LBA Letter to Mayor Frey on Lake Street /Longfellow Safety and Recovery

Everyone deserves safety and dignity. And today, Longfellow Businesses and residents are dealing with daily hazards from encampments and unsafe conditions. The LBA Board has sent a letter to Mayor Frey asking for real solutions: shelter, safety, and a clear path forward for our neighborhood.

October 1st, 2025

Mayor Frey,

On September 22, 2025, a mass shooting occurred at a homeless encampment in our neighborhood. This tragedy highlights the urgent need for action. Since 2020, Lake Street businesses have endured COVID, the Uprisings, and major construction. Now, unchecked encampments and use of vacant buildings and yards for temporary shelter have created a new crisis for our community.

Business owners and residents are constantly dealing with biohazards—needles, trash, and human waste—right outside their doors. Lake Street is full of empty lots and storefronts, and the smell of waste is common. Every day, many business owners spend their first hour cleaning these hazards simply to open their doors. This is unsustainable and directly undermines recovery.

We believe everyone deserves a safe place to live, sleep, and work. Encampments are neither humane nor dignified solutions to homelessness. The LBA supports efforts to expand shelter, addiction treatment, mental health support, and trauma-informed resources for our unhoused neighbors. But at the same time, businesses and residents cannot continue to shoulder this burden without clear action from city leadership.

We are asking for a clear plan, with a budget and timelines, to address these issues. Specifically, we urge the city to:

  • Redevelop vacant lots and storefronts to attract businesses and residents, bringing safety and vitality back to Lake Street.

  • Establish a coordinated task force to manage encampments respectfully while ensuring public safety. 

  • Confront the drug crisis directly by targeting supply chains and illegal trafficking.

  • Appoint designated city liaisons to coordinate across CPED, Regulatory Services, Public Safety, Hennepin County, Metro Transit, and MnDOT, ensuring accountability and streamlined communication. 

This situation has persisted for years, and it is time to put Lake Street back on track.  Businesses are the backbone of our community, paying taxes that fund essential services. Yet, clear support and coordination from the city remain lacking.

We ask to be fully engaged partners in the recovery and revitalization of Lake Street. It is time for City leaders to take ownership and deliver actionable solutions that restore safety, dignity and opportunity to residents, businesses, and unhoused neighbors alike. 

 

Sincerely,
Longfellow Business Association Board Members: 

President Anna Tsantir, Acting Vice President Jamie Schwesnedl, Treasurer Lori Reese, Secretary Tesha M. Christensen, Michael Cain, Emmanuel Duncan, Andrew Kraft, Jonny Kelson, and Fancy Lanier-Duncan