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According to the Wilder Research Center, 20,347 Minnesotans were homeless in 2003, a number that has almost tripled since 1991.

Numerous speakers addressed the protesters. Bob Fisher, who sleeps out in a tent in his front yard in Wayzata every year and has raised over $4.5 million for the homeless, was present throughout the night.
Fisher pushed each person to make a difference, and to know that everyone can make a difference in the world.

“We’re the ones who have to do the work,” Fisher said. “Politicians don’t do it. You are going to make a difference.”

Representative Alice Hausman, who is part of a bonding committee that is making decisions on a $20
million bonding effort for supported housing, spoke to the group early in the night, thanking them for their enthusiasm for staying out in the cold. Hamline lies in Hausman’s district.

For those who came unprepared for the cold, Hamline Administrative Assistant Nancy Klein made scarfs and brought hats and mittens for the colder members of the crowd.

Nancy Klein’s daughter Krystal Klein organized the event through the OSLV and was in charge for the evening. Throughout the night, Krystal Klein led the group through various activities and introduced speakers.

Before people headed to bed, Christy Eriksen introduced several spoken word artists, who spoke and rapped about homelessness. Numerous poets recited their lyrics into the microphone, including Paul Dosh, an assistant professor in political science and Latin American studies at Macalester. Frank Sentwali and Tou Saiko Lee also spoke.

Eriksen organized the event through her internship at the Loft Literary Center. Eriksen works on a spoken word series called Equilibrium.

Josh Lange, a supervisor at Our Savior’s Shelter in the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, crowd around the fire. Lange supervises workers and works with 15 homeless people to get resources, such as meals and housing, to those who live on the streets.

Lange said his passion lies in organizing the homeless. For last November’s election he organized a “get out the vote” campaign that brought 1,500 homeless people to the poles.

Throughout the evening, homelessness activist Julia Dinsmore read poems, led songs, and spoke to the crowd about homelessness. Dinsmore, who was once homeless herself, now takes in and raises homeless children.

“There’s no good reasons in this world that there aren’t enough homes for little boys and girls,” Dinsmore said.

Guy Gambill, a member of the Decriminalization of Homelessness Task Force, was also present. The group worked to reword or repeal Minneapolis city ordinances making camping, vagrancy, panhandling, loitering and trespassing illegal. The group said the ordinances unfairly target homeless people. The group sent recommendations to the Minneapolis City Council.