An alleged fight on Kirkwood between several people and an unhoused man, Robert Ballard, Saturday night is the latest act of aggression towards unhoused people in Bloomington.
The incident follows several confrontations with Bloomington’s unhoused:
· Three young men and a minor were arrested for attacking Robert Ballard in a separate incident last month.
· Police arrested Stephen Dixon last week for the shooting death of Shawn Allen Sullivan, who was unhoused.
· A security guard patrolling Bloomington’s public parks Sept. 27, is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon for striking an unhoused man on the head with a baton.
Thomson said the city is concerned with the escalation of interactions with people experiencing homelessness. While each instance varies, she said they’ve typically happened at night or near bars.
She added that, in some recent incidents, the victim instigated the interaction and then the other person escalated to violence.
“The victim is doing the initial engagement in an unpleasant way, and we're very concerned about how people are reacting,” Thomson said. “It is true that several of these victims have been unhoused. We don't believe, however, they're being targeted.”
Thomson said if people see someone in crisis who doesn’t pose an immediate threat, the best course of action is to call the Stride Center , a 24/7 support center for adults experiencing mental health or substance use crisis. The center's number is (812) 650-4878.
“If you're in a group and things start to escalate, it's really important to help the members of your group to de-escalate and get police or Stride involved immediately,” Thomson said. “My understanding is the victim from this weekend was very clearly intoxicated and behaving in an intoxicated manner. Rather than taunting someone, the kind thing to do would be to call for help.”
Thomson added the city has spoken with MSI Security, the contractor patroling public parks at night. She said the security guard that struck a someone on the head with a baton was fired. And guards with MSI are only contracted to carry pepper spray during their shifts.
