Homeless, formerly homeless activists demand encampment rights ahead of DNC

CHICAGO — A group of current and formerly homeless people arrived in Chicago on Saturday ahead of a march on the Democratic National Convention.

They came from Milwaukee after their march on the Republican National Convention and are now facing off with Chicago police and city leaders about putting up tents.

Leaders from across the nation will soon be making their way to Chicago for the DNC, and city leaders have been working with protestors who want to make their voices heard, but certain demonstration requests are being denied.

“We would like y’all to be out here and give us some service and protect us. Not trying to come over here and trying to make it seem like we are doing something so insane,” Galen Tyler, a member of the Poor People’s Army, said.

On Saturday, the Poor People’s Army began their demonstration in Humboldt Park.

“If people are ashamed of homelessness in this country and they want to hide it here in Chicago then [explitive] they should end homelessness,” Poor People’s Army co-founder Cheri Honkala said.

A panel of homeless people concluded their 90-mile march from Milwaukee to Chicago. They have a permit and plan to march against a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outdoors.

“I highly believe that if you are an advocate against homelessness you are not going to take issue with currently and formally homeless people spending 48 hours lifting up the only thing we have left is our voice,” Honkala said.

The group wants to set up an encampment in the park and said it was their intention for months, but members of the group allege city leaders reached out to them at the last minute, telling them the encampment was not allowed.

“It’s absolutely crazy that the mayor would be indirectly threatening us on all different kinds of levels,” Honkala said.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) was present as the group arrived. She said city leaders did not know about the tent encampment until a few days ago.

“The CPD has made it very clear they are not going to allow for tents in the park. It’s why I am here,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes said she is trying to negotiate with the group to relocate to private empty lots.

“We are proposing options to keep people safe and respect their First Amendment rights,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes added that the park already has an active homeless encampment.

“We have one of the largest tent encampments that has its own complexities and have had large safety concerns in the last several weeks with folks that have been living here. We want to make sure they are safe and that the people who come from Milwaukee are safe,” Fuentes said.

Officers told the group not to put up tents, and police maintained a presence at the park through the afternoon hours.

“We didn’t march all the way from Milwaukee, you know what I man, to be silenced in Chicago,” Tyler said.

The group, which is made up of people from several states, including Florida, Pennsylvania and New York, has a permit to march from the park to the United Center on the opening day of the DNC.

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