Duluth moves to crack down on homeless camps and more

Just weeks after Rochester implemented a ban on homeless camps on public property in March, the Brainerd City Council began considering a similar measure based on Rochester’s ordinance. Now comes word that Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert wants to move in the same direction as part of a comprehensive effort to address long-standing nuisance issues, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

The City Council will consider criminalizing certain nonviolent offenses that have been frequently identified by citizens and public safety leaders.

A package of 10 proposed ordinances announced Tuesday by Mayor Roger Reinert would seek to cover behaviors including graffiti, property damage, illegal burning, dumping and camping on public property.

“Our law is to educate, encourage and enforce — in that order,” Reinert said. “Enforcement is last.”

Presently, Duluth can only charge offenders with a petty misdemeanor, similar to a parking ticket with an up to $300 fine and no jail time. But Reinert wants the Duluth City Council to make low-level offenses that affect quality of life and the perception of public safety into misdemeanor violations with up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.

But leaders said the goal is not to incarcerate more people. Rather, a criminal charge can open the door to additional services, such as diversion programs; mental health and substance use resources; participation in the South St. Louis County Mental Health Court’s “Misdemeanor Plus” program; and supervision by a probation officer.

“Without a misdemeanor option, those things are really off the table for us,” Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said. “So this is not about criminalizing these people, but it is about working with behaviors that make us all feel less safe within our community, to include people who are on our margins, who are struggling day to day.”

The list of ten proposed ordinances under consideration to become misdemeanors runs the gamut. It includes damaging property with graffiti, camping in public spaces after being notified of other options, urinating or defecating in the skyways and setting fires or vandalizing city parks and property.

The administrators stressed that there would be educational efforts around the ordinances, and said the goal is to “prioritize connection and diversion.”

“These are the types of people that slip through the cracks, and it goes straight to enforcement,” [Fire Chief Shawn] Krizaj said. “That’s part of the thing that we’re trying to avoid.”

The main idea is to clean up the streets, while pointing individuals with needs to shelters and other places for help. The public safety package appears to be on track to be approved by Duluth city councilors by the end of July.