DC homeless encampments cleared out after Trump threatens Bowser

WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Homeless encampments are starting to be cleared out in the District following President Donald Trump's order to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

On Friday morning, tents near the State Department at E St. Expressway, NW, near the Virginia Ave., exit began to be cleared and the people who lived there scattered. They went in with heavy machinery and removed trash and tents for hours.

Clean Out Begins

Local perspective:

Some say the way it was done feels wrong to them.

"It's just decency. The humanity. Morality," one Maryland resident, Olivia, told FOX 5. "Ethically, it's just wrong. They're human beings, it's not their fault."

"I don't think it’s very kind," said Imran Jaferey, another Maryland resident. "We live in the wealthiest nation in the world and we have a tremendous homeless crisis and I think if our government — federal, state and local — had the right priorities, we'd find the way to do this in a kinder way that respected the people and I don't appreciate the cruelty at all." 

Trump Threats

What He Said:

The rapid eradication of the camp comes just days after Trump threatened D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, saying "she must clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the city," or the federal government would step in. 

Those comments were also made after Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he supports a "federal takeover" of D.C.

D.C. police tell FOX 5 they did assist behavioral health specialists for a person in crisis during the clear-out and that person was taken to a mental health facility.

"I think every few years we go through this, ‘oh we're going to clean everything up, throw everybody out but we don't give them an opportunity of where to go," Jaferey said. "These people don't disappear just because we say we don't want them here." 

D.C.’s Department of Health and Human Services says this site was set to be closed earlier but weather got in the way. D.C. HHS Deputy Mayor Wayne Tumage added that the safest place for people is in a shelter or permanent housing and that over the last two years, they've cut the number of tents in half while opening new shelters and expanding housing vouchers.

Statement from Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage for the District of Columbia Health and Human Services 

The existing protocol permits an immediate clean up in the event of a public health or safety risk. The District previously planned to close this site, but the earlier engagement was postponed due to weather.

The safest place for people is in a shelter or permanent housing. DC’s case management teams continue to engage individuals and families experiencing homelessness and work to match them to housing resources and wrap-around services such as behavioral health services and case management. Our primary focus is always working to move people experiencing homelessness into safer shelters or housing.

Over the past two years, we have cut the number of tents in half while opening new shelters, expanding housing vouchers, and continuing our work to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring.

Helping Hands

What we know:

The nonprofit Friendship Place served more than 5,400 people in D.C. last year and operates a place with transitional housing. They partner with the District and tell me they have the space and are ready to help.

"So we are available if they wish and if the city has referrals, we're happy to do it. I know the city is out there aggressively reaching out to folks all the time to make that offer so it seems like it is going to increase now and we're prepared," said Chris Rutledge, VP of External Affairs at Friendship Place.

But the CEO of the D.C. nonprofit Miriam's Kitchen tells FOX 5 that these camp clear outs only hide the problem and don't address the root cause, which is a lack of affordable housing.

"It just takes an individual who has experienced a lot of trauma in their lives and re-traumatizes them by going through this forceful eviction - this place that they at least temporarily called home," said Scott Schenkelberg, who has led Miriam's Kitchen since 2002. 

Full Schedule

What's next:

The District has a list of camps they plan to remove posted online. There are half a dozen scheduled for this month. The next one will be Tuesday on Ninth Street in Northeast. 

March 7: E St. Expressway NW (Virginia Ave Exit)

• Full Clean-up
• Bio-hazard Removal
• Enforcement that this DDOT/public space must remain clear at all times due to safety concerns

March 11: 1899 Ninth St NE – Full Cleanup 

• Full Clean-up
• Bio-hazard Removal
• Enforcement that this public space must remain clear at all times due to safety concerns

March 12: 901 26th St NW (Fenced Area) – Full Cleanup 

• Full Clean-up
• Bio-hazard Removal
• Enforcement that this public space must remain clear at all times due to safety concerns

March 12: 27th and K St NW (Whitehurst Hill) – Full Cleanup

• Full Clean-up
• Bio-hazard Removal
• Enforcement that this public space must remain clear at all times due to safety concerns

Washington, D.C.News