Politics
Advocates Brace for Sweeps of Homeless Encampments in Chicago, Launch ‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign
A North Side homeless encampment was cleared this week following safety concerns from nearby residents and a tent fire that caught the attention of officials back in July.
Legion Park is just one of more than 60 encampments in the city, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said at a Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday, and clearings are not typical for the city department.
“We don’t have the resources to do sweeps of 60 encampments nor do we have the desire to do sweeps of 60 encampments,” said Ramirez-Rosa. “We’ll just end up with 60 encampments in 60 other parks and continue to exacerbate that cycle of displacing people.”
While there is a municipal code that prohibits overnight sleeping at public parks, Ramirez-Rosa explained, it is seldom enforced unless there’s an issue relating to the health and well-being of encampment residents — which was the case in Legion Park — or if the location of the encampment impedes planned construction activity — as was the case at Gompers Park.
With the impending possibility of a National Guard deployment in Chicago, some advocates for people experiencing homelessness are concerned about how a military presence might affect the vulnerable population.
Washington, D.C., saw more than 50 encampment clearings since the National Guard arrived there.
Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness, is concerned federal agents will follow a similar roadmap in Chicago.
“That could mean troops going into encampments, pushing people out of those spaces and getting rid of their property,” said Schenkelberg.
Schenkelberg, along with city partners, created the “Know Your Rights as an Unsheltered Person” campaign. Like all residents of all immigration statuses, unsheltered people have the right to remain silent if approached by law enforcement and the right to legal representation; they do not have to consent to a search.
President Donald Trump has been discussing the possibility of sending troops to Chicago; in a social media post over the weekend, he wrote “Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” He then walked back that statement.
While the president doesn’t have the authority to administer local government ordinances, the city’s Department of Family and Support Services has still been planning ahead of a potential troop deployment by adding 600 more shelter beds.
“We do not need him (Trump) to come here and disrupt the positive progress that we’ve been making under Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration,” said Sendy Soto, Chicago’s chief homelessness officer. “Building trust with the residents at these encampments is so critical to this work and ensuring that it’s a human-centered approach with compassion.”
