St. Paul residents demand action on crime in Midway neighborhood

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Hundreds of concerned residents turned out for a meeting at Hamline University on Thursday night to voice concerns about crime, drug use, trash, and homelessness in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood.

Residents said the intersection of Snelling and University Avenues is a hot spot for trouble, including drugs and overdoses. They said the problems worsened after the pandemic, leaving them feeling unsafe.

Hamline-Midway Coalition, the nonprofit district council that organized the event, said it is critical to address vacant properties and devote additional resources to combat addiction.

"Yes, I get concerned for safety," said Christina Barbato, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 30 years. "I was just on a walk a couple of days ago and a man — I didn’t have my Narcan with me — and we called 911 right away."

She said she shielded children from watching the man overdose.

Others complained about rampant issues on public transit.

"I live a block away from the light rail and it’s unbearable," said Chris Pierce, who lives in neighboring Frogtown. "Any given moment, there’s just people hanging out on the light rail that are doing drugs — visibly."

He said transients also run through his yard and leave human feces.

"It’s just a full-fledged crisis," he said.

Mitra Jalali, the city council president, said the issues are "systemic," but fixable.

"You have more fentanyl that is finding its way into people’s lives," she said.