(San Francisco) Homeless ordered to vacate camp they were pressured into before Super Bowl
Source: The Guardian
Homeless ordered to vacate camp they were pressured into before Super Bowl
Now declared a public health hazard, the 21st-century Hooverville under a
highway overpass became a symbol of San Franciscos gaping inequality
Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco
Friday 26 February 2016 00.28 GMT
Residents have been ordered to vacate the San Francisco homeless encampment under a highway overpass after police and public workers pressured the citys homeless to relocate there from areas of the city slated for Super Bowl 50 festivities.
The 21st-century Hooverville became a symbol of the citys gaping inequality in the run-up to and throughout the week of star-studded Super Bowl festivities in February, rekindling long-running controversies over how the city should address the needs of its nearly 7,000 homeless residents.
Then on 23 February, less than three weeks after the championship game, the San Francisco department of public health declared the encampments on several blocks of Division Street a public health hazard due to accumulation of garbage, human feces, hypodermic needles, urine odors and other insanitary conditions. Homeless residents were ordered to leave within 72 hours.
Conditions where multiple tents are congregated have become unsafe, director of health Barbara Garcia said in a statement. People are living without access to running water, bathrooms, trash disposal or safe heating or cooking facilities.
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Read more:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/25/san-francisco-homeless-encampment-relocation-super-bowl