The pavilion at St. John's Park in downtown Green Bay on July 22, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Sleeping bags, beer bottles, trash, and people who appeared to be homeless had become commonplace at St. John’s Park in downtown Green Bay.
The last few weeks, the park has looked dramatically different.
Green Bay Police Captain Tom Denney says police stepped up enforcement action in recent weeks to address concerns and large groups that have been known to gather in the park’s shelter.
“I wouldn’t say the police department just unilaterally decided,” said Denney. “We work with City Hall, our homeless outreach specialists. We listen to the concerns the homeless outreach providers are explaining to us about what they’re seeing in the park.”
Denney says the concerns included disturbances, drug use and potential human trafficking.
Police put their “Eagle Eye” camera at the park and increased enforcement on ordinances like loitering in city parks between 10 pm and 6 am.
“We want to enforce our city ordinances and state laws, but we also want to do so compassionately, being aware of the multitude of other factors that are present,” said Denney.
Denney says the hope is recent police action could motivate people to seek out services.
Two of the handful of homeless people we found still at the park say it hasn’t helped.
“Because you get chased out of the park, you’ve constantly got to be moving and you can’t accomplish any positive things in your life when people are trying to get rid of you here,” said a woman who told us she had been previously living at New Community Shelter.
“I think a lot of the people who were in the park were already utilizing our resources, so we haven’t seen a huge increase since this occurred,” said Jesse Brunette, executive director for St. John’s Ministries, which has a shelter across the street from the park.
St. John’s Park might look better but the people and issues that were there didn’t disappear. They simply moved. Whitney Park is one of a handful of places we’re told that are seeing increased activity.
“Really, we just pivoted and put the same focus on that area,” Denney said of Whitney Park.
“We’re supportive of Green Bay Police, but we as a community have to understand the reality of the homelessness crisis,” said Brunette.
Brunette believes most people at the parks are behaving, and hopes the community doesn’t lump them together with a few bad actors.
“Every single day we have to worry about people throwing eggs at us,” said a man who says he’s been homeless for about one month. “How is that going to help us get a job and get off the streets if we smell like eggs?”
The homeless people we spoke with also complained of a lack of services. However, advocates say there are plenty for those who are willing.
One sign of progress: after years of growth, the average guest count at St. John’s overnight shelters stabilized in the last year.
“There’s progress, good signs,” said Brunette. “It’s hard because we know that any person experiencing homelessness that is one too many, but we are doing really good work and ensuring that people have safe shelter year round.
Safe Haven Hope Center shared a statement about the police action at St. John’s Park:
Safe Haven Hope Center is aware of the recent Channel 11 report on the City of Green Bay’s efforts to clear individuals experiencing homelessness from St. John’s Park.
While the report may be recent, the displacement is not. Each week, many of our neighbors and friends, choose to leave the downtown area. As their choice becomes stay, get a ticket they can’t pay and go to jail for nonpayment, or leave. That’s not much of a choice.
As an organization dedicated to the safety and dignity of our neighbors, we are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the people affected by this action, and have been since it began.
Displacement without a coordinated plan for shelter, does not solve homelessness — it simply moves it out of sight, making it less likely for those neighbors to legitimately obtain food, hygiene, and other necessities. Every person moved from St. John’s Park deserves to have a warm bed, a meal, and a path toward stability, all year round.
Safe Haven Hope Center calls on the City of Green Bay to:
Stop enforcement actions until displaced individuals each have a plan for stability in the coming months. As it gets colder, disseminating blankets, coats, etc. will become difficult if they remain scattered.
Safe Haven Hope Center stands ready to work with the City, Green Bay Police, and fellow service providers to work to develop a plan that allows dignity and housing for ALL our neighbors.
We remain committed to keeping our neighbors without shelter safe, respected, and working with them to overcome barriers – that needn’t be there.
St. James Park, Jackson Square, and Joannes are some of the other parks both police and the homeless say people are going after the recent crackdown at St. John’s.
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