Are Homeless Going to Be Displaced During RNC?

From Republican National Convention Official Event Zone Permit Regulations

Released May 25, 2016 by the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland Police  (pdf here)

Section_III. Prohibited Items
(a) Definitions. As used in this section:
(1) The terms “Convention Period,” ”Event Zone,” “Public Grounds,” “Secure Zone,” “Sidewalk,” and “Street” shall have the same meaning as Section II of these Regulations; and
(2) ”Public Access Areas” shall mean any space in the Event Zone, excluding spaces designated as the Secure Zone, that is open to access by the general public, including Streets, Sidewalks and Public Grounds.
(b) Within all Public Access Areas, the following items are prohibited during the Convention Period:

(18) Tents and other shelters, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, mattresses, cots, hammocks, bivy sacks, or stoves;
(19) Coolers or ice chests;
(20) Backpacks and bags exceeding the size of 18” x 13” x 7”;

The map released as part of the press release shows a huge area of the Downtown, Ohio City and the Campus District.  It extends from the Lake back to St. Vincent Hospital then from West 25th to the I-90 or East 27th on the East Side of Cleveland.  This area has four of the five largest shelters in Cleveland.  There are probably 90 to 110 homeless people living in this area.  There is a drop in center and a health care for homeless facility. 

There is language about employees or residents who work in this area are exempt from these rules.  Yet no exemption for homeless people.  Will they consider homeless people who live outside as residents of the neighborhood?  I don't understand why the area has to be so huge?  How could a protestor, Donald Trump supporter or homeless person living over by the Muny Lot or on the West Bank of the Flats have any impact on the convention?   This is going to be an issue with all the out of state police who may not have a full understanding of the relationship between homeless people and the Cleveland Police Department.  We do not want to go back to the days when we were regularly in federal court over sweeps.  We have a good agreement that has survived 16 years. 

We have sent a letter to the Police outlying our concerns. 

Brian Davis

Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry