St. Paul residents are calling for change and action at the Midway Crime Forum as they say they feel far more unsafe

“Several property managers have told me that they have lost several tenants due to fear of these parties,” Lewis’ report states. “Business owners are afraid for their employees, residents are afraid for their children and many people in the area [are] become victims on a regular basis… In the 23 years I’ve been working in this city, I’ve never seen so many unsheltered people in the Western District, mostly up and down Snelling Avenue, but now sleeping up and down Snelling every morning Avenue almost every business entrance. They all wait for the activity to start at Kimball Court and spend all day wandering around.”

Many expressed similar concerns about Kimball Court on Thursday, but Mitra Jalali, president of the St. Paul Council, countered that many factors affecting crime around the apartments are beyond Beacon Interfaith’s control. An expansion of their building could be helpful, she continued.

“We have many simultaneous challenges in our community. “We are under economic pressure… We have the cheapest fentanyl being thrown onto our streets that we are fighting,” Jalali said. “One reason this kind of thing happens outside is because there aren’t enough spaces here. This renovation and expansion really helps these people begin the transition from outside to inside.”

Construction on this expansion is expected to begin in December this year, but it’s not the only security solution in the works.

St. Paul police announced plans to increase patrols and enforcement in the area soon, mirroring a targeted enforcement unit officers deployed in September of this year. Western District Supervisor Stacy Murphy said the September unit, which stretched along University Avenue between Western Avenue and Snelling Avenue, resulted in 46 arrests and two handguns.

Current crime data from the region suggests that many crime metrics are working to improve safety. Arrests for burglary, theft, assault, firearm discharge and theft of vehicles are down this year compared to 2024, according to a Star Tribune analysis of St. Paul police data.