Minneapolis homeless shelter vandalized

MINNEAPOLIS — Surveillance video shows people armed with baseball bats bashing the glass doors of a Minneapolis homeless shelter.
Sixteen families of women and children have moved out of St. Anne’s Place since the attack.
“A normal response is to be afraid,” said Hoang Murphy, the CEO of People Serving People, which runs the shelter. “Their intention is to cause fear.”
Murphy says the neighbors across the street are responsible.
He says the attack was an escalation of a parking disagreement involving a resident’s van, but smashing the door panels wasn’t the worst of it.
“[Staff] heard two gunshots, and then there was also two bullet holes in the van when we went outside to address it,” Murphy said. “A guest reported being pistol-whipped in the front of her head and the back.”
Police were called, but Murphy is baffled and frustrated that no one’s been arrested.
“Charges need to be filed,” he said. “That’s the beginning of making sure that this is safe, and it’s a trusting place that families and staff can return to.”
The Minneapolis Police Department said in an email, “Officers were not able to establish a level of certainty that supported an arrest. All involved individuals were identified, and the case was assigned to an investigator.”
A spokesperson says the department’s reviewing all footage.
In the meantime, Minneapolis police put up a camera out front and say they’re doing extra patrols in the neighborhood.
The shelter has also hired 24-hour security.
“I’d like to hope we all have the same goal here, which is we want to make sure justice is served,” Murphy said. “They have identified these folks. This needs to be addressed.”
The shelter was home to 54 women and children.
They’ve lost track of two of the families. The rest are in a hotel, which Murphy says is not a long-term solution.
See the Minneapolis Police Department’s full response below:
MPD has continued to communicate with leadership at St Annes Place on the status of this investigation.  That communication includes much of the following information: