In a statement released Thursday night, the municipality said it made a formal request for assistance from the Halifax Regional Police on Wednesday and that enforcement actions are now up to the police. The Council held a special meeting on Tuesday about the homeless in the city and specifically about what is happening at Meagher Park, also known as People’s Park, where people have been staying since last summer. Many councilors have said the situation at the park cannot continue, echoing neighbors’ concerns about violence, verbal threats and health and safety issues. Bruce Wilson, who lives on Chebucto Street, said in the days after that encounter he noticed more activity in the park, “almost like it’s going up and preparing for things.” He said an outside group of protesters showed up. “In recent days, there has been an increase in activity… [It] it seems like a protection of the park, almost a fortification of it. We’re seeing a pallet barricade on one side on Dublin Street,” he told CBC Radio’s Information Morning. Bruce Wilson lives near Meagher Park on Chebucto Road. (Bob Murphy/CBC) The issue of people subsuming the state of the park for their own political agenda was also raised by several councilors during this week’s meeting. Victoria Levack, a volunteer with the PADS Community Advocacy Network, said protesters unrelated to her group or park residents began showing up in July, usually in the evenings, “to stir things up.” “They asked if we wanted their help. We said no thanks and they came anyway,” Levack told CBC Radio’s Mainstreet. “And then we said not so nicely, please leave. You’re not welcome here. We don’t support your values … and they won’t leave.”
Police say an illegal fire was set
Halifax Regional Police said in a statement Thursday night that “efforts are continuing to allow residents to voluntarily evacuate and remove their belongings from municipal property.” Police also said conditions at Meagher Park “place many people in an increasingly vulnerable situation”. Police said there was one incident this week where an illegal fire was set and “park residents” tried to prevent firefighters from putting it out. Listen to Victoria Levack’s full interview: Mainstreet NS6:38 Meagher Park volunteer concerned about unaffiliated group showing up Host Jeff Douglas visited Meagher Park, also known as People’s Park, on Thursday to speak with volunteer Victoria Levack. “We have an obligation to protect the public safety of all involved — and we urge efforts for a safe exit,” HRP said. But Levack said threatening people experiencing homelessness with police action is not the answer. On Thursday, he said police cars were going back and forth, searching the park. “Police evictions of people in tents and shelters is wrong, especially when there are no better options. We cannot police our way out of a housing crisis,” PADS wrote in a statement this week. Victoria Levack is a volunteer at Meagher Park. (Patrick Callaghan/CBC) Wilson, meanwhile, said he sees no choice but to bring in the police. “It affects us negatively, emotionally. [We’re] we are worried about our safety, safety of families, safety of property and it has been a year and it has been very stressful,” he said. While Wilson said he understands some of the new people at the park don’t connect with residents or volunteers, he’s troubled by the behavior he’s seen in recent months.
We remember last August
There is also concern among some that the police involvement could escalate and turn into a repeat of what happened a year ago.
Last August, protesters clashed with police on Spring Garden Road as city workers removed shelters from parks and green spaces. Police used pepper spray and arrested some protesters.
Criminal defense lawyer Asaf Rashid initially represented 18 people arrested that day.
“He’s standing up for it, based on what the city council is saying [about] use of the police. That concerns me a lot,” he said, adding that no formal investigation into the municipality’s oversight of police operations that day has been made.
At last count, more than 600 people were experiencing homelessness in the Halifax area.
At the meeting this week, several councilors praised the city and province for the work that has been done to build modular units in Halifax and Dartmouth and approve specific areas for tents.
But Rashid said these solutions clearly don’t work for everyone.
“It’s been talked about since last year that the city and the province are working together, but a lot more needs to be done to address the problem,” he said.
Listen to Asaf Rashid’s full interview:
Information Morning – NS7:35 Lawyer hits out at Halifax District Council plans to clear shelters from Meagher Park
Halifax District Council held a special meeting to discuss the “closure” of the Meagher Park encampment, where people have been living in tents since last summer. We hear from Asaf Rashid, a lawyer representing protesters arrested in a similar eviction last summer.