St. Paul lifts park ban on TikToker Josh Liljenquist
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Josh Liljenquist often visited the Fish Hatchery encampment at St. Paul's Pig's Eye Park. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
St. Paul's parks department has lifted its ban against Chaska-based influencer Josh Liljenquist, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The six-month park ban sparked debate about the ethics of filming handouts to homeless people — the sort of "kindness content" has drawn Liljenquist 10.8 million followers on TikTok.
Catch up quick: City officials on April 6 said Liljenquist "routinely" visited the large encampment in Pig's Eye Park to "harass, record and profit from vulnerable adults residing there without said individuals' permission."
- Liljenquist often visits the encampment, but said he rarely films there and gets permission from his subjects when he does.
The latest: According to a letter dated Wednesday, parks director Andy Rodriguez told Liljenquist he was lifting the ban "based on evaluation of the facts of this situation as they were relayed during your appeal."
What they're saying: The ban's reversal "doesn't really fix anything. The damage is done," Liljenquist said in an interview with Axios. "It just sucks that [city officials] didn't do a good job at fact-checking."
The other side: Parks department spokesperson Clare Cloyd confirmed the ban's cancellation.
- In a statement, she wrote the department's goal is to "balance safety, respect, and public access in our parks while working toward sustainable and dignified solutions for people who are experiencing homelessness."
The big picture: Many traditional outreach workers believe Liljenquist doesn't fully grasp the power dynamics at play in his work, and fear that some of his subjects agree to be filmed out of desperation for handouts.
- Liljenquist counters that most of his charity takes place off-camera.
Axios asked Liljenquist about this criticism, pointing to the jealousies Liljenquist notices when he gives to one resident but not another, or when people find out how much revenue his @joshlilj's crowdfunding efforts can generate.
- Liljenquist said that he's responding to urgent needs: "Not everybody needs stuff at that point in time. Say somebody doesn't have a tent or is sleeping outside — I want to give them a tent so they at least have a tent to sleep."
Zoom in: What encampment residents told us
Axios spoke with a handful of encampment residents who encountered Liljenquist. Axios agreed to withhold their full names for their privacy and safety.
One resident, Ian, considers Liljenquist "a dear friend" who means well. (Liljenquist told Axios that, off-camera, he once paid for Ian to stay three nights in a hotel.)
- He also speculates the city's ban actually stemmed from officials' embarrassment at the sprawling encampment Liljenquist's videos sometimes show.
Yes, but: "The only problem I've ever had with Josh is like, man, do this s*** out of genuineness," Ian added — "because you want to, not because you have to."
- "How much clout do you really get, bro, for making a video of this f***ing dude handing me a two-man tent?"
"I look at him like a brother. He looked out for me and mine," said another resident, Isaac, in a private video testimonial that Liljenquist shared.
- Axios found Isaac, and he stood by Liljenquist and the recorded message. He speculates that the camp's rumor mill — including, among other outreach workers — led to the ban.
What we're watching: Whether the episode triggers lawsuits from Liljenquist against the city, or against rival creators who took the city's claims at face value.
- "At the moment, we're undecided," his agent, Zach Warren, told Axios — though he spoke to Axios on Tuesday evening, before Liljenquist received a letter confirming city officials' retreat.
- Liljenquist said news of the ban has dinged his brand, prompting the cancellations of several appearances.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and may be updated.