St. Paul pauses further encampment clearances after Pig's Eye displacement drives 1,200% spike in Randolph police calls
St. Paul has paused plans to clear remaining homeless encampments, City Council President Rebecca Noecker said Tuesday.[1]
The move follows the Aug. 5 closure of the Pig's Eye Park encampment. After the closure, police calls near Randolph rose from an average of 11 per month to 145, a more than 1,200% increase.[2]
City estimates put about 90-100 people from Pig's Eye at Randolph, while roughly $1 million in new shelter beds housed only seven former Pig's Eye residents, which Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker called "not a success." FOX 9 St. Paul Fire says Randolph's terrain, secured gates, contamination and nearby train tracks create access problems that force crews to use specialized PPE and four-wheelers.[1] Waterford Bay management has posted no-trespassing signs, emailed tenants and urged residents to contact City Council leadership over vandalism and theft complaints.[2]
On July 8, 2026, Mayor Kaohly Her announced a plan to close the city's three largest encampments on a rolling basis, and the city approved roughly $1.08 million to expand emergency shelter capacity ahead of the clearings. Pig's Eye was cleared on Aug. 5 and most displaced people moved to the existing Randolph site rather than into the new shelter beds.
Initial local reporting documented the surge in police calls and the rapid growth of the Randolph encampment.[2] Subsequent coverage highlighted that only seven people used the new shelter beds and quoted Noecker saying closures should be paused until there is permanent supportive housing.[1]
The Minnesota Department of Corrections says 57% fewer people leaving prison became homeless since 2021, and that a $500,000-per-year program helped house about 800 formerly incarcerated people in 2025.[3] Program lead Jennifer Abbas says criminal records make it hard for many people to secure housing.[3]
The mainstream summary does not mention the significant growth of the Randolph encampment, which expanded from approximately 40 to 140 individuals following the closure of Pig's Eye. This detail underscores the immediate consequences of the city's actions, suggesting that the relocation efforts have not effectively addressed the needs of the displaced population. Additionally, while the summary notes the spike in police calls, it does not highlight the specific complaints from nearby residents regarding worsening conditions, such as public urination and trash accumulation, which have reportedly intensified due to the encampment's new location behind luxury housing. BlueSky users have pointed out that these issues reflect broader community concerns about the city's handling of homelessness and encampment clearances.
Moreover, the mainstream account does not capture the skepticism expressed by former Pig's Eye residents regarding the city's outreach efforts. Some individuals have openly criticized the city, claiming that despite the expanded shelter options, they still require assistance and do not trust the city's intentions. This distrust may hinder effective communication and support for those in need, highlighting a deeper systemic issue that the mainstream summary overlooks. The complexities of these perspectives suggest that the city's strategies may require reevaluation to genuinely address the challenges faced by the homeless population.
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Police calls in the Shepard Road/Randolph/Waterford Bay area rose from an average of 11 per month (January–July) to 145 in August — a more than 1,200% increase after the Pig’s Eye closure (Pig’s Eye closure).
- City estimates that about 90–100 people from Pig’s Eye moved to the Randolph encampment, while $1 million in new shelter beds housed only seven former Pig’s Eye residents — a result Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker called “not a success” (Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker).
- City Council President Rebecca Noecker said there are no scheduled dates to clear St. Paul’s remaining encampments, argued closures should pause until there is permanent supportive housing rather than the current overnight-shelter model, and pointed to a $26 million St. Paul budget deficit while urging county and state funding for housing (Rebecca Noecker).
- St. Paul Fire warns the Randolph encampment presents “unique access and operational challenges,” saying the site’s terrain, secured gates, contamination and proximity to train tracks force crews to use specialized PPE and even four-wheelers to reach patients (St. Paul Fire).
- Waterford Bay Apartments management emailed tenants about security and sanitation concerns, erected new no-trespassing signs and directed residents to contact Council leadership after neighbors complained of vandalism and theft as the Randolph encampment expanded (Waterford Bay Apartments management).
- The Minnesota Department of Corrections reports a 57% reduction since 2021 in people leaving prison and becoming homeless and says the state has sent $500,000 per year to DOC for homelessness prevention since 2021, a program that helped house roughly 800 formerly incarcerated people in 2025 using halfway houses, sober homes and apartments (Minnesota Department of Corrections).
- Program lead Jennifer Abbas links many encampment residents’ criminal records to difficulty finding housing; one example cited is Chuka Dike, who avoided homelessness when DOC paid his first month’s rent at the No Luck Club halfway house in St. Paul (Jennifer Abbas).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- City Council President Rebecca Noecker says there are currently no scheduled dates to clear St. Paul’s remaining encampments and she does not think there should be any closures for some time.
- Noecker publicly calls the Pig’s Eye closure 'unsuccessful' given that more than $1 million in new shelter beds yielded only seven occupants from the camp while around 100 people moved to Randolph instead.
- St. Paul Fire details that Randolph presents 'unique access and operational challenges' requiring special PPE for fire/EMS because of terrain, secured gates and site conditions.
- Noecker explicitly argues the city should not close encampments until there is 'a place for people to be,' and that place must be permanent supportive housing, not the current overnight shelter model.
- The article notes a $26 million St. Paul budget deficit and Noecker’s statement that the city lacks the budget and mandate to create shelter, pressing the county and state to fund permanent housing.
- Noecker reports Waterford Bay residents have complained of vandalism and theft since the Randolph encampment expanded, tying specific neighbor impacts to the displacement.
- Minnesota DOC reports a 57% reduction since 2021 in people leaving prison and becoming homeless.
- The state has been sending $500,000 per year to DOC for homelessness prevention since 2021.
- DOC says the program helped house around 800 formerly incarcerated people in 2025, using halfway houses, sober homes and apartments.
- Program lead Jennifer Abbas explicitly links many encampment residents’ criminal records to their difficulty finding housing.
- Example case: recently released man Chuka Dike avoided homelessness when DOC paid his first month’s rent at the No Luck Club halfway house in St. Paul.
- Police calls in the Shepard Road/Randolph/Waterford Bay area jumped from an average of 11 per month (January–July) to 145 in August, a more than 1,200% increase after the Pig’s Eye closure.
- City estimates that 90–100 people from Pig’s Eye moved to the Randolph encampment, clarifying the scale of the displacement into that single site.
- St. Paul Fire says the camp’s terrain, secured gates, contamination and layout around train tracks force crews to use specialized PPE and even four-wheelers to reach patients.
- Waterford Bay Apartments management emailed tenants about security and sanitation concerns, erected new no-trespassing signs and directed residents to lobby Council President Rebecca Noecker.
- Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker publicly acknowledged that only seven former Pig’s Eye residents actually used the new shelter beds funded with $1 million, and conceded the shelter strategy was “not a success.”