Minneapolis crews remove activists who decry plans to raze Roof Depot site
MINNEAPOLIS -- City officials in Minneapolis say the people occupying the Roof Depot site have been cleared from the property.
According to officials, the property was secured Tuesday evening because the site is "not safe for individuals to congregate at and anyone on the site is trespassing." A city spokesperson said they wanted to work "swiftly" to remove the individuals before the impending snowstorm.
Members of the American Indian Movement and Little Earth Protectors had set up camp at the site, located at East 28th Street and Longfellow Avenue in South Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis City Council previously voted to tear down the building in order to expand the public works and water utility areas.
Neighbors say taking down the building will release massive amounts of arsenic into the air. They say people living in the area already have some of the highest levels of asthma and heart disease in the state.
Community members want to create an urban garden and community hub.
Minneapolis police say it was a city operation and they were there in a support role.
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