St. Paul clears homeless encampment on edge of downtown

Fog rose from the St. Paul skyline and morning sun bore down on the dozen tents that remained along Interstate 35E, their inhabitants gradually moving their belongings - a mat, a cot, a pile of clothes - onto the grass.

Alfredo Trujillo stood at the edge, twisting a pin into a locked padlock over and over again. The 39-year-old had lived at the encampment for about three weeks. On Thursday, he watched as St. Paul police officers and other city staff urged the stragglers to pack up and head out.

"It's a community," he said. "Imagine if you had a neighborhood that was more intimate and shared - that's what it is."

https://www.startribune.com/st-paul-clears-homeless-encampment-on-edge-of-downtown/572372682/