PORTLAND, Maine — Editor's note: The video above was published Jan. 2, 2024.
On Wednesday, the City of Portland cleared a small homeless encampment on Douglass Street just 24 hours after clearing 70 tents from underneath the Casco Bay Bridge at Harbor View Memorial Park and urged individuals to go to a nearby shelter.
For months, the city has received backlash from locals who didn't believe in clearing these encampments. On Tuesday, dozens of people gathered under the Casco Bay Bridge and formed a human chain to block bulldozers from clearing tents.
City official Jessica Grondin said protestors were peaceful and no arrests were made on Jan. 2, but said the clearings will continue throughout Portland as long as shelter beds remain open.
Homelessness skyrocketed this summer after the state welcomed hundreds of asylum seekers and housed over 1,200 in shelters and eventually hotels. After expanding an existing shelter and opening another shelter exclusively for asylees, beds have opened up at the HSC, and the city is focused on getting individuals still living on the streets, indoors.
As of Wednesday morning, Grondin said there were still 68 beds available at the Homeless Services Center (HSC).
After Tuesday's clearing, she said 20 individuals from Harbor View Memorial Park went to the shelter and said she expects 12 from the Douglass Street Encampment to do the same.
The Encampment Crisis Response Team will continue working with unhoused individuals to discuss their options and next steps, Grondin said.
