Replies

.............”Romneyville has other problems. Over the past four months, at least 30 people, mostly the homeless, have been booted out of the camp for violating a policy of no drugs and alcohol.

“We need to help (the homeless), but we’re a political homeless camp,” Wright said. “We need to maintain decorum.”

On Tuesday, an argument broke out between two campers. Scuffles and fights are not uncommon, residents said.

“This is like herding cats,” organizer John Alexander said. “You’re working with disparate groups, trying to find similarities among them.”

Gaylen Hall, an activist who visited the camp Tuesday, said the heat and humidity could be influencing how people act.

“And people are getting only about three hours of sleep in less than ideal conditions,” he said.

Tarah Colon, who is living in Romneyville with her 11-month-old son, said she also has experienced problems living there.

“Someone stole our money,” she said. “If we don’t raise $200 ... we won’t be able to pay for the vans” to get home.

Then there’s the state of the camp.

Several of its trademark pink tents that first garnered Romneyville recognition were ripped to shreds by summer storms over the past few months, Wright said.

With no new donated tents, 30 people sleep under a flatbed trailer on the property that should have been used as a stage for speeches, Wright said.

The camp has no running water, and its makeshift kitchen is running low on food. Residents have hung up wet clothing on a rope strung between two parking meters, or draped garments over a barbed-wire fence.”........

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/aug/29/namaino6-romneyville-is-a-haven-lost-ar-476842/