St. Anne’s Place, a small family shelter in north Minneapolis, has spent the past year fixing shattered glass and frayed nerves after a violent late-night attack. When the woman at the center of that chaos finally stood before a judge, shelter leaders did something many crime victims do not: they showed up to ask for leniency, requesting that the court wipe away restitution so the case would not leave her buried in debt. The decision fits a broader approach by the shelter’s operator, which is trying to rebuild trust while rehabbing the building and supporting families uprooted by the incident.
How the attack unfolded
The confrontation began on Sept. 5, 2024, when surveillance footage captured a group of people confronting residents outside St. Anne’s Place. The footage shows one woman returning with a baseball bat and smashing glass doors and windows, forcing staff to evacuate families and call police. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Eureka Dominique Riser with second-degree riot and criminal damage to property in case 27-CR-24-21001, and said building managers estimated at least $10,000 in damage, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Officials say several people were hurt and that shelter residents were cleared from the building while investigators worked the scene.
At sentencing the shelter asked for leniency
At a Dec. 17 sentencing hearing, People Serving People CEO Hoang Murphy urged a Hennepin County judge to waive about $21,000 in restitution for Riser and to give her a second chance, warning that fines could trap her in a “cycle of debt.” The shelter told the court it had temporarily relocated 16 mothers and more than 30 children after the attack and that the organization incurred roughly $250,000 in relocation and related costs. Riser offered a brief apology in court. She received a three-year no-contact order barring her from St. Anne’s Place, as reported by the Star Tribune.
Repairs, relocation and outreach
People Serving People, which took over operations at St. Anne’s Place in 2024, says it moved families into hotels, other Hennepin County shelters and its larger downtown facility while crews repaired doors and windows, according to the agency’s information on its shelters. The nonprofit lists St. Anne’s Place at 2634 Russell Ave N and its downtown shelter at 614 South 3rd Street, and says the downtown site provides wraparound services while the smaller north Minneapolis location works on reopening. Local coverage at the time noted that the organization considered additional security upgrades and that staff have been engaging neighbors in a gradual effort to rebuild trust, according to reporting by FOX 9 and KSTP.
Legal fallout and next steps
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office brought the initial charges against Riser. Prosecutors have also charged another person, Travin Willie Merritt, in connection with the same Sept. 5 incident, with police alleging he fired shots and assaulted people during the confrontation, per local reporting. People Serving People leaders say their focus now is on supporting the families who were displaced and continuing community conversations, including restorative-justice talks with neighbors and service partners. As the criminal case moves forward, the shelter says it will keep working with residents, nearby clinics and the county to make sure families feel safe returning to St. Anne’s Place.
