The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) assisted with the closure of homeless encampments in downtown Edmonton which took over Mary Burlie Park in Chinatown..Tattered tarps, dilapidated tents, and trash blew aimlessly in the wind as vulnerable people grabbed what they could before their belongings went into the garbage on Monday..Not all items appeared to be lost as people in the area affected worked quickly to hoard their items into whatever they could before leaving the area..Items used to carry "belongings" consisted of shopping carts, pallet jacks, strollers, and wagons. Others used pretty much anything that could roll and carry heavy items such as generators.."Encampments are a symptom of Edmonton’s shortage of safe, adequate and affordable housing and shelter capacity challenges," City of Edmonton Communications Advisor Noor Al-Henedy told the Western Standard in an exclusive statement on Tuesday evening.."The number of Edmontonians experiencing homelessness almost doubled during the pandemic. There are currently more than 3,170 people with no permanent home and more than 666 people are sleeping outside or in shelters on any given night.".Stacks of bikes could be seen being carted out by some "Edmontonians experiencing homelessness" who stuck up their middle fingers to cameras as others wandered into oncoming traffic with apparent confusion..Some just sat face down while picking rocks off the ground as traffic whizzed by..Crews donned white hazmat suits as the tents were torn down and the items added to a dumpster and city garbage trucks that were brought along.. WATCH: City dismantles 'high risk' homeless camp in Edmonton's ChinatownWATCH: City dismantles 'high risk' homeless camp in Edmonton's Chinatown ."Each encampment is assessed by a peace officer, who determines the risk level of the site based on factors such as size, criminal elements, a risk to public safety (including those living in the encampments) presence of safety hazards or fire risks, proximity to buildings, playgrounds or schools and other factors," Al-Henedy said.."City Peace Officers and EPS respond to high-risk encampments with an accelerated response, timely resolution of these encampments is the priority.".Al-Henedy said the city has been "monitoring encampment sites" at Mary Burlie Park that abutted adjacent encampment sites on private property for the past few weeks.."This site was assessed as a high-risk site, and therefore required closure to ensure public safety," Al-Henedy said.."The City’s Encampment Response Team closed the encampments at Mary Burlie Park on Monday, while Municipal Enforcement Teams assisted EPS with the closure of the encampments on private property. The City’s Encampment Response Team provided occupants with an advanced written and verbal notice of the closure several days prior to closure.".A Parkland Bylaw 2202 warning from the Community Standards Peace Officer Unit drifted in the wind after being disregarded by one of the occupants.
