Achi news desk-
ST. JOHN’S, NL –
A homeless man in Newfoundland says he refuses to sleep in a shelter after workers wearing balaclavas and haz-mat suits tore apart a tent camp in St. John’s on Friday.
Gregory McCain says he lost his tent when the state ordered the camp dismantled, but managed to escape with a backpack full of supplies, including his blankets and cooking stove.
He says that he has pitched another tent in a wooded area on the outskirts of the city, and that he would rather be sleeping outside than in a shelter in the city.
McCain says he has stayed in “disgusting” for-profit shelters before, where his room was smeared with blood and feces and his belongings were stolen because he couldn’t lock the door.
John Abbott, the province’s infrastructure minister, said on Friday that the camp was taken down because of safety concerns that arose after a fire there in late April.
He said that nine of the 12 people living in tents in the camp had received beds in shelters or hotels on Thursday night, before officers went in the following day to clear the area.
The camp was established last fall next to the historic government building in downtown St. John’s, and some residents repeatedly told reporters they’d rather brave the winter in a nylon tent than sleep in a state-provided shelter.
As officers tore down tents and fenced off the camping area on Friday, a number of people appeared to protest the action and hold signs supporting the homeless people who lived there.
Jeremy Nolan held up a sign saying, “Eyes on tent city.” He said in an interview that people have a right to housing, and they have a right to refuse shelter options offered by the provincial government.
“People know this is wrong,” Nolan said of the masked workers evacuating the camp. “Hopefully we’ll get some clarity about what’s going on here.”
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on May 6, 2024.
