City of Vancouver sets tent city deadline, campers stay put
Posted April 29, 2017 7:23 am.
Last Updated April 30, 2017 3:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Campers at Vancouver’s newest tent city are staying put, despite the City of Vancouver declaring that they are trespassing and needed to be out by 9am today.
The tent city is on Main Street, just north of the Pacific Central train station.
Maria Wallstam with Alliance Against Displacement says no one has tried move the campers on yet, but about 20 people have shown up to support the 20 campers.
“No plans to leave, we are going to stay strong and defend the tent city. There’s really no other options out there for people who are homeless.”
DJ Larkin with the Pivot Legal Society, which is not representing the campers but was there in support, is opposed to the city forcing people out.
“It’s definitely our position that that’s an inappropriate move. These are women, it’s a women-led camp, so these are people who are moving in who don’t have safe other options.”
“When these camps appear, and we will see more of them during the summer because shelter spaces shut down during the summer, we need to take the opportunity to support those people where they’re at and keep them safe rather than evicting them.”
One woman settled into the camp just after getting off the bus from Calgary.
She says staying in shelters in that city wasn’t working out and she isn’t interested in looking for something more permanent in Vancouver yet.
“No, no I’m prepared to stay till our voice is heard.”
The lot was also occupied by a tent city ten years ago.
