After months of preparation and pushback from locals, city officials and local police have not begun to enforce anti-camping ordinances and “evacuate” the Pines homeless encampment on 11th and Division. Since the evacuation announcement this past fall, the encampment and those who live in it have garnered support and attention from many local advocates. There has never been an official date for when police will begin evacuating the encampment, but officials have estimated it will happen sometime this spring. According to police chief Matt Richmond, the current goal is to eliminate the encampment by summer.

 

Advocates for the Pines population refer to the removal of Pines residents as an eviction, not an evacuation. While the police department has expressed that the decision was made to ensure the safety of residents (due to poor sanitation and some criminal activity in the Pines), advocates argue that removal by force is not an effective way to address this issue, and have protested at multiple city commission meetings and in downtown Traverse City. 

 

The most recent protest occurred on March 29, consisting of an outdoor march from Horizon Books to the corner of Union Street and Grandview Parkway. Some 15-20 protesters carried signs with slogans like “Eyes on the Pines”, “Homelessness is not a crime”, and “No evictions on stolen land.”

 

Protesters state that their goal is to raise awareness of the issue and pressure the local government not to enforce the ordinance, but they are aware the latter is unlikely. 

 

“The only way I see us getting them to back off is to get more people speaking up and more people showing up,” said Pines activist Nico Grey. “The average person on the street will tell you that they think homeless people are as deserving of every single right as any other citizen, so I think the issue we’re getting is like, we’re just not getting enough people.”

 

Police and city officials have expressed a desire to find shelter and housing for people in the Pines, but advocates for the Pines feel that a forceful relocation should not be the first step. “That limbo state is psychologically hard on people, to not know where you’re gonna go,” said Grey. 

 

Protesters also aim to emphasize that Traverse City has room and resources to house the homeless. Multiple activists for the Pines are creating a “Zine” (a DIY self-published booklet devoted to a niche subject) that raises awareness about the housing situation in Traverse City. 

 

According to the Zine, there are currently 28 vacant homes for each person in need of housing in the United States. This information was sourced from United Way, a nonprofit community action network. 

 

In Traverse City, most of these potential homes are short-term rentals (like an Airbnb) owned by people who already have houses, but many are vacant buildings or expensive apartments/condos that many cannot afford to live in. 

 

Some activists claim that officials are not likely to crack down on the issue since short-term rentals and expensive apartments cater to tourism and gentrification, bringing in wealth for the city. “It’s not that hard, but the issue is that they are so focused on profit,” said Grey.