In the cold darkness of Wednesday morning, the Louisiana State Police went to a tent camp under a tower in the center of New Orleans. Residents needed to pack up, police said. Buses were waiting to take them to temporary places.
Ronald Lewis listened to the voice of the police: three meals a day, a recreation area with a television, a night guard and an hour in a cave shop hidden from all he knew. He said he had spent years cycling in and out of prison. The option offered sounded like a presence he wanted to leave.
Instead of taking the bus, she piled all her belongings into a shopping cart and pushed it. He wasn’t sure where he was going. But he knew that the Super Bowl was coming to town and that his life and schedule would change because he had pitched his tent not far from the Superdome, where the game would be played.
“I don’t like it, time,” said Mr. Lewis, 65, while standing next to his overflowing cart. “You’re pushing me out of my comfort zone.”
Mr Lewis had to make that choice after the state launched an expensive effort this week to evict people who had been living in camps in the city centre. With the game coming up in February and the parade leading up to Mardi Gras, officials wanted to be as inconspicuous as New Orleans would be filled with tourists.
For months, state officials have been trying to push the homeless farther and farther from the bustling downtown core, clashing with city leaders and homeless advocates in the process. The camp was forcibly removed in October before a Taylor Swift concert, and some of the displaced people ended up in an area under a highway that was cleared on Wednesday.
But renewed efforts this week, led by Gov. Jeff Landry, comes as New Orleans has been gripped by violence and fear since a man armed with guns and explosives detonated a truck into a New Year’s Day crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. .
“It is in the best interest of all citizens for safety and security to provide an unoccupied and safe place to live as we begin to embrace the land in the city of New Orleans,” said Mr. Landry, a Republican, in a statement.
Mr. Landry tried to accomplish that by implementing an emergency order issued after the attack, which sought to protect highways and bridges and ensure roads and streets were clear and accessible.
Officials said the plan was to provide the evacuees with a place to stay in a shop that was quickly set up in an industrial area far from the city. Officials have billed the stopover as a resource center, offering space for pets and shuttles people to work and appointments. The program will remain in effect at least until after Mardi Gras, which this year will be held on March 4.
Not all potential residents were impressed. Other city leaders and advocates who work with the homeless also argued that the move threatened the lives of residents already at risk and interfered with ongoing efforts to help people find permanent housing. This city has its own plan that aims to accommodate 1,500 people by the end of the year; 822 have been connected to houses.
“I think it shows that we can accept the great harm to homeless people as the price they have to pay to not be seen at these big events,” said Angela Owczarek, who is part of a humanitarian group. deals with homelessness, called New Orleans Homeless and Houseless Advocacy, Research and Rights Monitoring, or NOHHARM.
Confusion and anxiety began as soon as state police began handing out pamphlets and posting signs detailing transportation plans this week. And it got tense as buses started taking people to the warehouse, called the Transitional Center.
Christopher Aylwen said he was talking to his friends on the side of the road at around 5:30 in the morning when plainclothes police arrived. “You are obstructing the road,” said the policeman who had told them. He said he was given an ultimatum: Get on the bus or go to jail. So he rode and rode to an unknown place half an hour away.
At the center he was given donuts and coffee and told to wait. “It was bitterly cold,” he said. He took photographs of the large, sparsely populated area that he thought was more suitable for storing industrial materials than people living in them.
On Wednesday, some of those who gave birth at the center revealed that they were told by the staff of the center that they will not be free to come in at will and they can only leave if they have a job – even then. there was a 9pm curfew.
State officials said Wednesday that staying at the facility was voluntary and there were no curfews or other travel restrictions. The heaters are working, but the doors were left open as furniture and equipment were being moved, letting in cold air, officials said. By afternoon, more than 120 people had registered.
“From an operational standpoint, it looks like it’s going as well as expected,” said Mike Steele, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, adding, “A lot of people were excited about the opportunity. .”
Still, some were skeptical of the officials’ promises and worried about what would come next. “I thought a lot,” said Raymond Lewis, 56, explaining the obstacles that come with living on the street. He said his shoes were stolen while he was sleeping, and he was spat on by strangers. However, his distrust of the state was more than that. “If the people in charge decide that you don’t care, you’re in trouble,” he said.
Erica and Timothy Dudley had a tough transition after being evicted from their apartment last year, but they put together something they were proud of. “We always make things work,” said Ms. Dudley, 41. “My husband, he tried to make it as comfortable as possible.”
They had one tent as a living space, and another as a bathroom. A friend who went to another place left them a tent, which they turned into a kitchen and storage room.
Now, all that was full. They were worried that Mr. Dudley was far from the doctors treating his mental health problems and the threat of arrest if they didn’t leave. But Ms. Dudley was also a little hopeful: Maybe the disruption might lead to a positive outcome.
“I hope they will do what they say they will do,” said Ms. Dudley. “We really need help.”
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