Encampment clearing at D.C.’s McPherson Square spurs protest rally

The District of Columbia’s planned clearing Wednesday of a large homeless encampment in McPherson Square motivated protesters to demonstrate against the move earlier this week.

Dozens of people chanted “stop the sweep” and others gave speeches Monday opposing the National Park Service’s decision to clear the downtown park, according to WTOP.

Sam Myszkowski, a climate activist with Sunrise D.C., told the radio station that the clearing “puts people at risk when we clear parks out during hypothermia season.”

The operation was originally planned to take place in April, but NPS and District officials moved that date up in response to the park inhabitants’ unruly behavior.

Wayne Turnage, the deputy mayor for Housing and Human Services, told WUSA that there have been 30 arrests and three deaths at McPherson Square in the past 11 months.

That included an October incident where a woman was walking to work before a man dumped a gallon of urine on her, police told WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate for the city.

At its peak, 75 people were living in the park.

It’s unclear where the homeless will go after they’re removed from the park. Mr. Turnage said half the city’s public housing stock is unavailable or in disrepair, and 800 people are on the waiting list for housing vouchers.

“While my immediate attention is on getting people housed before NPS closes the encampment later this week, we also need to address why we’re seeing unacceptable delays in getting people housed — even after the Council has provided funding for more vouchers & service providers,” Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto wrote Monday.