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Some homeless people are crying foul after a Friday evening crackdown on people who have turned the sidewalks of Leon Avenue into a makeshift campsite.
A posting on Facebook by Derek Foreel shows part of the police action as people were asked to pack up their belongings and go, as night clubs in the area prepared to open for the night.
The 200 block of Leon Avenue has become an unofficial residence for the homeless. It is usually populated by tents, tarps, and the collected belongings of scores of people without a proper place to stay. While it may be contrary to the city's bylaws, it is typically tolerated.
But on Friday evening, there was a sudden police presence as people were asked to pick up and go. "This is illegal," exclaimed Foreel on the video he posted to Facebook. "There is no room, absolutely no room in any shelters."
He said in the recording that people were given 10 minutes to clear-out. "I'm going to post this injustice by Kelowna RCMP all over Facebook," he added.
On Leon today, there are people still upset about what happened Friday night. "I feel it's a human rights violation, you know," said David Laboucane, "because we have nowhere to go." Donna Dafoe was also sleeping on Leon Avenue Friday night. "I asked him too," said Dafoe in regards to where they were expected to go. "And he didn't really give us an answer." A news release issued by the RCMP today said the police saw over 20 tents on the sidewalk that night with 60 to 100 people camping.
"The location of these tents posed serious safety concerns to pedestrians, drivers and to the people occupying those tents," said Kelowna RCMP Corporal Meghan Foster. There is no mention in the release about why police moved on the issue on Friday night in particular but pointed out the priority to protect citizens. "This priority prompted us to clear the area of the occupied tents blocking the street."
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