DC Government Kicks Homeless Patrons Off The Street Near Union Station

The DC Government is clearing out the homeless encampment near Union Station ; sending the most vulnerable class of DC residents out to find another street to sleep on

The city told the homeless men and women camped under the H Street Bridge that they’d be there at 10 a.m. Thursday to remove their belongings. The city was right on time. At the top of the hour, workers wearing gloves and carrying shovels and rakes, moved in and began ridding the sidewalk of evidence of the tents and belongings of the 15 or so homeless people who live under the bridge in Northeast Washington, just steps from Union Station and a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Some had been living there for just a few weeks, others for years.

The City's Deputy Mayor Brenda Donald says, "It's not illegal to sleep on the street, but you can't pitch a tent on the street without a permit".

City officials and homeless services contractors were on hand to assure those they were moving that their belongings would be stored nearby for 30 days and that anyone who wanted to stay in a shelter would be accommodated. But many of the homeless didn’t want to move and weren’t convinced by the city’s promises. They don’t have any shelters for seniors,” said Bobbie Mascuch, 64, who said she’s been living under the bridge for the past 18 months. Mascuch said the only reason the city was acting to remove them was because a few months ago a good Samaritan gave the homeless tents to sleep in and that raised their visibility. I was rained on, sleeted on, snowed on and no one did anything,” Mascuch said. “Then in December we got tents and now they want us out. That started problems and that started people complaining.” Mascuch said she would be back under the bridge Thursday night without a tent. “Let ‘em take me to jail,” she said. “It’s not against the law to sleep in the street.”