.
In a statement last week, Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman, who represents this neighborhood, said he has been begging Governor Tim Walz to step in and for MnDOT to take action.
"My staff and I have been begging for action at this encampment for months," last week's statement read.
Osman said MnDOT dragged its feet when it came to hearing community members' concerns.
MnDOT said it's been working with organizations to get help for the people living in the encampment, and that the "highway right-of-way is not a safe place for human beings to live."
On Wednesday, MnDOT said they provided people at the encampment with contact information for several local organizations that support people experiencing homelessness, including the American Indian Community Development Center, Adult Shelter Connect, United Way 211 and outreach teams. MnDOT officials also said they offered to provide storage for people's personal belongings.
