Milwaukee Tent City Residents Have Been Ordered To Leave [EDITORIAL]

Homelessness is a problem in nearly every major city including some smaller cities as well. “Tent Cities” have been around for decades, especially in warmer climates. Recently, the homeless population in Milwaukee has increased, resulting in a Tent City.

This isn’t the first time Milwaukee has dealt with this. There was a very similar situation in 2018 with just about as many people living under the same bridge. This was the first time Milwaukee experienced anything quite like this. Despite outreach groups helping, the Tent City still began to grow and city officials had to take action.

Those living in Milwaukee’s Tent City have been ordered to vacate. The early October eviction notice states: “You are hereby given notice to move off of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation highway right of way per Wisconsin statute 86.025 which states that camping on highways is unlawful.” Those under the bridge were directed to leave the city owned land no later than October 31. The large area of shelter under I-794 near North 6th and West Clybourn street has drawn in homeless individuals from all over Milwaukee. The eviction notice created mixed reactions and conversation. Was evicting the homeless the right move to make?

To some this tent city was home to them. It gave the homeless people of Milwaukee a sense of community. A unanimous decision was made and the majority agreed that city officials made the proper decision to vacate the tent city. The decision was made with the intention to help the homeless individuals rather than hurt them. With brittle cold temperatures on the way it’s

important for the homeless to find adequate shelter and hopefully get back on their feet and on the path to living a better life. We firmly believe safety played a big role in determining if the city of Milwaukee made the correct call. If the city wouldn’t have made the decision there would have been no guarantee that tent city would have cleared out for the colder months. There are organizations out there willing to help and who want to help plus there are community outreaches helping the tent city move somewhere more safe and with more resources for at least the winter. 

With safety being one of the main reasons for the eviction, some also say the 2020 Democratic National Convention may have played a role in the eviction as well. It’s certainly true that the convention could have been another motive to clear out from under the bridge, but at the end of the day safety is still the main priority. The homeless population deserve a second chance and they need to know that there are resources out there to help them in dark times. Recovery is not easy and we truly understand that. In order to break the vicious cycle of homelessness in Milwaukee, it was absolutely necessary to vacate tent city.

 Vacating Tent City is a decision that has been made about the homeless people, for the homeless people.

This editorial was based on the discussion of a JAMS 504 editorial board.