A group of activists say that the eviction process is cruel and dangerous
People staying at an encampment in Kingston, Ont., have been told by “trespass” signs that they have until Monday to leave.
Rick Sero was one of the people who woke up at Belle Park on Wednesday to find a yellow piece of paper with the city’s logo telling them to pack up and leave.
“It’s a terrible feeling,” he said, adding that he didn’t know what would happen but would stay as long as he could.
“It’s a bad feeling to not know where you’ll lay your head at the end of the day.”
Sero said that if he is forced out, he will find a new place to camp instead of going into a shelter.
Tents and other temporary shelters were supposed to be taken down in January, but the council decided to wait until spring.
Those living in the encampment have spoken out against the move, saying its proximity to the Integrated Care Hub and supervised injection site provides them with support and a sense of community.
The city says that it is working with the people
The trespass notices say that the city has been working with the people living in the encampment and has given them places to stay.
The notice says, “Any personal items left at Belle Park may be thrown away by the city.”
People who don’t leave will be considered trespassers, the notices said, and the city will take “measures necessary to enforce” its order. Kingston police will be given permission to act on its behalf.
In an email sent to CBC on Monday, the city said that staff and community outreach workers would be there on Tuesday to “help people through the change.”
The statement said that people camping in Belle Park could start getting trespass notices again after March 21, and that the council had told staff to move people who stay after that date.
The statement said, “People living in the encampment will be given help to find shelter and support services, as well as information about free transportation and free storage of personal items.”
Group calls move ‘dangerous
Mutual Aid Katarokwi-Kingston (MAKK) has spoken out against the eviction by calling the move “inhumane and unethical” in a statement of its own.
MAKK said that over the past week, its members have talked to a number of people living in the encampment, and none of them said that city staff had talked to them about the eviction. The group also said that shelter workers recently told them that most of their places were full the night before.
“How does success look in this situation? If there aren’t enough shelter spaces in general, let alone ones that meet the needs, how can an eviction go well?” its message said.
“It is stupid, cruel, and dangerous to kick people out of their homes when you know that it will only lead to risk, harm, and trauma.”
A decision by the Superior Court in January that stopped the Region of Waterloo from carrying out a similar eviction made people wonder if Kingston could even move forward.
Mayor Bryan Paterson said before that most of the people living in the encampment had moved into shelters, and he has talked about how the city has worked to add 50 new beds to shelters with low barriers.
He said that the new spots mean the city isn’t in the same situation as Waterloo, where the court said there weren’t enough shelter spots.
A city news release says that low-barrier spaces are available for women, couples, and people with pets. The city is also giving people who use the supervised injection site at the care hub free transportation, the mayor said.
Sero said he spent about a year building his camp in the park. If it gets torn down, he might sleep in front of it.
He is worried that he will lose his things, and he said that city storage won’t help.
“Put up to 90 days of your life in three plastic totes,” he said.”That’s impossible. Also, no one should have to do that.”