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Tent City raid routs homeless sleepers, allies--protest moves to city hall steps

Carol Denney
Friday November 04, 2016 - 02:26:00 PM
Cheryl Davila joined the growing protest over the latest eviction of homeless people on the steps of City Hall on Friday afternoon.
Carol Denney
Cheryl Davila joined the growing protest over the latest eviction of homeless people on the steps of City Hall on Friday afternoon.

The tent city protest at Adeline and Fairview was dismantled by dozens of city police at 5:00 am on Friday, November 4 leaving dozens of sleeping people scrambling to collect their belongings. Four people were arrested and charged with obstruction and resisting arrest including Nanci Armstrong-Temple, a council candidate for District 2, who was injured in the process. 

A truck full of belongings and tents was driven away from the plaza area, which was power-washed and fenced by city workers. The core of the protest group marched to city hall where around 1:00 pm they met with press, sympathetic community members, concerned council candidates, and at least one current City Council representative, Kriss Worthington. 

Officials have now barred the door to City Hall, keeping out protesters and other citizens alike. "Why are they criminalizing the homeless? They need to leave them alone," stated Cheryl Davila, candidate for District 2 who expressed special concern about the arrestees. "Where's the humanity?" 

Michael Diehl noted that one of those arrested, Barbara Brust, was brutally handled for demanding an itemized receipt, and that the officers had in his opinion purposefully blocked the Copwatch video cameras from recording the eviction. 

"They came to hurt us," said Mike Zint, one of the protest organizers, who had participated in a city meeting only a week before to make a case before the city that their peaceful group be granted some legal place to simply take care of themselves. 

"I'm sleep deprived, angry, and distressed," added Michael Diehl, an outreach worker who worked for years for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency who is now homeless. "Get these fools off the council." 

 

Cheryl Davila joined the growing protest over the latest eviction of homeless people on the steps of City Hall on Friday afternoon.