The Wendy’s that made Dave Thomas Circle a circle — by quite literally and strangely existing in the middle of it — served its last customers Sept. 21. It “vacated the premises” Sept. 30, beginning the circle’s protracted decline. The NoMa Business Improvement District bought residents Wendy’s Frostys to commemorate the occasion. The circle succumbed to long-standing contempt during a community meeting where the District Department of Transportation announced its final redesign plans. It died at that moment.

An update on Dave Thomas Circle: We were informed today that the last day of operations for the Wendy’s will be next Tuesday, & they will vacate the premise by 9/30.

Onward to a less confusing and safer intersection. Grateful for the advocacy of neighbors who helped us get here.

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser)

Dave Thomas Circle lay at the edge of the original 1791 L’Enfant Plan for D.C., which organized most streets into a grid, with streets named after states crossing diagonally. 

Florida Avenue, one of the streets that comprised the circle, used to be called Boundary Road. Parts of northeast D.C. were left undeveloped even after the city became the nation’s capital. Planning did not prioritize pedestrians as the L’Enfant Plan had when Northeast D.C.’s population began to grow during the 20th century.

“When our roads started to change from community-centered roads to commuter-focused roads, it was redesigned to allow as many people as possible to come in and out of the city,” said Conor Shaw, president of the Eckington Civic Association and owner of the .

The L’Enfant Plan ended where O Street and First Street met at Boundary Road, now Florida Avenue. The Wendy’s at Dave Thomas Circle’s center was constructed in the mid-’80s. In 2010, DDOT made each of the streets one-way, a pale imitation of a true traffic circle. DDOT called it a “,” a euphemistic name for one of the most loathed intersections in the city.

The area will now be known as the intersection of Florida Ave NE, New York Ave NE, First Street NE and Eckington Pl NE — a jumble of street names resembling the confusion of passing through the circle, whether on foot, bike or car. It was ranked among the top 10 most hazardous intersections in D.C., according to DDOT.

The redesign “realigns” the intersection, adds turn lanes on New York and Florida Avenues, makes “high visibility crosswalks” and creates three public park spaces.

“It’s a disaster zone,” said one driver who crosses the intersection regularly driving to Maryland.

Construction on the circle will begin this summer. Plans indicate Dave Thomas Circle’s grave will go unmarked.

It includes “green infrastructure,” according to Amanda Stout, DDOT’s Deputy Chief Officer for Project Delivery.

“The real problem is car emissions, and we haven’t done anything to address that,” Shaw said.

Residents who attended the community meeting expressed similar criticism of the redesign. Despite the circle’s death, the drivers, cyclists and pedestrians who traffic the intersection said the redesign does not do enough to make everyone safer.

“I consider it more of a rebirth than a death,” said Thomas Luebke, secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency that has review authority over federal and D.C. government projects. The commission does not approve construction.

Others said they were unsure of how much the redesign would improve safety.

“This part of the city is quickly becoming one of the most dense residential and commercial districts. If all of the people who come to live and work in those buildings have cars, whatever changes you make to those intersections won’t work,” Shaw said.

Dave Thomas Circle, a tangle of asphalt, concrete and traffic lanes, left much to be desired when compared to the fountains, picnicking lawns and tree canopies of its prettier cousins, like Dupont or Logan Circle. The redesign’s three planned parks will help combat the old image, according to DDOT’s communications director, German Vigil.

“These three spaces will feature thoughtful, innovative landscape design to create great spaces for people to gather,” Vigil said.

The Commission of Fine Arts disagreed.

“There’s not a lot of spatial unity in what was proposed. There’s a lot of smaller moves, like repetition of circles here and there,” Luebke said.

The circles in the parks are meant to gesture at D.C.’s other traffic circles and connect several disconnected parcels, according to Luebke. But he said they do not do enough.

NoMa BID president Maura Brophy said the redesign will provide a place for people to come together.

“We will work to activate them,” Brophy said. Brophy said activating a space was different from simply using it because activation entails a dedicated use, like a farmers market NoMa BID has proposed for one of the parks.

Still, community members said it was difficult to imagine gathering in these spaces if DDOT does not do more to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

Attendees repeatedly asked why DDOT does not plan to reduce the nine lanes of traffic.

“We can’t really reduce the number of lanes,” said Jay Smith, a DDOT consultant. Smith said and decided not to try to reduce traffic.

The redesign plan includes a reduced speed limit, warnings and speed radars, but no physical changes to force drivers to slow down.

“We designed this intersection to be safer for all users,” Stout said. But attendees at the community meeting said the redesign continues to prioritize drivers.

Dave Thomas Circle is dead. But its problems persist.

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“I feel like it just changed overnight,” said Danny Gibson, a native Washingtonian and Ward 5 resident.

Ward 5 is the second-fastest growing ward in the District, according to . Its population grew 20.3% over the last 10 years. Much of that growth can be attributed to the increase in housing developments across the ward.

Ward 5’s new residents tend to be white: the area went from an 81% Black population in 2010 to 55% in 2020, .

“I’m okay with diversity, that’s great. What I’m not okay with is the displacement of native Washingtonians,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher was born in Jamaica, raised in New York and has lived in D.C. for the last 20 years. He said these facts make him uniquely qualified to help unify an increasingly diverse ward.

Gibson said she was especially concerned about elderly Ward 5 residents being pushed out of their homes.

“They’re being pushed out, people who have lived here for 30 years,” Gibson said.

One of Fletcher’s goals as councilmember would be to expand affordable housing, especially three- and four-bedroom apartments.

“The last time there was a rent control home was in 1975. We need newer buildings that can fall under rent control,” Fletcher said.

Ward 5 also has the greatest proportion of senior residents, according to the .

Fletcher has experience addressing housing for seniors. As an ANC commissioner, Fletcher helped relocate more than 100 seniors into new housing. However, the new apartments were not large enough to accommodate seniors who wanted to live with their families and initially required residents to pay for parking.

“Seniors are a linchpin of the campaign,” said Juan Ulloa, Fletcher’s campaign manager.

Ulloa said Fletcher’s work for seniors and other constituents are part of what drew him to join Fletcher’s campaign.

“When Ward 5 was under a boil water advisory, he was out there handing out cases of water. When seniors have issues about where they’re going to live, he’s out there making sure they’re getting taken care of,” Ulloa said.

Other attendees said education was top of mind.

“I just want to make sure that we have a council member that truly supports the values and the beliefs of the school system,” said William Blake, assistant director of Redesign for D.C. Public Schools. “As of right now, he definitely is. He’s who I put my money behind.”

Throughout the event, Fletcher highlighted diversity and unity.

“That means making sure that residents that just moved here six months ago, and residents who have been here for 60 years, both feel comfortable in Ward 5,” Fletcher said.

Part of Fletcher’s efforts to unify the ward include establishing a festival like H Street Festival, which he said would bring together members of the community who would not otherwise interact.

“Can you imagine a festival for Ward 5, all the different folks who would come out for that? Newer residents, older residents,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher is the youngest candidate in the race so far (the deadline to file to run for office is Dec. 10), in contrast with two other candidates, Harry Thomas Jr. and Vincent Orange, who have each served several terms on council before. Both resigned amid ethics scandals.

One supporter said she would not consider voting for Thomas or Orange.

“It’s time to pass on the baton.”

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Incumbent Kenyan McDuffie has decided to run for Attorney General rather than seek re-election, opening up a competitive race to fill his seat. McDuffie has sat on the council since 2012.

The candidates include Faith Gibson Hubbard, most recently the director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs; Gordon Fletcher, ANC representative for single member district 5A08; Zachary Parker, president of the D.C. State Board of Education; and Vincent Orange and Harry Thomas Jr., both former Ward 5 councilmembers.

ANC 5E chairman Bradley Thomas has a suggesting he may run for Ward 5 councilmember, but it is unclear whether he will join the race.

Faith Gibson Hubbard

A former middle school teacher, Hubbard said she was inspired to join government service because of the frustrations she and her students felt in the classroom.

Policy showed up “in ways that I knew were not beneficial to my students,” Hubbard said. “People who actually knew what was happening on the ground needed to be a part of government service.”

Hubbard views her work as a teacher, executive director of Thrive by Five—a program that connects D.C. families to resources—and Chief Student Advocate for D.C. all as fulfilling the same role. She said teaching in a public school was a kind of public service for her.

“When you are in those types of roles, you are representative of the community,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said she wanted to involve Ward 5 residents in the policymaking process.

“There are a lot of really great ideas that are pushed forward, but oftentimes there’s no room for public times,” Hubbard said during the . She proposed requiring community input while legislating.

Hubbard has also highlighted her position as the only woman and the only parent to young children in the race.

“I see that as both a small barrier, but a great opportunity for me to be able to connect with my neighbors and their reality,” Hubbard said.

Public safety and transportation are top concerns for Hubbard and residents of Trinidad, which lies in the southern part of Ward 5.

“Bus lines aren’t equitable throughout the ward, there’s not train access everywhere,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said she plans to improve public safety through education, which would provide economic opportunity and help address the root causes of crime.

For Hubbard, all of the issues that Ward 5 and the city as a whole faces can be addressed through greater government responsiveness.

“So what could I do if elected in order to address those things? No 1. is to be present.”

Gordon Fletcher

An adjunct instructor in the Department of Justice, Law & Criminology at American University, Fletcher said his experience as a student and a teacher have contributed to his decision to run.

“Service is in my heart. I’ve been big on it since I first came to D.C. at 17 to attend American University,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher was born in Jamaica, grew up in New York and has lived in D.C. for the last 20 years.

“The most diverse ward in our great city needs a leader that represents diversity, and I represent diversity,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher said his experience as an ANC commissioner for 5A helped him “get the pulse of the community,” giving him knowledge of the issues that affect Ward 5.

“I’ve been reelected three times to that position, every time garnering more votes, which shows that the trust of the public… continues to increase,” Fletcher said.

As a commissioner, Fletcher helped relocate more than 100 seniors into new housing. However, the new apartments were not large enough to accommodate seniors who wanted to live with their families and initially required residents to pay for parking. These issues, Fletcher said, made him passionate about housing reform.

To address increasing crime rates, Fletcher supports community policing. He brought back the Orange Hat Patrol, a kind of community policing, to his neighborhood, which he said helped reduce crime and which he wants to implement across the ward.

“I want to name it the Ward 5 Public Safety Squad,” Fletcher said. Fletcher said he also supported reallocating resources to social service and mental health programs.

Fletcher said he hopes to help both long term and newer Ward 5 residents. “I want to do this together.”

Zachary Parker

Parker, a former seventh grade math teacher, was elected to represent Ward 5 on the State Board of Education in 2018. His colleagues elected him president of the State Board of Education in January.

“My work has given me a front row seat to many of the challenges our families and parents face and the challenges our young people face,” Parker said.

Parker continues to work in schools in addition to being president of the State Board of Education. The ward representative to the State Board of Education is the only ward-wide representative outside of councilmember. Parker said that being representative and president have uniquely qualified him for the council seat.

“I see just how fragile people’s lives are,” Parker said.

Like Hubbard and Fletcher, Parker said he thinks the most pressing issues Ward 5 faces have to do with rising crime, public safety and housing affordability. Trinidad is seeing “rapid gentrification.”

Gentrification “makes it hard for people who want a fixed income to afford to stay in the communities in which they’ve lived forever,” Parker said.

During the Ward 5 Council Candidates Forum, Parker said he supported greater funding for mental health and other social programs, as well as education. “What we’re seeing in this city is the result of the years of defunding our communities,” Parker said.

Parker’s plan to address transportation and safety issues came after a 5-year-old girl was killed while crossing the street in a traffic crash in Brookland in September. Parker said the plan, called “Safe Streets,” was drafted with neighbors. The plan calls for creating safer intersections around schools, removing Metropolitan Police from traffic enforcement to end biased stops and increased bus routes, among other things.

Parker described his vision for Ward 5 as emphasizing residents’ wellbeing.

“What I’ve demonstrated in the past and what I lay out in my campaign is an opportunity for us to come together to help neighbors meet their basic needs.”

Harry Thomas Jr.

Harry Thomas Jr. was not available for an interview.

Thomas resigned from his position as Ward 5 councilmember and went to prison in 2012 for stealing more than $350,000 in taxpayers’ money earmarked for children’s programs, . He first won the office in 2007.

During the Ward 5 Candidates Forum, Thomas described himself as a “shining example of restorative justice.” He did not have to answer any questions about his past as all candidates received the same questions.

“I’m running because my platform is ‘Harry puts people first,’” Thomas said.

Thomas underscored the importance of economic opportunity throughout the forum.

“We must connect people to opportunities in this city,” Thomas said, referring to many native Washingtonians who have moved to the suburbs amid rising housing costs.

Like other candidates, Thomas said he supported allocating additional funds to programs that would address the root causes of crime.

“Public safety is an important issue. I don’t care who you are, the first call you’re going to make is to 911,” Thomas said.

“We have to help our people return to being productive citizens and away from crime.”

Vincent Orange

Vincent Orange was not available for an interview.

Orange, who served as Ward 5 Councilmember from 1999-2007, has run for office almost a dozen times since 1990. He resigned from his position as at-large councilmember in 2016 after receiving criticism from the public and fellow legislators for accepting the presidency of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce while simultaneously sitting on the council. The concluded that Orange did not break ethics rules when he accepted the job.

“I’m elated for this opportunity to serve and provide, and restore pride in Ward 5,” Orange said in the candidates forum.

Orange was the only candidate to say he would not support a that would provide residents $100 on a SmarTrip card every month. He said he thought the money should go to childcare instead.

Orange focused on his accomplishments during his two previous terms on council, during which he said he furthered economic development, expanded affordable housing and modernized schools.

He also emphasized what he had done to help workers, including helping to establish a $15 minimum wage and prohibiting discrimination against pregnant women and LGBTQ people in the workforce.

Orange most recently ran for an at-large council seat in 2020. He did not win, but leads in a September poll for this election.

Trinidad residents

Trinidad resident Lindsay Whalen shared candidates’ concerns about gentrification and safety in Ward 5.

“It’s alarming to see super expensive brand new housing complexes go up right next to existing businesses and homes with families that have clearly been in this neighborhood a long time,” Whalen said.

Ward 5 was the second-fastest growing ward in D.C. over the last 10 years, . Housing developments have contributed to this rapid population growth.

Whalen also expressed concerns about “instability” in Trinidad. Neighbors on the website Nextdoor post frequently about car break-ins, stolen packages, assaults and other crime.

“I’m not informed enough to know what exactly is at issue here, but to me it speaks to a lack of resources for residents,” Whalen said.

The Democratic primary is on June 21, 2022. The general election will be held Nov. 8, 2022.

The post Meet the Ward 5 candidates for DC Council first appeared on 91����.

The move comes ahead of a Ward 6-focused redistricting hearing on Wednesday. The subcommittee will host a final citywide hearing on Friday.

None of the discussion maps propose moving NoMa out of Ward 6.

“Everything is on the table,” said Mark Jackson, a legislative aide for Councilmember-at-large Elissa Silverman, who serves as chairperson for the Subcommittee on Redistricting.

Recent census data shows NoMa’s population has exploded since 2010, contributing to the need to redistrict part of Ward 6 into Wards 7 and 8. , shooting up from 76,238 to 108,202, compared to Wards 7 and 8’s populations of 76,255 and 78,513 respectively.

Now Wards 6, 7 and 8 must all have their boundaries changed in order to rebalance their populations. Ward 6 needs to shed an estimated 18,000 residents and Wards 7 and 8 will need to gain at least 6,000 and 3,500 residents respectively.

If perfectly divided, each ward would have an estimated 86,193 residents, according to the D.C. Office of Planning. Federal law allows variation of up to 5% to avoid separating communities and to follow geographic boundaries, meaning all eight wards must fall between 82,000 and 90,000 residents.

The subcommittee launched Esri, , to encourage residents to propose their own maps. This marks the first time that D.C. residents will be able to submit their own ideas on redistricting.

The subcommittee has received over 130 maps so far, according to Jackson.

Councilmembers Charles Allen, Vincent Gray and Trayon White, who represent Wards 6, 7 and 8, did not respond to multiple interview requests.

The census data makes one thing clear: .

In 2010, D.C.’s population was 50% Black and 34.8% White. Now, just more than 40% of D.C.’s population identifies as Black, according to census data.

Despite the fact that NoMa will likely remain in Ward 6, these demographic changes, along with the maps, have some worried that redistricting will dilute minority voices as residents are shifted from Ward 6 to Wards 7 and 8. Wards 7 and 8 are lower-income and predominantly Black, while Ward 6 is wealthier and more White, according to the American Community Survey.

The redistricting subcommittee has been working with the Council Office of Racial Equity to address issues of race and diversity, Jackson said.

The Council Office of Racial Equity declined to comment, saying that the office does not speak with the press about its Racial Equity Impact Assessments while working on the REIA itself.

Advisory Neighborhood Committee Chairperson Sydelle Moore (SMD 5D05) to the D.C. Council criticizing many of the proposed maps.

“This move would only serve to exacerbate inequities and target black and brown residents for consolidation into fewer wards in order to dilute the community’s political power,” Moore wrote.

“If you move a bunch of wealthy White people into Wards 7 and 8, to be blunt, they might not have as much representation,” Jackson said, adding that it could improve the economies of those areas.

Jackson said there is a misconception among residents that the redistricting process is secretive, but the subcommittee has been working to include residents’ voices and consider their solutions. These considerations contributed to the decision to launch Esri.

the subcommittee released have emphasized that redistricting is a “transparent process centered on community input.”

The subcommittee will begin markups of the redistricting bill in mid-November. The full council will vote on the bill in December.

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DMHHS that it would conduct a “full clean up” of the L and M Street NE on Oct. 28. DMHHS had intended to permanently close both encampments on Oct. 4 but paused one clearing after it accidentally bulldozed a man who was still inside his tent.

DMHHS said the man was unharmed but was provided medical treatment as a precaution. But some activists are doubtful.

“He was sedated in the hospital and suffered physical injuries as well as emotional trauma,” said Cairo X of TLC Mutual Aid.

The man, who had a housing voucher at the time of the clearing, was allowed to leave the hospital that night. Activists arranged to have him stay in a hotel after he was discharged.

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who represents Ward 2, published on Twitter a letter she and seven other council members wrote to Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage on Oct 12.

Helping our unsheltered neighbors move into safe, secure & sustainable housing is a top priority. Today, 7⃣ of my colleagues joined me in sending this letter to in support of the pilot program to expedite the housing process at some of our city’s largest encampments.

— CM Brooke Pinto (@CMBrookePinto)

“We were extremely disturbed, distressed, and disappointed to see a bulldozer injure a resident in a tent at the NoMa encampment. This is wholly unacceptable and must never happen again,” Pinto wrote.

But activists say DMHHS has continued to use bulldozers and other heavy machinery at clearings.

DMHHS conducted an unannounced clean-up at M Street NE on Oct. 19, according to Shannon Clark of Remora House, an organization that provides supplies to unhoused people in D.C.

“That they have shown up multiple times with heavy machinery shows that they don’t care about housing people, they care about clearing out tents,” Clark said.

Councilmember-at-large Elissa Silverman published her own letter to Turnage on Twitter on Oct. 7.

New: sent the letter below to in response to the recent efforts to remove encampments in the District. It includes 6 recommendations on how to restore trust and move forward.

— CM Silverman Office (@CM_Silverman)

Despite initial optimism about the pilot, “as time has gone on I have become convinced that despite good intentions our current approach does not adequately protect the health and safety of anyone,” Silverman wrote.

Activist groups and mutual aid organizations have encouraged D.C. residents to make their concerns regarding encampment closures known by launching a letter writing campaign. So far, .

Silverman’s letter included six recommendations for DMHHS, including pausing all clearings and asking DMHHS to hold a public roundtable on clearings and provide clearer channels of communication with businesses and other community members.

Activists are less sure the encampment pilot can have a positive effect even if it is modified.

“Homelessness is a feature of capitalism, not a flaw. If we don’t realize when we walk past unhoused people that this could happen to us, it keeps us complacent,” Cairo X, of TLC Mutual Aid, said.

The Oct. 4 clearings were originally slated for Sept. 20 before being rescheduled for Sept. 27, as the city failed to provide the two weeks’ notice required by law. They were rescheduled a second time in part because of petitions activists circulated protesting the closures, according to Reginald Black, Executive Director of the People for Fairness Coalition.

DMHHS hoped to improve public health and safety conditions through the encampment pilot program. The NoMa Business Improvement District published  in August 2019, citing public health and safety concerns.

“NoMa BID is aware of the complexity of this effort and understands that this is going to be an ongoing process from which the District and service providers will learn and develop best practices. We are optimistic that this pilot will help inform future efforts to identify and implement new solutions to address chronic and unsheltered homelessness for individuals,” NoMa BID president Maura Brophy said in a statement via email.

Elected officials and activists have criticized DMHHS for working quickly rather than carefully.

“It’s not sufficiently clear why the timeline is the way that it is,” said Maya Brennan, Silverman’s housing advisor. “It’s hasty, in the no-tent component.”

DMHHS’s website shows it has scheduled clean-ups at L and M Streets NE for Oct. 28, and shows a sign had been posted at the L Street encampment. No such sign has been posted at the M Street encampment.

Brennan echoed activists’ concerns about poor communication.

“We get answers from the deputy mayor’s office about why no-encampment is necessary, but we don’t get the followup dialogue to see whether those answers hold water.”

Advocates for unhoused people and elected officials agree that those living in encampments need permanent housing.

“There is no debate that the conditions people are living in under those underpasses in NoMa are inhumane and unsustainable,” Brennan said.

“We just want to figure out what the sustainable solution is.”

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“We have the funds set aside to end homelessness for many, many people. Our unhoused neighbors deserved better than what happened today,” said Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) via his communications director in an email.

Things escalate as someone was accidentally bulldozed while still in their tent

— Maydeen (@maydeennnn)

DMHHS paused activity at the L and M Streets encampment clearings after the bulldozing. Orange safety cones lined with yellow caution tape now block off remaining tents.

The clearings were part of a plan to close four encampments through the city. An Encampment Pilot Information Sheet, put out by DMHHS, said the aim is to decrease “health and safety risks” and increase “meaningful service connections and stable housing.” But activists said closing the encampments will leave unhoused people without a safe place to stay and will make offering services more difficult as the communities they serve will be dispersed.

DMHHS rescheduled the NoMa encampment closures twice before the clearings began Monday. Initially DMHHS failed to provide the two weeks’ notice of the closure the law requires. Activists said their work largely contributed to the second rescheduling.

“Our petitions got a lot of signatures, and that gave pressure on the city government to delay it,” said Jeffrey Tsoi, an activist and Georgetown University law student who focuses on housing justice issues.

The Encampment Pilot Information Sheet and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage both said the city is working with encampment residents to help them find more permanent housing, but residents described the communication as poor.

“Supposedly they have somewhere for me to live, but I’m just waiting to try to get placed somewhere,” said Andre Juste, who has lived at the L Street underpass for three years.

Encampment closures across the city, like Franklin Park’s establishment of a no-tent zone upon the park’s reopening, leave limited options for unhoused people.

Tsoi and other advocates worry about what the closures mean for unhoused people who refuse to accept the city’s housing vouchers.

“The activists helped people move here when other places were cleared out,” Tsoi said of the M and L Street encampments. Now, he is unsure where the residents will go.

DMHHS said it will “continue to engage with” those who refuse housing support and will “work to address any needs they have” in its Encampment Pilot Informational Sheet.

“If the world was just, we could trust in the city to do what it says it’s going to do. But it’s extremely difficult to trust a municipality that allows people to live on the street,” Executive Director of Ward 6 Mutual Aid Maurice Cook said.

DMHHS officials and Metropolitan Police were present at both encampment clearings. Multiple representatives from each declined to comment.

Cook was skeptical of DMHHS’s motives for permanently clearing the encampments.

“The only reason that this is happening is that they have this new constituency that doesn’t wanna see tents by their new luxury housing. I believe that this is more about the aesthetics,” Cook said.

, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition found in 2018. NCRC is an organization that works to end housing and loan discrimination.

In August 2019, the president of the NoMa Business Improvement District published . The letter read in part, “it is essential that something be done to recognize and protect the right of D.C. residents, workers, and visitors to safely use and pass through public space in NoMa.”

The letter aroused controversy, but the city took action. The city permanently cleared NoMa’s K Street encampment in January 2020.

Other advocates expressed concern about the likelihood that former encampment residents would be pushed into shelters as the pandemic wears on. DMHHS has cited public health concerns as a reason for clearing the encampment.

“If people refuse housing, where are they going to go? Communal settings are the most dangerous, and that’s what we’re pushing people into,” Executive Director of the People for Fairness Coalition Reginald Black said. The People for Fairness Coalition was founded and is run by people who have experienced homelessness.

Ultimately, Black said, the clearings are symptomatic of business and government’s failure to respond to unhoused people when making decisions about their lives.

“You can hear the violence in that.”

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