INNER CITY MINISTRIES' TENT CITY IS OFFICIALLY CLOSING SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2008

As many of you who read this blog or spend any time on the street here in Nashville now know, the official Inner City Ministries "Tent City" is closing very soon. I received the official word from Metro PD yesterday that Metro Public Works has scheduled September 3rd as the drop-dead date for the demolition of Tent City. There is a chance that this could be postponed until September 9th, but at this point, the scheduled date for demolition is September 3rd. Police are scheduled to visit the camp soon - not sure exactly how soon - but the first visit will be at 5am to begin official notification to the residents. They will also be posting no trespassing flyers throughout the camp at that time. A second unit will come through again at 5pm to try and ensure anyone who may have been absent during the first visit gets the message straight from the official source. We spent yesterday canvassing the camp, performing our vulnerability surveys and sharing the newest info from the PD with the residents, some of whom have lived in the area for 6 years. Over the next two weeks, I will be spending all my time at the camp, chronicling stories and doing interviews with residents in order to fully capture what life in the camp is like and what the folks who've called Tent City home for years are going to do now. (from left to right: me, Woody, Jeannie, Lauren, Molly, Corey, WillyC - Ashley snapped the flick) My agency is also stepping in to assist as much as possible; we will be providing on-scene intakes and referrals sometime next week. Privately, I have put my workhorse GMC crewcab pickup on standby to assist anyone with moving items from the camp, and anyone who can volunteer to assist with similar transportation is encouraged to contact me ASAP (615-257-0382). Already the mood is somber and horribly sad. I spent considerable time with one resident who balled her eyes out all the way into town as she lamented what was going to happen to her when the camp closed. She'd lived in the area for the previous 4 years and had one of the cleanest, neatest camps in the area. My heart was just broken and I suspect there'll be many many tears that flow as a result of this closing.... I will be posting many of the interviews I'll be doing over the next couple of weeks on my Stone Soup Videos Youtube site in the coming weeks, and we will also have a very large piece in the Contributor, as well as additional "first person" accounts, stories, photos and other assorted items pertinent to the camp. Photos of the camp will be placed here after the camp closes, as I want to protect the privacy and safety of everyone there while the camp is still operational. Stay tuned.....