They kept a clean camp and stayed to themselves. They weren't loud, obnoxious or offensive, didn't panhandle in the area and stayed out of sight and hidden as much as possible whenever they were in the camp.
On September 20th, local authorities rolled up with dump truck and some heavy equipment, gave the people still at the camp site 20 seconds to grab what they could, then proceeded to scoop up what was left and load it into the dump trucks, which then hauled off every possession these folks had in the world and "disposed" of it.
There were two tent sites down on a concrete platform overlooking the river and these were inaccessable to the dozers. So, according to reports, the police went down on the platform and simply tossed everything over the side of the platform onto the shoreline of the Cumberland river.
What's particularly offensive about this action is that the police themselves often cite the Homeless for littering when they enter Homeless camps, yet here they were, allegedly causing not only litter but possible water pollution (not to mention creating an unsightly eyesore) by throwing entire campsites onto the shoreline. It made for an ugly and quite possibly contaminated section of shoreline that, had any one of the general public done such an act, would surely have warranted a citation, at the very least.
I work closely with Metro Social Services and the Homelessness Commission. I know that we typically have a system in place when we must "move" a camp. The standard operating procedure is to send in someone ahead of the police to warn camp inhabitants that the police are coming to dismantle the camp within 24 hours. This allows the residents to get their belongings together and relocate elsewhere before losing everything they've struggled desperately to obtain.
None of this was followed in this particular incident.
A 20 second warning is to gather one's belongings is not only ridiculous, it smacks of harassment and mistreatment.
Many of us have worked long and hard to change attitudes within the Homeless population about the police and their need to respond to public demand about problems associated with some of their members. Heavy-handed operations like this one reek of jack-booted thuggery and destroy our credibility while creating hatred among the vast majority of the Homeless towards Metro's police officers. And I shouldn't even have to say this, but for God's sakes, this is no way to treat a human being, regardless of whether they are "trespassing" or not.
Surely this could have been handled better. I only hope that actions like this, coupled with the outcry of concerned citizens over the Candi Christmas harassment, get the attention of the new Mayor. This is a terrible way to enter into a new job and I do hope he works to change the increasingly ugly behavior of city officials toward those least able to stand up against it.
9.26.2007
Jefferson Street Bridge A Hotspot Of Controversial Actions
Earlier on the day that Candi Christmas's Homeless supper was brought to a screeching halt by Metro public health agents and the city police, I had been out at the bridge investigating something else that occurred there, presumably at the hands of local government officials.
There had been a small encampment of Homeless folks living under the bridge for quite some time and they had actually made a nice little camp for themselves which overlooked the Cumberland river. Approximately 8 individuals called the area home for about the past 7 months and these folks all had accumulated quite an assortment of belongings that they used to subsist, work and sleep in. Tents, sleeping bags, blankets, radios, coolers, dishes, pitchers, toiletries; the most basic of items that made their lives a little more tolerable each day.
And it wasn't like they were down there trashing the place either. In fact, the picture on the right shows their cleanup effort on 9-20-07 around the bridge, the food stamp office and the surrounding land owned by the cement company.
They kept a clean camp and stayed to themselves. They weren't loud, obnoxious or offensive, didn't panhandle in the area and stayed out of sight and hidden as much as possible whenever they were in the camp.
On September 20th, local authorities rolled up with dump truck and some heavy equipment, gave the people still at the camp site 20 seconds to grab what they could, then proceeded to scoop up what was left and load it into the dump trucks, which then hauled off every possession these folks had in the world and "disposed" of it.
There were two tent sites down on a concrete platform overlooking the river and these were inaccessable to the dozers. So, according to reports, the police went down on the platform and simply tossed everything over the side of the platform onto the shoreline of the Cumberland river.
What's particularly offensive about this action is that the police themselves often cite the Homeless for littering when they enter Homeless camps, yet here they were, allegedly causing not only litter but possible water pollution (not to mention creating an unsightly eyesore) by throwing entire campsites onto the shoreline. It made for an ugly and quite possibly contaminated section of shoreline that, had any one of the general public done such an act, would surely have warranted a citation, at the very least.
I work closely with Metro Social Services and the Homelessness Commission. I know that we typically have a system in place when we must "move" a camp. The standard operating procedure is to send in someone ahead of the police to warn camp inhabitants that the police are coming to dismantle the camp within 24 hours. This allows the residents to get their belongings together and relocate elsewhere before losing everything they've struggled desperately to obtain.
None of this was followed in this particular incident.
A 20 second warning is to gather one's belongings is not only ridiculous, it smacks of harassment and mistreatment.
Many of us have worked long and hard to change attitudes within the Homeless population about the police and their need to respond to public demand about problems associated with some of their members. Heavy-handed operations like this one reek of jack-booted thuggery and destroy our credibility while creating hatred among the vast majority of the Homeless towards Metro's police officers. And I shouldn't even have to say this, but for God's sakes, this is no way to treat a human being, regardless of whether they are "trespassing" or not.
Surely this could have been handled better. I only hope that actions like this, coupled with the outcry of concerned citizens over the Candi Christmas harassment, get the attention of the new Mayor. This is a terrible way to enter into a new job and I do hope he works to change the increasingly ugly behavior of city officials toward those least able to stand up against it.
They kept a clean camp and stayed to themselves. They weren't loud, obnoxious or offensive, didn't panhandle in the area and stayed out of sight and hidden as much as possible whenever they were in the camp.
On September 20th, local authorities rolled up with dump truck and some heavy equipment, gave the people still at the camp site 20 seconds to grab what they could, then proceeded to scoop up what was left and load it into the dump trucks, which then hauled off every possession these folks had in the world and "disposed" of it.
There were two tent sites down on a concrete platform overlooking the river and these were inaccessable to the dozers. So, according to reports, the police went down on the platform and simply tossed everything over the side of the platform onto the shoreline of the Cumberland river.
What's particularly offensive about this action is that the police themselves often cite the Homeless for littering when they enter Homeless camps, yet here they were, allegedly causing not only litter but possible water pollution (not to mention creating an unsightly eyesore) by throwing entire campsites onto the shoreline. It made for an ugly and quite possibly contaminated section of shoreline that, had any one of the general public done such an act, would surely have warranted a citation, at the very least.
I work closely with Metro Social Services and the Homelessness Commission. I know that we typically have a system in place when we must "move" a camp. The standard operating procedure is to send in someone ahead of the police to warn camp inhabitants that the police are coming to dismantle the camp within 24 hours. This allows the residents to get their belongings together and relocate elsewhere before losing everything they've struggled desperately to obtain.
None of this was followed in this particular incident.
A 20 second warning is to gather one's belongings is not only ridiculous, it smacks of harassment and mistreatment.
Many of us have worked long and hard to change attitudes within the Homeless population about the police and their need to respond to public demand about problems associated with some of their members. Heavy-handed operations like this one reek of jack-booted thuggery and destroy our credibility while creating hatred among the vast majority of the Homeless towards Metro's police officers. And I shouldn't even have to say this, but for God's sakes, this is no way to treat a human being, regardless of whether they are "trespassing" or not.
Surely this could have been handled better. I only hope that actions like this, coupled with the outcry of concerned citizens over the Candi Christmas harassment, get the attention of the new Mayor. This is a terrible way to enter into a new job and I do hope he works to change the increasingly ugly behavior of city officials toward those least able to stand up against it.
Smiling does a body good
