City evicts homeless from city hall
LORAIN -- Several homeless people have taken up residence at Lorain City Hall, but Safety Director Phil Dore has said move on.
Dore said he regularly saw the homeless sleeping in the new eating area of the Lorain City Cafe when he would arrive for work. At first, he was unsure if those in the area were waiting to appear in court or had another reason.
He later discovered that they were homeless.
''The only people at City Hall around the clock are the police, so I asked them to escort these people out of the building and inform them they can't be there,'' Dore said. He sent a letter to the chief on May 16.
The Lorain Police Department records room is open 24-hours. The area surrounding the Lorain City Cafe and eating area is blocked off to the public after normal business hours.
Dore said has not received complaints from the general public, but has had several employees bring the issue to his attention.
''They're just camped out there and sleeping,'' he said. ''We don't need that at City Hall. Unfortunately for them, there are not many homeless shelters to go to in the summer and when the weather is bad they need some place to go.''
But City Hall is not the place.
In response to Dore's letter, Lorain police arrested Raychan Wright, 38, and charged him with criminal trespassing after repeatedly discovering him loitering in the lobby.
A police dispatcher reported Wright had been in the lobby for several days and had been asked to leave repeatedly. Wright was again in the lobby on Wednesday and warned that if he returned, without any official reason to be there, he would be charged and arrested.
He returned just after midnight yesterday and was found in the dining area of the city. He was arrested and charged. Wright was arraigned in Lorain Municipal Court yesterday and sentenced to 12 days jail, according to court documents.
