Fayetteville takes steps to clear out homeless camps near downtown library

Fayetteville officials are taking their first steps in enforcing a new ordinance against homeless encampments.

The city has posted warning signs near the Headquarters Library downtown at the traffic circle for Maiden Lane and Ray Avenue.

The signs read at the top: “NOTICE: NO TRESPASSING. ILLEGAL CAMPSITE CLEARING.”

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Lower down, the signs state: “All shelters, bed down locations and personal property located at this illegal campsite must be removed. This campsite will be cleared no earlier than 72 hours of the posting date.”

The date and time of posting is listed as Nov. 9, 2022, at 9 a.m.

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Jodi Phelps, chief of staff for the city, said Thursday evening that people found in violation of the ordinance will receive citations, beginning on Monday.

“No one is intending to forcibly remove anyone or anything,” she said. “The first step in that process is issuing a citation.”

Phelps said violations of the ordinance are misdemeanors.

“The ordinance provides authority for enforcement by any sworn law enforcement officer,” she said.

Phelps said the move is not meant to be punitive. As part of Fayetteville's Impact Reduction process, the city had determined the location "was a high-risk encampment and it was unsafe for the people there.” She said there is a lengthy process to determine if a camp is high-risk.

Phelps said that in the past month, city officials, as part of an Impact Reduction task force, had “actively engaged” with people living at the encampment. The task force includes partner agencies such as Cumberland HealthNET and the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Continuum of Care on Homelessness, she said.

The goal is “to try to connect them with resources and educate them about the camping ordinance and what that means.

“The intent is voluntary compliance with the ordinance, and really, beyond that to try to connect individuals with community resources that are available.”

She said she believes there has been a lot of progress.

“They were out there today even talking to folks and trying to make sure they knew what they needed,” she said. “I think in general the response has been positive, and good. And progress is happening.”

The Fayetteville City Council passed the camping ordinance in August.

A place of refuge

The public library on Maiden Lane is a magnet and place of refuge for city residents without homes. During the day, some homeless people go inside to get out of the elements. Charities and other organizations have served meals in the city-owned parking lot across the street or along the sidewalk in front of the library.

On Thursday evening, with the weather warm and breezy and a steady rain, several people were lying down or sitting on blankets under an overhang at the front entrance to the library. Others were lying down or sitting at various points along the front of the building. Still, others slept under scant tree covering along Ray Avenue.

Jackie Melvin, who was about to settle down for the evening, said she was not surprised by the city’s signs — but was disappointed. She said she did not know why the city would not help homeless people rather than make life harder for them. She said many people like her are homeless because they cannot afford to pay rent or property taxes.

“They don’t have no shelters here for these people,” she said. “And these people have been homeless for a long time.”

She added: “It’s horrible. They don’t have nowhere to go.”

Sharman Tober stood under an umbrella near her outdoor camp at the corner of Maiden Lane and Ray Avenue. She and her son, Chris Tober, are well-known figures in the library’s homeless community; they live in a white van stuffed to the brim with various items and care for several pet dogs.

Sharman Tober, who is 73, believes they have become a particular target for city police. But she also confirmed that city officials and partner agencies had been out several times to help her find a place to stay.

She said that earlier on Thursday, someone with HealthNET brought her paperwork to fill out and said they may have located a trailer for her and her son — and could provide three months' rent. Tober, who receives retirement income, and her son, who receives money from disability, said she thinks she can afford what would be the $600 rent — but she is also not sure.

“I’d try hard,” she said.

She is unhappy about the prospect of citations, which she believes are “asinine“ for people with small or no income. She is also not sure what she will do with her things.

“They said they were going to throw all this away if it’s not picked up by Monday,” she said. “So I don’t know what my options are. I don’t know whether I can do it or not.”

She said she had a storage unit on Raeford Road but, with her minivan not starting and her tags expired, she did not know how she would get the items over there.

Tober said she would like to see the city invest in tiny homes. Instead, she sees the multiple warning signs right near where she camps as another sign of the city targeting her.

She wonders if they will eventually fine her and throw her in jail.

“Why would you throw somebody in jail who can’t afford it?”

She added: “Instead of hindering somebody, help somebody.”

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville takes steps to clear out homeless camps near library