Lincoln Park Business Owner: There’s A Growing Drug Problem

Police Chief Mike Tusken Talks Problem Solving, Perspective

A small memorial was set up for the man shot and killed in the Lincoln Park business district by people police say he knew.

Flowers and balloons were tied to a light police near where the shooting happened outside some bars between 20th and 21st avenues west on Superior Street.

The victim is 47-year-old Erik Burns.

Police say the two suspects are 53-year-old Orin Vann and 42-year-old Aaron Humphreys.

Both are booked on a preliminary charge of intentional second-degree murder.
Formal charges are expected as early as Thursday.

Meanwhile, as police investigate a motive to the shooting, a longtime business owner nearby is speaking out and feels the drug problem in the area is out of control – and the recent shoot put him over the edge.

Dave Hamilton has owned Duluth Auto Parts Machine in Lincoln Park for 20 years.

“There are a lot of business owners who are investing into this area. Again, I like this area. It’s not a bad area,” Hamilton explained.

But Hamilton told FOX 21’s Dan Hanger Wednesday that he believe the drug problem on West Superior Street is at an all-time high – particularly the past six months behind the bar between 20th and 21st avenues west.

“You want to call it a drug hot spot. That’s what I would call it. People know if they want to come and get something, this is where they come and get it — and that’s what we need to stop,” Hamilton explained.

Mechanic Matt Remark, who works for Hamilton, said he sees drug deals daily in the alley behind the bars – and even compares the problem to a painful past in downtown Duluth.

“Last Place on Earth would be a very good example of what we have here. I see a handful of drug deals a day. Every so often I can see people physically doing heroin in my eyesight. It’s right out in the open,” Remark explained.

Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken used to patrol the Lincoln Park area and doesn’t hide there’s a problem in that part of town, but he stresses it’s no different than any other community in the Twin Ports and beyond.

“There’s a lot of addiction here. There’s been a lot of overdoses. We know there’s a lot of heroin and illegal narcotics,” Tusken explained.

Now that said, Tusken points out while there’s a drug issue, the violent crime has not followed and the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force has made a record amount of successful drug arrests and seizures.

“We have people working around the clock to mitigate the threats of illegal narcotics on the streets of Duluth,” Tusken said.

So what more can be done? There’s no easy answer, but all interviewed in this story say it includes continued community policing, community engagement and community pride.

“There’s still a clutch or a group of people who are not doing good stuff and that’s what we need to address. How do we fix it? Do they need help? How do we help them,” explained Hamilton while referring to the people addicted to drugs in the area.

“It’s a community problem and the community needs to start helping the police, police the local communities,” Remark said.

“We will continue tirelessly pursuing people who bring narcotics into our city and poison our citizens. And I will promise that and we will continue to do that and deliver that service tirelessly,” Tusken said.