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Maplewood council debates restoring bus-shelter benches amid spike in nearby gunfire
Summary
At its Nov. 11 meeting the Maplewood City Council spent more than an hour debating whether to restore benches and power at the Yale–Manchester bus shelter after staff removed them to disperse congregation tied to drug activity; police said calls at the shelter dropped but violent incidents in the corridor persist. Staff will return Dec. 9 with a consolidated proposal.
Maplewood’s City Council on Nov. 11 debated whether to restore benches and public power at a bus shelter on the Yale–Manchester corridor after staff temporarily removed them to try to disperse drug activity and reduce disturbances.
City Manager (speaker 13) said the city removed seating and power as a temporary measure and wants council guidance on next steps. Police Chief Nyberg (speaker 12) told the council that calls for service at that particular shelter have decreased since the bench was removed but cautioned that the neighborhood has experienced severe gun incidents, including what staff described as “over 30 rounds fired” in a recent episode. “Our number one priority is public safety,” Chief Nyberg said.
The debate split council members and residents. Some members urged restoring the bench and power as quickly as reasonably possible so the shelter can continue to serve people who rely on it; others said the city must prioritize safety and noted staff reports that congregation at the shelter had been linked to drug sales, drinking and related disturbances.
Council members and staff weighed alternatives. Citizens for Modern Transit offered to help secure grant funding for a new bus shelter adjacent to Manchester; the city manager outlined a possible approach of decentralizing amenities so that power, seating, food distribution and shelter are not concentrated in one small footprint. Staff also proposed extra patrols and overtime during the holiday season, additional cameras in key locations and a pilot of solar street lights; council referenced past pricing of roughly $7,900 per unit for the solar lights.
Several council members warned against installing benches with arm dividers or other “hostile architecture” that would prevent some people from sitting or lying down. One council member said accepting donated benches that deliberately prevent certain uses could send an insulting signal to already-impacted residents.
City Manager (speaker 13) told the council the bench removal was the manager’s decision made in consultation with staff, not a police department action. He asked whether the council wanted staff to draft a recommended plan or to give direct policy instructions; the council directed staff to return Dec. 9 with a proposal that addresses dispersal options, potential siting of benches and shelters, lighting and coordination with the new Police Advisory Board and Human Services Commission.
Public commenter Anne Louise Schmidt urged the council to focus on services and trauma-informed responses rather than removing benches, saying the community should treat people with dignity.
Next steps: staff will prepare a proposal for the Dec. 9 meeting that consolidates options including bench placement, deferred power decisions, expanded lighting, grant pursuit with transit partners and interim public-safety measures.
