ST. LOUIS – There are renewed safety concerns surrounding a riverfront encampment along the Mississippi River. The City of St. Louis disbanded a tent near the same area along Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard in March.
Tents have popped back up along a flood wall. Some nearby residents and business owners said the camp has led to aggressive panhandling, drug use, and violence.
“It’s just frustrating because it’s bigger than it’s ever been,” said Gretchen Minges, owner of Advantes Group.
Her company is heavily invested in Laclede’s Landing and believes in the area’s future.
“We are just asking the city for help,” Minges said. “This doesn’t work.”
A spokesperson for the City of St. Louis said the city’s Department of Human Services works closely with other agencies and community organizations to provide services to unhoused neighbors. DHS continues to meet with the unhoused to build relationships and offer housing programs, bus passes, and other wraparound services.
Mark Joe lives in Laclede’s Landing and owns a coffee shop on Washington Avenue. He believes the city is enabling a dangerous situation.
“We can’t let them camp out where people are living,” Joe said.
He fought his own battle with drug addiction and prison.
“I had to build my life over from scratch,” Joe said.
He wants the city to recognize residents’ concerns.
“We’re just trying to live here and make the landing what it once was,” Joe said.
The St. Louis spokesperson said the city is aware of ongoing concerns, especially during warmer months when the unsheltered population tends to grow.
“We’re not helping anybody by just letting people sit without the resources they need to succeed,” Minges said.