RALEIGH, N.C. — People living at a homeless camp on South Saunders Street say Raleigh police officers warned them to move or risk a citation for trespassing starting next week.
Video obtained by CBS17 shows Raleigh police officers going through a homeless encampment warning people that they will begin “enforcing” next week, but it was not clear what they were referring to. Those present at the camp that day told CBS17 that officers told them they would begin issuing trespassing citations next week, then arrests that week afterward.
Greensboro group expands homeless outreach for veterans “Everyone here is under notice. If they were here when the police came and I mean ignorance from you, don’t be an excuse to not know that. I guess if you’ve been given a citation, then they know you’ve been warned,” Patrick O’Neill said, a volunteer who regularly helps people living at the camp.
CBS17 first reported on the notice to vacate the private property on Saturday, when people living there told a CBS17 crew that Raleigh police gave them until 11 a.m. that morning to leave the premises.
“Friday morning, like eight of them came back here and was like, we’re trespassing. People are coming tomorrow at 11 o’clock to lock people up, and you got to get your stuff and get out of here by 11 a.m.,” RJ, a homeless man living at the encampment, told CBS17.
After following up Monday, the Raleigh Police Department said in a statement:
“We had two officers in the encampment this weekend, and they spoke to those they encountered about panhandling along South Saunders Street. At no time was an order given to vacate the encampment.”
After showing police the new video, they issued a new response, saying:
“’No Trespassing’” signs are clearly visible, and officers informed those on the property that trespassing is illegal. In this case, officers provided verbal warnings rather than citations or arrests.”
People living at the encampment told CBS17 that they don’t feel comfortable at local shelters because they heard horror stories about the conditions. They said they feel more comfortable living in a community where they know everyone around them.
“I just don’t want to put myself in a situation where that could possibly happen. I feel safer, here, with people that I know, and I know care about me and would protect me,” one woman living at the site said.
Raleigh police also said in their statement that even though the camp sits on private property, officers take additional measures to consider the wellbeing of the vulnerable populations living on the site, saying:
“The city is launching the Unsheltered Homelessness Response Pilot Program, which will provide a holistic approach to supporting individuals living unsheltered in the city while addressing the root cause of homelessness.”
Multiple people living at the encampment told CBS17 that local shelters don’t provide long-term options, especially for those with older children, animals, or long-term couples. Many said they would rather stay together in a camp or on the streets than separate.
On Thursday, the City of Raleigh also launched an open callout seeking proposals for a “Homelessness Prevention, Diversion, and Rapid Exit Program.” The city is “seeking proposals from one or more agencies to administer a Homelessness Prevention, Diversion, and Rapid Exit Program. This program will make available $855,000 to prevent, divert, and rapidly exit Raleigh residents from the homeless response system. Of this amount, $75,000 will be focused on residents in the downtown district.”
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