It was moving day for homeless campers who were evicted from their tent city near Chinatown.
The move drew praise from business owners, but some fear the tents will pop up again nearby.
City crews were called in to help with the cleanup, as the last of the homeless campers packed up their belongings to move out. For about a year, the sidewalk along North Beretania was lined with tents occupied by the homeless. They were given the deadline to move out by Monday morning, and everyone complied.
"I think the community is very happy that something is being done in a big way," said Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock of the Chinatown Business Association.
Shubert-Kwock says businesses have been complaining for months about this stretch of the sidewalk, which has essentially been taken over by the homeless. She says it hasn’t been safe for the community to walk through this area.
"You’re being harrassed, you’re being called names, you’re being threatened, or you’re being solicited because you’re walking near their property, they consider that their property," she said.
While relieved, Shubert-Kwock feels many will likely be coming back. Although this time, the fence that supported the tents has been taken down. The owner of the property will repave the lot that borders the sidewalk, and will not put up another fence. Those who were forced out don’t plan on going too far.
"A lot of people were talking about the canal up the road, some people were talking about going toward Nimitz, I don’t know, just wherever the next area is that they don’t think they’re gonna sweep," said Cynthia Thomas, one of the homeless.
Social workers have been reaching out for the past six weeks. The Institute for Human Services says there is room in the shelters for men and women. But only a few homeless were interested in moving in.
"We’ve been able to help out some people but clearly a lot of them did not want to come in, and they’ve chosen to do something else now, and I don’t know where they’re gonna go," said Connie Mitchell of the Institute for Human Services.
The City says the sweep has nothing to do with the upcoming APEC summit, just the property owner wanting to renovate.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
