A bid for independence ended in a weekend eviction for one of the three Nickelsville camp sites in the Central District.
Residents at the Legion of Hope Encampment at 22nd and Cherry were notified of Cherry Hill Baptist Church’s decision to evict the camp following a vote by campers to break away from the structure of the Nickelsville sites. Two more Nickelsville camps continue to operate in the area. In December, we wrote about the convergence of three Nickelsville camps arriving in the Central District and ways for those living nearby to help the communities.
Nickelsville residents must abide by a code of conduct, which includes a ban on alcohol and drugs, weapons, and abusive behavior. The Legion of Hope campers say there were hoping to live in a less restrictive environment and that complaints from neighbors had been minimal.
At 75 residents, the Cherry encampment had been the largest of the three camps. Nickelsville organizers are looking for locations to host the camps on a long-term basis.
In January, one of the site hosts announced its plans to develop affordable housing on its property near 20th and S. Jackson.
That didn’t go over very well.
What about the homeless people camped in the median of the I-5 North on-ramp at Olive? There’s trash all over the place and the city is obviously not kicking them out of there. Aren’t there some health codes being violated here? You know they’re urinating and defecating in the small green area that surrounds that. We’re all cool with that? Apparently, since they’ve been there for months now.