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Residents urge more welcoming approach to downtown skywalk; suggest benches, restrooms and mobility access
Summary
Speakers at Duluth’s council meeting said downtown feels unwelcoming, describing repeated encounters where people using the skywalk were told to leave. Commenters asked the city to provide bathrooms, seating, and other accommodations rather than exclusionary enforcement, and urged empathy toward houseless residents.
Two residents used public comment to urge the council to make downtown and the skywalk system more welcoming and accessible, arguing that current practices push people — including unhoused residents and people with mobility needs — out of public spaces.
Joff Schumacher, a Lakeside resident, said he has not found Duluth “to be a very welcoming city” and described reports from neighbors that people are told by police and by city safety teams to leave the skywalk. Schumacher said those he knows avoid recommending the skywalk to visitors because “nobody apparently is welcome there.” He…
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