The newest iteration of Camp Nenookaasi formed overnight on a small empty lot in south Minneapolis. About a dozen yurts built of wood and tarp lined the camp’s perimeter Friday as a white tent with a fire pit and trash bags filled the center.
It’s the fourth time the homeless encampment has been rebuilt after being evicted by the city under supervision by a large police presence.
Camp Nenookaasi organizers are accusing Minneapolis officials of “retaliatory” action, and are criticizing what they describe as “a misuse of resources” spent on evicting the camp three times this month, and two times this week alone.
“They take away all the resources of the relatives here,” camp organizer Nicole Mason said Friday at a news conference outside the new camp. “They literally ripped it from under their feet and made no resources available for them.”
Many camp residents were left vulnerable this week because outreach workers did not receive notice of the Tuesday and Thursday evictions, she said, adding that city officials did not offer storage to camp residents to keep their belongings safe.