ST. LOUIS 鈥 Aides to Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said the city would move to clear a growing homeless encampment outside City Hall here Monday night, citing rising problems with fighting and drug use among those living there and increasing complaints from city employees being accosted at work.聽
But early Tuesday morning, top officials changed their minds. With two aldermen and a crowd of activists for the homeless standing between police officers and the encampment and refusing to leave, the administration agreed to call off the sweep for the night and continue working to find housing for campers in the morning.聽
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, of Downtown, announced the deal to a victorious audience shortly after 1:30 a.m. "We can all get some sleep tonight," he said.聽
The temporary reprieve marked the latest twist in a whirlwind past few weeks for an encampment that has grown to dominate the north side of the seat of the government. In the past month, the cluster of tents has hosted an ongoing protest against city leaders, welcomed dozens of new residents and doubled its size to more than 30 tents. It has also become a prime example of the city's longstanding struggle to find shelter for all the homeless 鈥 and an eyesore in a downtown already struggling with vacant buildings and crime concerns.聽
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And now, it's not clear what exactly will be done about it.聽
The campsite has been around since at least July, when there were just a handful of tents next to the parking lot behind the building.
In August, more appeared up in the grass at the Market Street doors, underneath Jones鈥 window. And at the urging of the Rev. Larry Rice, a prominent activist for the homeless, residents started protesting rules that make it difficult to open shelters in the city.
But it wasn't until the past few weeks that the camp really picked up steam. In a period of just 10 days, the camp doubled in size and watched its problems make the news:聽Trash littered the grounds in the plaza north of City Hall. Some areas stank of urine. People freely used drugs and sat slumped over in stupors. A television reporter started asking tourists what they thought of the scene.聽
Meanwhile, efforts to move people into housing appeared futile. The city would move people out, only to see another cohort to their places.
By Monday, the administration was fed up. Kevin Bailey, Jones' legislative liaison, sent an email to aldermen around 9 p.m. saying the encampment had to go: Police had received roughly 50 calls related to the encampment between Aug. 14 and Sept. 28. Paramedics had gotten 33 calls for overdoses, seizures and other medical emergencies.聽
Bailey said social workers had spent weeks meeting with people in the camp and offering them help with housing. More than a dozen had accepted help as of early Monday night.
鈥淎ll individuals have been offered shelter with supportive services on numerous occasions and will be offered shelter again tonight, as we have space available,鈥 Bailey wrote in the email to aldermen.
But not everyone was reassured. Activists for the unhoused came to City Hall in droves to protest the clearing, calling it inhumane and unnecessary. Aldridge, Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, of Tower Grove East, and top aides to Aldermanic President Megan Green joined them.聽
At first, it wasn't clear it would matter.聽
Kathleen Cash, 57, was moved near tears as the news of impending spread through the encampment. She said she had nowhere else to go. Shelters wouldn鈥檛 accept her and her two dogs, Buddy and Sissy, she said. And three years on the street were wearing on her.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 ready to die,鈥 said Cash. 鈥淭his is horrible.鈥
The mood darkened further at 10, when city trucks pulled big, portable lights up on the sidewalk.
Activists locked arms and began defiant call-and-response chants. Jay Nelson, Green鈥檚 chief of staff, held a sign that read 鈥淣ot my mayor.鈥 聽And Gino McCoy, 28, began to weep. He'd moved into the camp a few weeks back with his pregnant wife and their three dogs when they couldn't find a shelter willing to accommodate all of them together.
鈥漈his is wrong,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is wrong.鈥
Aldridge was beside himself.
鈥漈his is sick,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he city has got to do better.鈥
By 11:15 p.m., the walls appeared to be closing in. A police officer drove up to the encampment and said everyone had to leave the area by midnight. Those still there after that would face potential arrest for violating a curfew.
Some camp residents gathered their things and moved them down the street.聽
Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, of Tower Grove East, said the scene reinforced the need for legislation rewriting the city's obligations to the homeless, which she had previewed at a press conference Monday morning. Her bills would require the city to offer campers appropriate shelter beds before clearing tents and mandate the establishment of controlled encampments with聽showers, toilets, access to social services and 24-hour security for those who don't want to go to shelters.聽
鈥淚f this does not show that we need to do something drastically different as soon as possible,鈥 she said, 鈥淚 don't know what will.鈥
But midnight came and went, and the police officers staging in the park across the street from City Hall didn't move.聽
A short while later, Aldridge was on the phone with Nancy Cross, the mayor's operations director. There was discussion of moving some people into hotels, but it was too late in the night for that. Then the conversation pivoted to Tuesday. Aldridge went to the assembled activists to ask if they would be back in the morning to help out. A few more calls were exchanged.
Then Aldridge made his announcement. The city would be backing off for the night. Officials would be looking to get 20 or so people into shelters on Tuesday.聽
Some activists were skeptical of the city's commitment. One pointed that some people in the encampment were there because they didn't want to go to shelters. But another saw the glass half full.聽
鈥淪omething,鈥 he said, 鈥渂eats nothing.鈥