Camp Nenookaasi Pushes Debates in Minneapolis Around Encampments [Video]

Minneapolis, MN — Camp Nenookaasi, an encampment of unhoused peoples with grassroots Indigenous leadership, is pushing debates in Minneapolis around encampments, evictions, and solutions for the unhoused. Started in late August 2023, the camp successfully delayed two eviction threats from the city in December, before facing eviction on January 4.

With support for the camp swelling, city officials met with organizers after the eviction and expressed desire to collaborate — only to evict the camp again, twice, by the end of the month. While city officials point fingers over who is at fault, organizers, residents, and supporters argue encampment evictions are violent, waste the city’s resources, and disrupt real progress.

In the ~13 minute short below, contributor Sadie Luetmer follows the evictions of Camp Nenookaasi and interviews camp residents and organizers including Cristin Crabtree and Nicole Mason, community leaders dedicated to changing homelessness particularly in the East Phillips Minneapolis area.