ST. PAUL, Min. — Members of the St. Paul community questioned politicians at a town hall Thursday evening about how to clean up their neighborhood.
At times during the meeting about the Hamline-Midway neighborhood, frustration boiled over.
“You have a lot of passionate people here who want to have a voice that you should listen to,” one man shouted from the audience.
Public safety and drug use seemed to be the most pressing issues for many people.
“It’s clear there’s drugs, drug dealing, drug use. There’s theft,” said Andrea Suchy-Shinn, a neighbor. “You don’t obviously leave your car unlocked. My little fourplex on Charles has been broken into several times.”
Elected officials from the city, county and state levels answered questions on a range of issues.
Ramsey County Commissioner Rena Moran said problems like crime, homelessness, mental health and drug use are connected.
She brought up the Heading Home Ramsey program.
“[It] is a community-wide partnership that includes a broad range of nonprofits, community leaders, local governments and people with lived experience who are committed to the goal of ending homelessness in the county,” Moran said.
Adding street cameras on Snelling Avenue was mentioned as a safety option.
Solutions to litter and environmental problems were also found, including recycling initiatives and tree planting.
Earlier in the day, a huge payroll statue near Allianz Field was dedicatedand will become a new landmark for the neighborhood.
“This where we are now is a very useful step forward because we have a tremendous amount of economic development planned here and across the street to continue to rebuild the vitality around this area,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. .
A hotel, offices and restaurants are planned in the area in the coming years.
David Schuman
