After activists planned a rally and march from City Hall to Fort Negley, Mayor Megan Barry's office is defending plans to close the encampment Friday, citing months of work to move its current residents elsewhere.
Housing advocates said not everybody at the camp has a place to go when enforcement begins Friday at 11 p.m., but the mayor's office says they have set up options for people at the camp.
Along with working with Room in the Inn and the Nashville Rescue Mission to open availability, the city has also negotiated bringing some people experiencing homelessness to Green Street Church, it says, "allowing for ten campers with high housing barriers to relocate to Green Street Church. Metro will also provide assistance as Green Street Church expands their camp site and facilities to accommodate additional campers and tiny houses."
Although Barry says the city will meet campers with a "compassionate, service-oriented approach," she also isn't ruling out arrests.
“We do not intend to forcibly remove any individuals if they are showing a good faith effort to work with us to find an alternative place to live," Barry says.
Read the full release on Fort Negley from the Mayor's Office after the jump:
Since December of 2014, Metro Nashville has been working with the homeless advocate community and those living at Fort Negley in an attempt to find alternative solutions to the use of this public park as campgrounds. In September of 2015, shortly after Mayor Barry took office, Metro halted efforts to enforce the no camping ordinance at the request of the homeless advocate and outreach community, who asked for more time to work with Metro to find alternative living situations. At the time, all parties came to the understanding that April would be the deadline at which point the no camping and trespassing laws would once again be enforced.The following steps have been taken since that time:
· Mayor Barry has convened a series of interdepartmental meetings, which included Chris "Captain" Scott Fieselman, a representative from the Fort Negley encampment, to discuss steps to be taken to ensure a smooth transition of Fort Negley back into a public park.
· Metro issued written notifications and intensive outreach efforts six (6) weeks ahead of the deadline notifying campers of the closure date and additional resources.
· Metro has negotiated with Green Street Church, allowing for ten campers with high housing barriers to relocate to Green Street Church. Metro will also provide assistance as Green Street Church expands their camp site and facilities to accommodate additional campers and tiny houses.
· Metro has worked to ensure that Metro Social Services housing navigators and community outreach workers speak to and assess every camper to identify housing barriers and actively work on housing placement.
· Metro has worked with the Nashville Rescue Mission and Room in the Inn’s Guest House to offer additional shelter options with lowered barriers to entry for Negley campers.
· Metro has worked to ensure that anyone camping at Fort Negley will have a safe place to go before enforcement actions are taken at the park.
· Metro Parks has opened up storage facilities to allow campers to store their belongings if relocating to a shelter without space for storage, and will be on hand to provide transportation for those who need assistance in relocating to a shelter or other living situation.
While Metro has been working to find supportive solutions for those living at Fort Negley, efforts to implement the Fort Negley Master Plan and create an outdoor classroom for the Adventure Science Center have been delayed. That work will resume once the area is vacated.
The encampment at Fort Negley has presented a safety and health concern for individuals who are living there, as well as visitors. Since October 1 of 2015, there have been 140 police calls for service at Fort Negley, with 21 incident reports, two aggravated assaults, one rape and one attempted rape along with seven arrests being made on the property.
Metro has also undertaken efforts to clean up the area in and around Fort Negley to improve the health and safety conditions for individuals living at the park and those visiting. During that time, an estimated four tons of garbage have been removed by Metro employees.
On Friday, April 15 at 11PM, those who remain at Fort Negley will be in violation of section 13.24.080 of the Metro Code of Laws which states that “[n]o person shall, under any circumstances, enter for the purpose of remaining therein or remain in any park between the hours of eleven p.m. and one-half hour before sunrise without general or special permission from the board,” as well as section 13.24.410 which states that “[n]o person shall tent or camp or erect or maintain a tent, shelter or camp in any park, except in those areas specifically designated by the Board for such purposes.”
Metro Park Police will begin enforcement of these ordinances until such time as the park has been restored to its intended use, and will remain in effect thereafter. Decisions on enforcement actions will be made on a case-by-case basis, with the emphasis being on a service-oriented approach to finding alternative living situations for those who are currently camping at Fort Negley.
Mayor Barry has issued the following statement on the Fort Negley situation:
“My goal as Mayor is to ensure that everyone in Davidson County has access to a safe, affordable place to live.
“On Monday, I announced my Housing Priorities and Action Plan for 2016-2017, which includes an unprecedented $10 million investment in the Barnes Housing Trust Fund that can help to create more low-income and supportive housing, in addition to other efforts to increase the supply of affordable and workforce housing.
“Over the last few months, our Metro departments and agencies have worked together in good faith with the faith-based non-profit community to help find safe housing solutions for individuals who are living at Fort Negley.
“We believe that safe, alternative solutions have been identified to address the needs of the population that has been identified as living at Fort Negley and that it is time to begin the process of making those transitions. Metro has spoken with individuals at the encampment to understand their specific needs, such as safe places for their pets during the transition, and have worked with Metro departments and local non-profits to make such accommodations.
“While some activists have issued demands for Metro to open up alternative park land for sanctioned camps, we do not believe that is the proper course of action for a variety of legal and public safety reasons and that reasonable accommodations have been made to remove barriers to relocation for those currently living in the park.
“Tonight, our Metro Parks will once again enforce the hours of operation at Fort Negley, but will do so with a compassionate, service-oriented approach that seeks to work with those living there to find alternative places to live – helping to transport them to shelters and offering to store their belongings during the transition process.
“We do not intend to forcibly remove any individuals if they are showing a good faith effort to work with us to find an alternative place to live.
“Months of work with the community at Fort Negley have been undertaken to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for those living at the encampment. I anticipate that the process of restoring Fort Negley to its intended use will take longer than one more day or night, but ultimately, my administration is firm in its resolve to make it happen.”
Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, who has been a key partner in discussions on the Fort Negley encampment situation, said that “the law enforcement community has worked diligently with Metro departments and the Mayor’s Office over the last few months to find a way to end the practice of camping at Fort Negley while also understanding the needs of the population living there. While I believe we should not prosecute people for being too poor to afford housing, the city has found reasonable accommodations for those who are living illegally at the park, and the city is clearly justified in using a law enforcement approach if campers refuse to take advantage of the alternative options presented to them.”
