Homeless tents creeping into the nice/residential part of DC

[Anonymous]

It's bad enough that tents are in all the public spaces downtown, but I was dismayed driving in this morning to see a tent in one of the little green public spaces off Mass Ave near the Cathedral.

I'm worried DC will into SF (and I mean the bad parts of SF). Why are city officials letting homeless people live in tents in all the public spaces? It's unsanitary and extremely unpleasant.

[Anonymous]

The city just dismantled multiple large homeless encampments.

https://wjla.com/news/local/washington-dc-homeless-encampment-northwest-new-jersey-o-streets-councilmember-robert-white-inhumane

Some on the Council want to stop the dismantling, but they've tabled a vote on the issue:

https://dcist.com/story/21/12/08/lawmakers-postpone-vote-on-bill-to-stop-dc-from-clearing-homeless-encampments-during-winter-months/

[Anonymous]

snob

[Anonymous]

Good.

[Anonymous]

So you want them to take over the "bad" neighborhoods?

But, really, I get it. I just moved back here from the west coast. It is way better here. Our neighborhood (high 700s to 2 mil+ range of homes) was being overtaken by homeless. The theft and tents with drugs, trash, etc. was simply overwhelming. Be glad DC is actually doing a decent job with this. Anymore liberal and these tents will be in your yard.

[Anonymous]

Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

[Anonymous]

This isn't about politics but public decency. There is nothing wrong with having standards.

There are tents by the State Department but they are neat and mostly free from debris. The tents here were in stark contrast to tents in other areas. I suspect it is a security concern for the State Department.

And this should be true of anywhere in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

They'd last maybe three hours after dark.

[Anonymous]

Reach out to your council member. They need to hear from their constituents to take action on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

Sure! Hope they're well-armed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

They'd last maybe three hours after dark.

+1 please send privileged private boy out camping and report back in a week

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who remembers when the Mall was full of homeless sleeping?

[Anonymous]

There are tent cities because poor people can’t afford DC rents and the housing voucher waitlist has been closed since 2013. Lack of investment in services, shelters, and public housing is what causes tent homelessness. Have compassion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tent cities because poor people can’t afford DC rents and the housing voucher waitlist has been closed since 2013. Lack of investment in services, shelters, and public housing is what causes tent homelessness. Have compassion.

Those are all problems but mental illness and drug addiction are the real driving issues. A person who doesn’t earn much money isn’t going to end up literally sleeping on the street. Those are the people who move way far out into the exurbs, live in their cars, couch surf with friends/family, or even who can work within the boundaries set by the homeless shelters. Nobody sleeps on the street in a tent just because the rent is too high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

Yes. Just get them a composting toilet that you will pick up and clean once a week