ST. LOUIS — Several people who live and work in Downtown St. Louis said they praise the city's efforts to clear the homeless encampment outside of City Hall. They said people who live on the lawn aren't helpful for them or the city's image.
Tanner Tucker with the Downtown Neighborhood Association watched as the homeless encampment at City Hall grew within weeks and heard local reactions.
"They're right under the mayor's door. It's unsafe. It's unclean,” he said he heard others say about the issue.
He said he understands the concerns but also understands the need to get help for those who really need it.
"It's a challenge because these people are human. They've obviously come on hard times," he added.
The city cleared out the encampment on Tuesday. 5 On Your Side was there as the tents started to dwindle, while city crews cleared leftover belongings.
"It's a sanitation issue. It's an issue for visitors around town and those who come into our city, bringing people back to the office, bringing conventions downtown,” Tucker added.
Later this week, U.S. Vice President Vice President Kamala Harris will be in St. Louis for a Democratic National Committee meeting. The mayor's office said that has nothing to do with their decision to clear the encampment.
A homeless advocate was surprised by what someone brought over to the encampment.
"Moldy bread,” Drew Falvey said pointing to the item in a ziplocked bag just handed to him. “This is not ok … Sometimes people think they care but they don't. They don't pay attention to what they're giving out and it makes the unhoused angry basically … They go and think that people are trying to kill them because they don't want them here."
He works with the Lifeline Aid Group, an advocacy group for the homeless. He said the unhoused community was only at City Hall in protest.
“They don't want to be here. They don't want to be in shelters. They want to be in their own homes … some of them have a 9 to 5 job and they have to come right back to their tent. That's not ok … we've got to do something about this,” Falvey said.
"It's good it's being cleared so they can get that help and be put hopefully into services that they can accept,” Tucker added.
The city used more than a million dollars in ARPA funds to build 100 tiny homes for the unhoused. ARPA funds are also helping build some 900 affordable housing units. The city is also seeking your input on what to do with Ram's settlement money that's sitting in the bank.