Tent City Press Release

The Homeless residents of St. Petersburg's tent city has issued a press release. I'm not sure what their problems with St. Vincent De Paul and Holy Ground are about.

Holy Ground has made a pact with the St. Vincent ’s to intimidate us and the advocates that we have chosen. It is because of these conditions that we have chosen to set up the new tent city at 18th St. between Central Ave. and 1st Ave. N. Holy Ground and St. Vincent ’s are using us as pawns and worse, and we will not accept that- we are human beings. WE will not be used by Holy Ground as a bottom line. According to their Director â€" Lisa, Pasco County pays over $400 a month rent voucher for up to a year for each resident of their shelter. Most of us are from St. Petersburg , have family and friends here, and want to make our permanent home here.

We have enough problems in our lives working 40-80 hours a week at day labor trying to save enough for first, last and security fro an apartment. We fear for our lives as the murders of two of our fellow ex tent city residents still roam the city. We leave the tent city in front of St. Vincent ’s not as a protest, but as an act of survival and human dignity. We worry about our friends who may be taken to Hudson by Holy Ground, and condemn St. Vincent ’s for their collaboration with this group.

I like to know more about this before I make an assessment. Feel free to email me if you have information on the story.