Where Tent City once was now lie messily raked piles of debris.
A worn path leads to the empty camping area, and bare patches of sand mark where many people called home. Birds still sing from the arching canopy of trees over piles of rain-sodden novels and robin’s egg blue porcelain dishes.
Today is when bright orange “No Trespassing” signs take effect. Tonight at midnight is when people on the land will be trespassing on the property. However, most of the campers have already moved out of Tent City over the past few weeks.
“The ones that are left this late might be the ones who need the most help,” said Annette Gilley, an Occupy Gainesville member who has been actively helping Gainesville’s homeless. “They might be addicted to drugs or mentally ill and haven’t wanted to move out.”
Gainesville Police have been visiting Tent City, telling campers of the eviction date and handing out flyers with information about relocation opportunities, said GPD Lt. Brian Helmerson.
Those who are left will be verbally warned of trespass, then physically arrested or given a notice to appear in court. If they still do not leave, trespassers will be jailed.
Some have relocated to other campsites, and some have moved to the woods around GRACE Marketplace, about five miles north.
“Every day, we have been having a slow influx,” said Theresa Lowe, executive director of the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. “I know Tuesday is the last day, but there were a lot of people who didn’t want to move this way.”
To help with the move, the city approved 2,000 one-year bus passes for the ACCHH to give to those who need it.
“Free bus passes have made it easier for people to get out to us,” she said. “And once they started moving out here, they found out that we are OK.”
Arupa Freeman, the founder of Homeless Outreach Mobile Effort (Home) Van, a service that brings necessities to the homeless, has focused her attention on fundraising for new tents to give to campers.
“Unless they are military-grade tents, tents aren’t meant to be full-time residences,” she said. “We are trying to get people a fresh start at their new locations.”
Tent City’s property owners allowed the campsite.
“We started off with one homeless man, Old Robert,” said Larry Calton, owner of part of the land and the Calton Dental Office nearby. “Two or three years later, we had about 150 people living out there with no restroom facilities, all living on five acres of land.”
New residents kept coming, including a large influx from the property where the new Regional Transit System facility is being built.
“In the group, there were quite a few nice people who were just down on their luck,” he said. However, other residents created an unsafe environment on the property, so they had to go.
In the meantime, the homeless settle into their new camps. Trash is no longer scattered on the ground, but collected in big, black Hefty bags. Food roasts on open fires. People rebuild their homes.
[A version of this story ran on pages 1 - 4 on 7/8/2014 under the headline "Local homeless relocate after Tent City evictions "]
A sign posted by the Gainesville Police declares the date it will start removing unauthorized residents from the property south of Depot Avenue, known as tent city.
