‘It’s a quieter eviction’: Police urging tent encampment dwellers to leave Hamilton City Hall

Doug Barker has decided to pack up his tent behind the Whitehern museum rather than worrying and waiting" to see if the latest encampment teardown rumour comes true.

The Hamilton Encampment Support Network announced Tuesday online residents were being evicted" from the large, long-standing group of tents behind the national historic site and in the city hall parking lot.

No forced teardown had happened as of that afternoon, but some encampment residents reported being told they must leave by Thursday. Others, like Barker, said they were offered help to relocate if they packed up in the next day or two.

If someone comes by and offers me a ride I'll probably do it," said the 23-year-old, who has lived behind the historic site off and on for about four months. He expressed hope a friend on the Mountain will give him a place to sleep.

It's better than being hassled and worrying and waiting to see if they force us out next time."

Hamilton police confirmed officers visited the encampment to encourage compliance" with trespass orders the city issued May 25, but did not specify if there is a deadline to clear the site. Our goal is to work collaboratively with residents to get them the support they need," said spokesperson Jackie Penman.

City bylaw head Monica Ciriello said via email she understood police to be focused on trying to gain (voluntary) compliance with orders rather than enforcement" on Tuesday. She reiterated the trespass orders were issued over concerns about violent incidents" at the encampment, including a stabbing and assault.

Network advocate Sahra Soudi, who was at city hall Tuesday talking to worried tent residents, labelled the latest efforts a quieter eviction" meant to avoid the publicity of past co-ordinated tent teardowns.

We know there is nowhere to go," she said, noting there is no room at city shelters and council recently put off a decision on whether to allow sanctioned encampment sites.

Whether it is voluntary or not, not giving people adequate access to housing or supports and asking them to go somewhere else, that is still an eviction," Soudi said, adding it is intimidating" for residents to be asked to leave with police - and at one point, a garbage truck - waiting in the background.

Soudi said it appears a few people did pack up tents from the alley behind Whitehern Tuesday, but more than a dozen tents remained by late afternoon. The city has estimated homeless residents are living in 100 tents across Hamilton.

Barker said he would prefer to stay put - without the threat of having his tent torn down - while he figures things out," including how to access housing without giving up his pit bull mixes, Athena and Zeus. Those are my kids, my family," he said.

Barker has heard council is considering sanctioned encampment sites and is supportive of the idea, noting he has been forced out of tent sites at the former Sir John A. Macdonald school and Cathedral dog park in the past.

This is the first place I've been able to stay without being bothered (with threats of eviction) every three days," he said. Being forced to basically live out of a backpack, it's brutal."

Council expects a report back in August on how - and where - the city could set up sanctioned tent sites, said downtown Coun. Cameron Kroetsch. He noted the city will seek public feedback - but in his mind, the existing city hall site is a prime candidate."

This is a city hall property, this is a citywide crisis, we're the leaders of the city," he said. (There's) no better place to be supporting people than right here."

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com