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#THREAD
Cities like #STL have a duty to provide for their people. Since the rise of #COVID19, @STLCityGov has not only failed to provide adequate shelter & services for people who are unhoused, they& #39;ve made matters worse by policing & criminalizing people’s attempts to survive.
Cities like #STL have a duty to provide for their people. Since the rise of #COVID19, @STLCityGov has not only failed to provide adequate shelter & services for people who are unhoused, they& #39;ve made matters worse by policing & criminalizing people’s attempts to survive.
Here’s what you should know:
There are two tent encampments along Market Street downtown, where individuals and families are living. One is smaller than the other & @slmpd has spent the most time harassing and threatening people at the smaller encampment.
There are two tent encampments along Market Street downtown, where individuals and families are living. One is smaller than the other & @slmpd has spent the most time harassing and threatening people at the smaller encampment.
According to an outreach worker, these individuals in the smaller group separated themselves for their “safety and comfort.” The location they selected is across from City Hall. Apparently, that was a mistake.
People currently living there + outreach workers have told us...
People currently living there + outreach workers have told us...
...that SLMPD has threatened to arrest people and remove their belongings if they don’t move to a different location.
According to the people living there, a group of police officers told them today (April 8th), that the City would be enforcing a park curfew two days from now...
According to the people living there, a group of police officers told them today (April 8th), that the City would be enforcing a park curfew two days from now...
...and that if they did not move before then they and their personal property will be physically removed from the area.
This comes on the heels of additional threats, made earlier this week. On Monday, a group of officers approached the smaller group (only 3 tents)...
This comes on the heels of additional threats, made earlier this week. On Monday, a group of officers approached the smaller group (only 3 tents)...
...and told them that they would be arrested if they did not take down their tents and move to join the larger encampment two blocks up the street. SLMPD only backtracked later in the day when an outreach worker showed up and began to film the police.
As this video shows, the officer admits that earlier in the day his colleagues told the people in the park that they had to move to the larger encampment up the street.
Criminalizing people who are unhoused and policing the poor was unacceptable before #COVID19, and it’s even more unconscionable in the midst of a public health crisis.
@STLCityGov& #39;s conduct is unacceptable for so many reasons.
@STLCityGov& #39;s conduct is unacceptable for so many reasons.
FIRST, @STLCityGov has failed to provide adequate shelter for the unhoused. Therefore, many people have no choice but to seek shelter outside.
Although a recent @stltoday article reported #STLCity is opening a shelter that eventually will be able to house 125 people, at this time there has only been a contract signed for 26 beds, with a maximum of around 50 more. https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/coronavirus/city-leases-former-north-st-louis-nursing-home-to-shelter-homeless-during-pandemic/article_21573fc0-284a-583b-8827-852ebeda9fbc.html">https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyle...
26 beds are not nearly enough to house the hundreds of people who are unhoused in St. Louis. It’s disingenuous, at best, to suggest there is adequate shelter space for our unhoused community.
Don’t forget that current shelters are “thinning out”—meaning reducing their numbers—
Don’t forget that current shelters are “thinning out”—meaning reducing their numbers—
so they can comply with social distancing guidelines.
SECOND, forcing people to move closer together only exacerbates the challenges of social distancing. In an interview with @KMOV, Mayor @LydaKrewson blamed volunteers for donating tents, & unhoused people for setting them up
SECOND, forcing people to move closer together only exacerbates the challenges of social distancing. In an interview with @KMOV, Mayor @LydaKrewson blamed volunteers for donating tents, & unhoused people for setting them up
(bc they weren’t properly socially distanced).
Nevertheless, her police officers are trying to force MORE people together. If Mayor @LydaKrewson is so concerned about social distancing, why doesn’t she open enough shelter space for unhoused folks to safely shelter indoors?
Nevertheless, her police officers are trying to force MORE people together. If Mayor @LydaKrewson is so concerned about social distancing, why doesn’t she open enough shelter space for unhoused folks to safely shelter indoors?
And, while we& #39;re at it, we& #39;ve got a few more questions for @STLCityGov @CityofSTLDOH @LydaKrewson & the STL Pandemic Task Force:
Why has the City not offered hotel rooms for the unhoused, so they are not forced to shelter in a large group setting?
Why has the City not offered hotel rooms for the unhoused, so they are not forced to shelter in a large group setting?
Why has the city opened ZERO quarantine beds for the unhoused, while #STLCounty has 300?
Why are her officers primarily targeting the smaller encampment, which is across from City Hall?
Why are her officers primarily targeting the smaller encampment, which is across from City Hall?
In her interview with @KMOV, @LydaKrewson suggests they chose the location to make a political point. If she or her staff has spoken with these individuals, she would know this is patently false. https://www.kmov.com/news/st-louis-opens-new-homeless-shelter-but-more-choose-to-live-in-tent-city-near/article_4d70ed8e-791f-11ea-889e-0f551b461b4d.html">https://www.kmov.com/news/st-l...
FINALLY, displacing unhoused individuals from where they live DIRECTLY contravenes @CDCgov guidelines.
The most recent CDC guidelines state, “Do not clear encampments during community spread of COVID-19 unless you have real-time access to individual rooms or units for ALL...
The most recent CDC guidelines state, “Do not clear encampments during community spread of COVID-19 unless you have real-time access to individual rooms or units for ALL...
...households in the encampment and a clear plan to safely transport those households.” “Clearing encampments without these measures in place causes people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers, increasing the potential for infectious
disease spread.”
https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/COVID-19-Essential-Services-for-Encampments-During-an-Infectious-Disease-Outbreak.pdf
Clearing">https://files.hudexchange.info/resources... the encampment even contradicts a directive from @SLMPD Chief Hayden last month. On March 25, Chief Hayden issued a directive stating:
https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/COVID-19-Essential-Services-for-Encampments-During-an-Infectious-Disease-Outbreak.pdf
Clearing">https://files.hudexchange.info/resources... the encampment even contradicts a directive from @SLMPD Chief Hayden last month. On March 25, Chief Hayden issued a directive stating:
“All: According to CDC recommendations, Officers should refrain from clearing encampments during the spread of COVID-19. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for
...infectious disease spread. Thank you for your continued dedication to service. Colonel John W. Hayden, Jr. Commissioner of Police.”
@STLCityGov @SLMPD @LydaKrewson must cease any attempt to displace unhoused individuals from where they live. Instead, they should direct their energy & resources on securing shelter for the unhoused & providing services for those who are unable/unwilling to seek shelter indoors.
We will not stand by and let Mayor @LydaKrewson blame unhoused individuals and outreach workers when it is her administration that has failed to provide shelter, services, and medical care for the unhoused during the #COVID19 pandemic.
cc: STL Pandemic Task Force @CityofSTLDOH
cc: STL Pandemic Task Force @CityofSTLDOH
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For more on our calls to action, online petitions and policy recommendations on behalf of people who are unhoused and those at great risk of contracting the Coronavirus, visit STLcovidhub(dot)org
For more on our calls to action, online petitions and policy recommendations on behalf of people who are unhoused and those at great risk of contracting the Coronavirus, visit STLcovidhub(dot)org
