After sending out vacate letters and giving the residents of Tent City until Jan. 31, 2014 to move from the property, Union Pacific Police made a surprise sweep today in the area giving citations to any person on the property.
Residents scrambled to gather their belongings, so Union Pacific will not destroy them in the coming days.
Tim Harris of Camp P.S. 91, a mission camp run for the homeless by the homeless, brought in a U-Haul paid for by a donors around the area to help pack and move the camp and others from Tent City to a new location.
“As soon as I can get to a point to do so, I’m gonna call several of our backers,” said Harris, “and see if we can’t get three or four rooms to let everyone chill out for tonight. And then tomorrow, we’ll begin working on the temporary site.”
Union Pacific was unavailable for comment on this story. My TJC news will continue to follow this story and update it as new information comes in.
David Williams • Feb 1, 2014 at 5:59 pm
You don’t have to put forth money, just let them set up on your property. You need to go and re-read the notice that was posted to them. The last sentence in the first paragraph to be exact.
Brentany Cook • Jan 28, 2014 at 4:23 pm
I am unfamiliar with Tent City other than it being a shelter for the homeless in East Texas, but of what I have heard in the recent news, I must say that it is quite disgusting for Union Pacific to hand out citations for any person remaining on the property even though the closing date was not until the 31st of January. Let’s think about this for a minute. Most of us have cars, we have a place to stay that is warm, we have beds, we have food, and we have jobs. A true luxury in the winter months. But for these homeless who are lacking most, if not all, of the above mentioned accommodations, are truly suffering. Just imagine taking their place right now. How would you feel if the place you called “home” was suddenly and unexplainably stripped from you. You would feel helpless, sad, and possibly even hopeless. My encouragement: let us do what we can as those who are more fortunate than these, so that we may demonstrate love and compassion, and give back hope to a needy community. I want to put to action my words, and start donating time, financial resources, and even gifts to help build up those who are less fortunate than I. God bless all the volunteers involved in this ministry, and know that your work is not done in vain.
Jackie • Jan 28, 2014 at 2:24 pm
As they mentioned on the notice posted by Union Pacific, there are many resources available to the homeless in Tyler. I was part of a volunteer project at the Salvation Army just last week and they noted that on a cold weather night they can accommodate upwards of 300 people, however, rarely have that many guests. They do have available beds and camping on unsafe property is not necessary.
Olivia • Aug 26, 2014 at 2:09 am
Superior thinking dereostmatnd above. Thanks!