'My pride stands in my way of asking my family for help': Man deals with being evicted from a woodland encampment
City officials say compassion and care is key to their response to homelessness, but health and safety also have to be factored in.
All of those issues were front and centre as crews began dismantling an encampment on the west edge of downtown London, Ont. on Tuesday.
It's a location city officials have visited on numerous occasions, but now they are taking steps to remove it completely.
Anthony Featherston says he is currently the lone camp occupant, telling CTV News London, "The crew came in and told me I had too much stuff and they evicted me from the site and told me I needed to move."
A large contingent from the City of London’s Coordinated Informed Response Team were on hand at Evergreen Park around 10 a.m. Tuesday, but left shortly after the CTV News London cameras arrived.
According to Featherston, "One gentleman came down and told everybody, 'Pack-up, let’s go the news crew's here,' and then they granted me a few more days to pack up the rest of my belongings."
Anthony Featherston prepares to leave the homeless encampment at London, Ont.'s Evergreen Park on Oct. 4, 2022. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
The city issued a statement noting their work with London Cares to remove debris from the site.
A portion of the statement reads, “There was also evidence of fire pits at the site. Staff have removed a significant amount of both garbage and sharps from the site in the past,” adding that there continued to be sharps, food waste and debris at the location.
The statement continued, “As a result, and at the request of London Cares, notice to remove their belongings and leave the site was posted last Thursday, with the deadline of today.”
CTV News London spoke with several people who live on streets near Evergreen Park. No one wanted to be identified but say there have been a number of concerning — sometimes unsettling — incidents. They believe many are linked to encampments along the river.
A young mother pushing a stroller explains, "We're not totally sure if it's people from down there, but my husband’s work van got broken into on Friday and all his tools were stolen."
Another man, standing on his front porch, recounted an encounter with a nude male three months ago.
"A knock on your side door at seven in the morning, stormed in the house. My girlfriend had just enough time to get him out of there, buck naked,” he says. “It appears that they're taking wire, and burning copper wire — burning the insulation off of it — and you can smell it up the street."
The young mother meanwhile says she does have sympathy for people facing difficult times.
"I believe in the compassionate care removal or trying to figure out where they can go but, at the same time, it's not really great that they're taking over spots like that,” she says.
As for Featherston, he admits he has struggled with addictions and has had run-ins with the law in the past, but says he is working now and he knows there is help available.
"I do have lots of support,” he says through tears. “My pride stands in my way of asking my family for help."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.