The recent clearout of the St. Paul homeless encampment was done in the best way possible for the circumstances at hand and from a place of kindness, not disregard.

According to Kare 11, the inhabitants of the said area were notified two days prior to the eviction and also assisted by the city to a Winter Safe Space located in the basement of the Ramsey County Government Center. Not only did the eviction come with a prior alert, but the city also provided them with safer living options.

Considering it will only get colder moving into the months of December and January, the eviction of the encampment to safe locations for the winter seems like the best option for the homeless community. This is mainly to prevent frostbite and other health issues related to extended outdoor time during the harsh winter weather.

Not only being a hazard to the inhabitants themselves, the encampment was a safety hazard for drivers on the I-35E interstate. According to St. Paul’s head of safety, Ricardo Cervantes, there have been reports of fires, minor explosions and also trash being dumped onto the interstate due to the encampment.

I do not believe the eviction solved any problem regarding the system in which we live where such a large population are left homeless and have a very hard time getting out of that vicious cycle. However, it was the best solution for this specific problem.