Dear Allies:

Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition supports the self-determination of the homeless families living at the Hiawatha encampment.  As the housing crisis for the most vulnerable intensifies, it is clear that the City of Minneapolis needs to fix this, and listen and enact real sustainable  solutions that come from residents that are impacted by the current housing crisis.  If not, we will continue to see more homeless camps all over this city.  We need more public housing, not less for low- income and homeless families.

As the leaders and residents of public housing, we have been fighting for the last four years to save public housing in Minneapolis from being demolished, dismantled, and privatized in order to avoid a social and economic crisis that will lead to more homelessness and tent cities. Unfortunately, Mayor Jacob Frey let us down, and we are still waiting on the City Council to act to keep public housing public and to protect public housing residents from displacement through privatization.

We also note that the Hiawatha encampment came to exist at a time when luxury development in Minneapolis is at an all-time high.  All around the city luxury units sit vacant, while the people displaced by the gentrification that accompanies luxury development are forced to live in tents.

This is why communities have to self-organize to save themselves because we have lost confidence in elected officials.  We are in support of self-determination of the Hiawatha encampment.