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NEW ORLEANS — In anticipation of three Taylor Swift concert events, which might draw round 150,000 guests to New Orleans’ Superdome this weekend, state authorities on Wednesday started clearing a close-by homeless encampment.
Roughly 75 individuals who had been residing in tents beneath an overpass could be relocated roughly two blocks away, Louisiana State Police mentioned. Advocates mentioned the sweep would disrupt progress find long-term, everlasting housing for these affected. Different individuals with out shelter residing within the historic, tourist-dependent French Quarter neighborhood would even be moved to the identical location, officers mentioned.
Gov. Jeff Landry’s spokesperson mentioned the transfer was taken to deal with homelessness and issues of safety, linking the trouble to the upcoming concert events and February’s Tremendous Bowl.
“As we put together for the town to host Taylor Swift and Tremendous Bowl LIX, we’re dedicated to making sure New Orleans places its finest foot ahead when on the world stage,” Landry’s communications director, Kate Kelly, mentioned in an announcement issued to native media.
Later, in an announcement to The Related Press, Kelly careworn that the transfer solely concerned a brief distance and that security was a priority. “Solely probably the most harmful blocks — the place homeless frequently stroll throughout busy streets — are being shut down,” she mentioned.
Preliminary plans to interrupt up the encampment close to the dome got here to gentle Monday. It’s unclear when plans had been made to maneuver to the placement roughly two blocks away.
Metropolis Council member Lesli Harris, whose district consists of the world, mentioned she and housing advocates had been instructed the transfer could be made Thursday. “They’re abruptly right here, on Wednesday morning, springing this on us,” mentioned Harris.
Martha Kegel, govt director of Unity of Higher New Orleans, a nonprofit that seeks everlasting housing for unsheltered individuals, mentioned transferring the encampment was higher than disbanding it as advocates had initially feared. However she mentioned it was nonetheless a unnecessary and dangerous endeavor, in addition to a waste of state and federal tax cash earmarked for sheltering these with out properties.
A lot of these within the camp have psychological sicknesses and are distrustful of authorities and people attempting to assist them, Kegel mentioned.
“Some individuals had been frightened and left, and that is not good,” she mentioned. “As a result of then all of the work that we did to evaluate them and doc their disabilities and, you realize, work with them on their housing plan has now been wasted.”
Amongst these making the transfer Wednesday was Terrence Cobbins. Taking a break from gathering his belongings, he mentioned he was instructed to maneuver due to the upcoming concert events. “They ain’t by no means did it earlier than for different individuals,” he mentioned. “Why Taylor Swift?” He mentioned he wasn’t completely satisfied in regards to the disruption, “I can not do nothing about it.
Metropolis Council President Helena Moreno issued an announcement calling for higher state and metropolis coordination to deal with homelessness.
Kegel mentioned her company ought to have been contacted, noting that the live performance dates had been introduced months in the past. “We might have achieved what the governor wished in a humane and rational means and never simply push individuals a few blocks away or scatter them,” she mentioned.
There was no indication that Swift or the NFL — which, 4 years in the past, set the 2025 Tremendous Bowl for New Orleans — had any enter within the determination to maneuver the camp. Emailed requests for remark had been despatched to Swift representatives and the league Wednesday afternoon.
Related Press journalists Gerald Herbert in New Orleans and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge contributed to this report.
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