Philadelphia clears homeless encampment as part of cleanup plan
- Police cleared out about 75 people living in tents
- The move was part of the mayor's plan to tackle the open-air drug market
- Many say clearing the encampment doesn't solve the problem, just moves it
Josh Kruger, left, then the Communications Director, the Office of Homeless Services at City of Philadelphia, at a tent encampment in Philadelphia, on Jan. 6, 2020. The journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 police said. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
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(NewsNation) — Philadelphia city workers and members of the police department started clearing out an encampment of about 75 people living in tents along a sidewalk as part of the city’s “planned encampment resolution.”
Police were on the scene Wednesday morning as the clear-out began. Though the cleanup was scheduled to start at 8 a.m., city workers with leaf blowers and street sweepers began moving along the street at 7 a.m.
The homeless encampment is being dismantled after the city issued a 30-day encampment resolution notice and posted signs in the area.
City officials say those residing in the area were notified to take down any tents or structures that “pose public health and safety hazards and obstruct sidewalk passage.”
“The temporary closure is needed to ensure the safety of city outreach teams as they engage individuals during the final day of encampment resolution,” the city said in a news release.
After the notification was posted April 4, city officials say outreach teams and social services agencies have checked in daily to “ensure low-barrier housing, services and connections to treatment are made available and offered to people experiencing homelessness at the encampment.”
The cleanup was part of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s plan to tackle the open-air drug market in Kensington, a long-troubled neighborhood of the city.
According to WTXF-TV, the city says it pulled about 28 people off the street and got them into treatment prior to the Wednesday deadline.
However, many say the resolution doesn’t solve the problem, just moves it.
“They came through and made everyone take their tents down, threatened to arrest everyone. All it did was move everyone around and when they were done moving, everyone came back,” Jay, a 36-year-old from Florida and a drug user, told the WTXF.
