TENT
CITY EVICTION – HELP NEEDED
Homeless people who live along the bike trail, near the downtown RTS
station, have until Tuesday, July 8 to move out. The person who owns the land
wishes to sell it. He was holding off until Grace Market Place opens for actual
shelter, but that date has been pushed to November 1 and he needs to get his
land on the market now. Other camping areas, including the Sweetwater Branch
camp, remain undisturbed. This particular portion of tent City has a fair
number of people who are elderly or have other major challenges, so they are
going to need help to get themselves and their possessions moved out. We are
encouraging them to move to wooded areas near the Grace Market Place, so they
will have access to water, meals and other amenities. According to the latest
count, about half the people who were living in this area have moved out on
their own, or with help from the good people of Occupy Gainesville, and between
20 and 30 camp sites remain occupied.
We have set SATURDAY, JULY 5 at 10 a.m. as moving time for those who remain
in Tent City. We are asking anyone who has a pickup truck or van to help.
People who may not have a large vehicle, but do have strong backs, are also
invited to come and help. Helpers should wear gardening gloves. Generations
of homeless people, some with severe addiction issues, have lived in this area,
without access to water or to garbage pickup, so conditions are not good.
Tomorrow morning, I’m doing a walk-through of the area, with Bud our van
driver. We are going to take another count of who is there and who will need
help. People will be told to have their things packed up and ready to go for
the 10 a.m. July 5 moving day. For any further information, helpers can call me
at 372-4825.
Freeman is going to make a little map of exactly where helpers should meet,
and I will send that out ASAP.
PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF GRACE MARKET PLACE
IT’S WORKING!!! Every Thursday we are finding fewer people at the Tent
City stop and fewer people living in Bo Diddley Plaza! I believe that almost
half of those living in Bo Diddley have moved, and that is WONDERFUL news!! No
one wants to live on the sidewalk in the middle of a downtown area. In talking
to these folks, I have learned that most of them are afraid of living in the
woods or are too old or too disabled to walk or bike back and forth from the
woods to services. They have been more or less trapped there, looked down upon
by snoots and prey to drug dealers and other bad guys from the housed
community. On a recent visit Freeman and I made to Grace Market Place we found
some folks who had been living on the plaza and are now volunteers at Grace
Market Place. The readers of this newsletter have played a major role in this
transformation, by donating tents and money to buy tents. Until we get
everybody moved out there, we still need donations of tents or money to buy
tents. As of this moment, I have six tents in stock, and four of them are going
out today to women who have been living in Bo Diddley. I hear through the
grapevine that some of you have been donating tents directly to Grace Market
Place, and that is fine also.
Thank yous and blessings to everyone!
arupa
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The Home Van needs tents, tarps, bottled water, insect repellant,
Vienna sausages, creamy peanut butter, jelly, candles, white tube socks,
batteries, and games. Call 352-372-4825 to arrange for drop off. Financial
donations to the Home Van should be in the form of checks made out to Citizens
for Social Justice, Inc., earmarked for the Home Van, and mailed to 307 SE 6th
Street, Gainesville, FL 32601, or can be made online at
http://homevan.blogspot.com/
THE
HOMEVAN IS A PROJECT OF CITIZENS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, INC. (FDACSREGISTRATION
#CH35643). A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE
OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE
(800-435-7352) WITHIN THE
STATE.REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY
THE
STATE.
