Residents of a homeless encampment in Bangor along with advocacy groups have been critical of a city plan to remove some individuals from the tent community.
City officials, meanwhile, said they're not clearing the entire camp – despite fears to the contrary – and pledged to continue working with those still living on site.
The confusion began earlier this week when city workers posted notices around the encampment directing people to leave by Friday or face criminal trespassing charges. City officials said they were aimed at a small number of people who have declined attempts to connect with city services and who engaged in behaviors that threatened the wellbeing of others.
But that wasn't clear to some people living in the encampment.
And advocates like Nikhil Brocchini with Needle Point Sanctuary, a harm reduction organization that is working with encampment residents, said the confusion didn't end there. Specifically, camp residents were confused by large Xs put on many tents and enclosures with tape.
"People came from the city came in, put Xs on people's property with duct tape and people in the encampment weren't clear if that meant they were going to be evicted or they were going to stay,’ Brocchini said. “And I think that level of confusion is really indicative of the lack of communication that exists between the city of Bangor and the people that live here."
The encampment is located in a wooded, city-owned lot not far from Bangor International Airport and the Bangor campus of the University of Maine at Augusta. The mix of tents, campers, cars and other makeshift structures houses about 50 to 60 people, although residents say its been bigger at times over the past several years.
Bangor City Manager Debbie Laurie visited the site on Friday morning and said the city has been working with individuals since May, trying to help them obtain housing and other services.
"The outreach efforts have been consistent for over 3 1/2 months,” Laurie said. “We have a number of individuals who are really engaged. It takes time to build a relationship and a rapport. You need to gain the trust of the individual."
But Laurie said there is growing concern about a small segment of the camp's residents who haven't responded to that outreach and who are engaged in harmful behavior. In one incident, police responded to a stabbing at the camp but many people would talk to them for fear of recrimination or of getting into trouble themselves because of substance use or past interactions with police, she said.
Speaking with reporters outside of the encampment, Laurie says the decision to force some people out of the encampment was not made lightly. But she acknowledges the city’s intent was lost amid the swirl of activity and said the city could have done a better job communicating with residents and other outreach groups.
"And if we have to do something like this again, we'll do it differently,” Laurie said. “But our concern was about making sure the individuals who will be remaining and who are working (with us) that they knew they were safe and that they knew they were supported. And that's our concern."
Some resident of the encampment who are being allowed to stay are still upset about their neighbors who are being forced to leave, not to mention their own longer-term status.
One of those with an X on her tent signaling she could stay is Nicole.
"But it's been tough. These are friends. This is our family,” Nicole said. “We've made a family out here. You know, we need each right now. It's starting to get colder and you starting to pull people away that don’t really need to be pulled away."
Nicole said she's been unhoused for about six months after losing her job. She has a case manager who is helping her try to find housing and get other services. But rents in Bangor are so expensive that she worries what will happen to her and others when vouchers run out.
"Where are we going to be in six months? We are going to be right back out here on the streets because we can't afford itm” Nicole said. “I'm out of a job because the woman I took care of passed away. I didn't choose to be out here. I'm out here because I have to be out here."
The group Penobscot County Cares has called on the city of Bangor to stop sweeps of homeless encampments.
