…accompanies a story that News Journal ran this morning on New Castle County government clearing out a homeless tent city near Christiana by week’s end. The photo is from New Castle County.
A sprawling homeless encampment secreted within a wooded area adjacent to University Plaza in Christiana will be cleared out by week’s end, New Castle County officials said Wednesday.
The camp was well-established at one time – and not so long ago –with at least a dozen separate sites, some with timber shelters lashed together with rope, some with large-capacity tents and some with a few creature comforts, including a generator, a small refrigerator, a sofa and some other furniture. […]
County Executive Tom Gordon said he had toured the site – situated on private property in the woods that border Del. 273 and Old Baltimore Pike – last month.
“When we were there, there were fires still smoldering,” he said Wednesday. “We’re hearing about these tents all over the place, but we just can’t throw people out.”
Gordon said the county is working to develop a “humane” policy.
Given that Gordon wants to develop a humane policy, I am not attacking him for touring the site or having it cleared in lieu of better options for the inhabitants. It is private property, and such tent cities are not safe. But the photo makes it look like Gordon is personally ordering the woman (who is Executive Assistant Angela Walker, rather than a tent city inhabitant) to leave now. Not a good image, even for the law and order Gordon. I am kinda amazed the PR department at NCCo. didn’t think about that, since the photo is from them.