STOP THE SWEEP ON THE AMTRAK CAMP!

The City of Lawrence recently announced an order to residents of the Amtrak encampment that on 10/15/24 they will no longer be able to remain at this encampment and all individuals remaining will be charged with trespassing and all belongings will be cleared out. 

As of right now the city has tasked the Homeless Response Unit with connecting unhoused people at the encampment into "shelters or other housing" before the closure, however, as we are aware there are not currently enough shelter beds, these spaces are not accessible to every unhoused individual for a variety of reasons nor has there been an update on available sustainable housing. A specific transition plan has NOT been announced to address the bed shortage or lack of housing options that closing the Amtrak Camp will cause. No more camps in Lawrence should be closed until there is a realistic and comprehensive plan announced for stable, safe and sustainable housing, not just emergency shelter access. Closing the camp without adequate resources for everyone will force displacement of our neighbors who have less and less options available to them. As we know from the last encampment closure many folks were forced to move to other encampments including Amtrak and did not receive sustainable housing options beyond an emergency shelter.

Please sign and share this petition to show our city commission that we in Lawrence care about our unhoused neighbors and we want to see a transparent transition plan from the city that includes sustainable housing for all folks in the encampment.

Further Action!

As a call to action please show up in solidarity for the next City Commission meeting at City Hall on 9/3/24 at 5:30pm and we encourage you to speak during the public comment section. You can also email/contact our city commission to express your concerns.

Mayor Bart Littlejohn
blittlejohn@lawrenceks.org

Vice Mayor Mike Dever
mdever@lawrenceks.org

City Commissioner Lisa Larsen
llarsen@lawrenceks.org

City Commissioner Brad Finkeldei
bfinkeldei@lawrenceks.org

City Commissioner Amber Sellers
asellers@lawrenceks.org