McKee orders clearing of homeless tent encampment at RI State House

PROVIDENCE – Residents of the tent encampment outside the Rhode Island State House face eviction and possible arrest if they don't leave the capitol grounds by Friday morning, Gov. Dan McKee's administration told them Wednesday.

State workers began delivering eviction letters to tent residents shortly after dawn and worked to arrange places for them to stay at shelters or elsewhere.

"This is a notice to inform you that you must vacate the State House grounds by 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 9," the letter said. "Please be aware that all personal possessions must also be removed from the State House grounds within the next 48 hours ... any violation hereof may result in the violator being subject to fine and/or arrest."

More:Homeless Rhode Islanders say they're being left to freeze outside the State House

The tent encampment on the marble terrace of the State House's north entrance plaza has been growing steadily since late summer and by Tuesday included around 35 tents, some of them sheltering more than one person. By 11 a.m., with rain pouring down, a handful of tents had already been taken down.

State police troopers were parked on the plaza and Smith Street to make sure no disassembled tents were put back up or any new ones sprouted.

McKee spokesman Matt Sheaff said there was no particular event or issue that determined the timing of the tent removal effort other than the fact that it has taken time to coordinate social-service providers and prepare.

If they do all leave the State House voluntarily, it is unclear where all the tent residents will go.

The eviction letter said everyone at the encampment is "being provided with a bed in an emergency shelter" if they want them.

But some of the tent residents don't want to move to shelters, either because of bad experiences in the past, not wanting to be split up from loved ones or shelter hours not fitting their schedule.

"All I say is give them a little bit of respect," said Ruth "Diamond" Madsen as a few of the tent residents packed up the belongings inside their tent.

More:What is it like being homeless in Rhode Island? One family's story.

Madsen and other advocates at the scene were looking into whether legal action could be taken to prevent the state from removing people who haven't left by Friday.

John Larkin, a coordinator with the Rhode Island Poor People's Campaign, called the evictions "totally morally wrong."

"We always feel that no one is illegal on public land," he said. "The Poor People's Campaign feels unhoused folks are being treated as illegal no matter where they go. These encampments are frequently terrorized and made to move."

As the rain hammered down, tent residents weighed their options before Friday's deadline.

With a driver from shelter operator Crossroads helping her break down her tent, Angelina Hoppe said she was happy to get a shelter bed and had been living outside the State House only because, prior to Wednesday, she had been told the shelters were "full, full, full."

"It has to happen sooner or later," she said when asked if she was upset about leaving the tent village.

But Donna, who declined to give her last name, said after four years without a permanent place to live and bad experiences in shelters, "I can't go back there."

The 61-year-old was one of the first handful of people to pitch a tent at the capitol three months ago.

"I've couch-surfed. I've slept on the benches downtown. I feel safe here, compared to where I've been in the past," she said. "I don't know what will happen. I'll have to ride it out like I've ridden the last four years out."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tent dwellers ordered off RI State House grounds