Caring and Sharing Drugs

17 are arrested in drug sting, raid at Sharing & Caring Hands shelter. A few excerpts from the Star-Tribune story are below (bold emphasis is mine). KMSP news also had a great piece on this last night, even capturing one drug deal within the shelter on video.

Minneapolis police, after trying to work with Sharing & Caring Hands, moved in to stop what they called blatant drug dealing.

Unlike the other places that work with homeless people in Minneapolis, Sharing & Caring Hands has been on the Police Department's radar for a couple of years as a place where drug dealers easily do business.

Officers frequently would make an arrest or two if blatant drug dealing was seen on the street, but in the past couple of months undercover officers began building stronger cases against marijuana and crack cocaine dealers, said Sgt. Jeff Miller. Police also tried to work with the homeless shelter's founder, Mary Jo Copeland, but they said the problems persisted.

The drug dealing at Sharing & Caring Hands, 425 N. 7th St., had become so bad that last month four undercover officers made 14 drug buys from 13 different people in a few days, Miller said.

Miller said one of those arrested was an employee who directed an undercover officer to a drug dealer, but Copeland said the man didn't work there.

Miller said that Copeland hadn't done anything to prevent dealing and that dealers "pretty much had free rein." Other homeless shelters hire officers to work off-duty and that generally will scare away dealers, he said.

Copeland said she talked to police this summer and invested $10,000 in video surveillance equipment. She is hesitant to hire officers because they might scare away people in need and cause disruptions when they arrest dealers, she said.

The level of dealing was to the point where several staff members clearly were aware of it, he said. Police had asked the staff to call 911 if there were any problems, but few calls were made, he said. Other shelters have set up block clubs or crime watches.

The drug dealing "was the worst we've seen at any shelter downtown," Allen said.

Those in shelters are targeted by drug dealers because many who use these shelters have chemical dependency issues already and are easy marks. These dealers, like so many criminals, are disgusting predators, stalking the weakest and the most vulnerable. Most of the blame should lie with them. However, Copeland has a responsibility to provide a safe environment for her patrons. She is afraid that in providing that safety, it may scare others off. Perhaps those who would be scared off should be.

UPDATE: KMSP9 and AM1280 are both reporting the number of arrests at 20.