From March 17th to 19th, Bloomington residents and IU students gathered at Dunn Meadow to protest the city’s treatment of the unhoused population, at an event called “March to End the Madness.” The event featured open-mic performances of music, poetry, and a live band.
The protest was in response to Bloomington hosting NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games at Assembly Hall, which protesters believed was the cause for the most recent eviction of houseless people in Bloomington public parks.
Nicole Johnson, protester and Director of Pigeon Hill Food Pantry, said these timely evictions are nothing new: “Since I’ve been paying attention, right before move in every year everybody gets evicted, because they don’t want parents seeing [the houseless encampments].”
On March 4th, the Bloomington City Council voted against ordinance 2106, which would have allowed members of the unhoused community to sleep overnight in public parks, meaning that it remains against the law to sleep in public parks from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m.
And what’s worse, these protesters believe their message is being stifled by the city of Bloomington.
Nicole Johnson explains how the city is treating the unhoused population, and how they are stifling pushback.
Trevor Richardson is a member of the unhoused community who attended the protest, but he said that while the protest was specifically about the unhoused community, Richardson was fighting for more.
Richardson said that there are common precedents being set across the nation: “The unhoused have a right to sleep, they have a right to congregate in public spaces,” he said. “As long as, there’s not adequate shelter and non-religious facilities, and as long as they’re not obstructing the business flow of traffic.”
Richardson went on to talk about his experience as a houseless man, and said that there are accurate conceptions about what’s wrong about the unhoused community, but he said that it’s just as important to think about what’s right: People deserve a place to rest their head and be free from persecution.
Trevor Richardson talks about the struggles of the local unhoused community and what he thinks is right and wrong about the local unhoused situation.
Since ordinance 2106 failed to pass, the Bloomington unhoused encampments are unprotected by law and the houseless population waits to have its voice heard.
Organizations such as the Pigeon Hill Pantry and the Bloomington Homeless Coalition are fighting not only to change local legislation for the unhoused community, but to provide resources and promote a healthier life for the local unhoused community.
Reach out to Pigeon Hill Pantry or the Bloomington Homeless Coalition to learn more about how you can help the unhoused community.
