Update: A federal judge will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. to rule on the temporary restraining order request from ArchCity Defenders, a non-profit law firm, to stop St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and the city health department from evicting about 50 people from two tent encampments downtown.
The judge has instructed city officials not to enter the park where unhoused individuals are living in tents on Market Street, near Tucker Boulevard. Steve Conway, the mayor’s chief of staff, said they had already completed the process of getting these individuals signed up for shelter or hotel rooms when they heard about the order. And all except about 10 people agreed to leave, but not all who agreed have left, he said. Advocates said the process caused much anxiety and emotional turmoil in these individuals, and several are awaiting the federal judge’s ruling before leaving.
The public can use this call-in number to listen to the hearing: 1-877-336-1839. The access code is 3539352.
Original story:
The ArchCity Defenders filed a federal lawsuit and applied for a temporary restraining order early this morning to stop St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and the city health department from evicting about 50 people from two tent encampments downtown.
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against the City of St. Louis, on behalf of Ranata Frank and other unhoused individuals.
“Frank signed up for space in a hotel three weeks ago and is still waiting for a bed,” according to a press statement from ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit civil rights law firm that advocates for the unhoused. “She has asked for an update on the bed status when city officials are present at the camps and is frequently told someone will be in touch with her. Thursday night, she still waited for her bed, uncertain what tomorrow would bring.”
On Wednesday, April 29, city officials — led by Steve Conway, the mayor’s chief of staff — zip-tied “Notice to Vacate” orders on tents along Market Street, ordering people to leave the encampments by 10 a.m. on Friday, May 1. Parties are awaiting notice from the court for when the temporary restraining order (TRO) suit will be heard.
ArchCity said the city’s issuance of these orders to vacate goes against guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which were adopted in a memo released on March 25 by St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden.
Hayden’s memo states that officers should refrain from clearing encampments during the spread of COVID-19, in accordance with federal health guidelines. “Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers,” the memo stated.
On April 29, the mayor released a statement about the city’s move to vacate the tent communities.
“This action is happening for the purpose of protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the city, including most especially the individuals inhabiting the encampments and their visitors,” the mayor stated.
“As of today, there are now sufficient shelter openings for the 50 or so individuals who remain living in the encampments downtown. For their health and safety, and for the health and safety of the broader community, the city will continue to have safe and secure shelter available for these individuals.”
However people living in the encampments as well as outreach workers dispute the city’s claim that there are enough shelter beds, motel rooms, and temporary housing.
“For weeks, the City of St. Louis has stated that they have enough shelter for the people who want it. This is patently false,” said John Bonacorsi, a staff attorney and Skadden Fellow at ArchCity Defenders.
“As unhoused individuals, outreach workers, and service providers know firsthand, there is a severe shortage of adequate shelter space for our local unhoused community, which means that there are hundreds of people who are forced to risk punishment and sleep outside.”
On April 30, a representative of the City’s Homeless Services Division reported to Continuum of Care service providers that there was a 96-person waiting list for beds, according to ArchCity Defenders.
This story is developing.
