Downtown Duluth homeless encampment removed early Wednesday

DULUTH – The tents and tarps that had made up a summerlong downtown encampment were gone Wednesday morning, with nearly a dozen police officers circling the emptied lawn. City workers unrolled a temporary green fence at the perimeter, and police cars blocked the entrance to Priley Circle.

Some people who had been living in the space, along with street advocates, stood on the sidewalk of W. 1st Street alongside their pillows, bags and shoes, while others stuffed belongings into the back of vehicles.

“I have no idea where I’m going,” said Toni Kelsey, as she pushed bags into the back end of a car.

The evacuation of the public encampment, which started as the site of a pro-Palestinian protest and later drew unhoused members of the community, has been looming for those living in the highly visible spot at Duluth’s civic center. Last week, they were notified by red placards that they had a week to voluntarily leave. On Tuesday, police officers and members of the Fire Department stopped by in the morning, dropped off bags and left behind a truck for collecting garbage.

It was cleared Wednesday.

“Early this morning, due to ongoing public health and safety concerns, the City of Duluth’s Life Safety Team and members of the Duluth Police Department assisted with the removal of the remaining encampments at Priley Circle,” the Police Department said in a news release.

Two people were arrested for obstruction.

Those living on-site said they were awoken around 6 a.m. when officials started breaking down the tents. Lonnie Moore, who wasn’t living at Priley Circle but spent time there, said he was feeling lost.

“I think I’m going to take some time to yell at these guys,” he said, indicating the nearby police officers.

Jonathan Otis, the deputy chief of Life Safety, which is housed in the Fire Department, was at the site and said officials followed standard procedure for clearing an encampment. Those living on-site had seven days’ notice to voluntarily evacuate, were given garbage bags and a truck to drop garbage into, and then the space was cleared. The Life Safety Team, which includes both civilians and uniformed staff, is charged with code enforcement, which includes tending to encampments.

The spot of land in between Duluth’s Federal Building, the St. Louis County Courthouse and City Hall was at the center of a proposal by Mayor Roger Reinert that would have criminalized camping on city property, a plan the City Council modified to limit the fine and removed language defining it as a misdemeanor before passing.

City Councilor Roz Randorf said that by the time of Wednesday’s action, many of the people living in Priley Circle had voluntarily left. Some, she said, would return to where they had been before they came to the encampment.

The goal, she said, is a collaboration among the city of Duluth, St. Louis County and partners that would include a sanctioned piece of land where people could safely live, with resources on-site. In the meantime, Randorf said, officials are working to open the city’s warming houses earlier than normal.

Francois Medion, who has been living at Priley Circle for two weeks, spent much of Tuesday cleaning the site and on Wednesday said he had a place to stay — but wouldn’t share where. He said he felt like those camping at Priley Circle were tricked, but he also said it was being handled respectfully by authorities.

According to the Police Department, part of Priley Circle will be closed for an undetermined amount of time while the city staff restores the grounds. Members of the Life Safety Team and Police Department will coordinate with community outreach partners to assist those in need, according to the news release.