Homeless in RI: Cranston issues EO to clear encampments, as Ord. Comm. fails to act. VIDEO

Cranston Homeless Encampment near Stone Hill Elementary School

As school is set to begin, a notification from the school department was sent out to parents warning them about a homeless encampment behind the school. When the Mayor found out he immediately toured the area, noting the open gated area. They could not immediately locate the encampment but promised to find it if it was there – and remove it – and secure the fence.

With an increasing problem with encampments in the city, and the Cranston City Council neglecting to come up with a solution at its recent meeting – setting it off some months – the Mayor issued an Executive Order allowing the police immediate authority for the Cranston Police Department to enter and clear the encampments.

See what they see

Cranston Police brought their questions before the Ordinance Committee several days ago asking for guidance on what to do when citizens complain – and they have no tools to respond to the situation. Listening to the daily work – and showing us exactly what the situation is Cranston faces:

Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins signed an Executive Order last night to address the emergency of encampments near schools as brought to attention by a notification sent out to parents of children entering Stone Hill Elementary:

Prevention of camping and illegal use of city-owned property in the City of Cranston

• WHEREAS, the City of Cranston owns and maintains numerous properties, such as parks and playgrounds, in the City for the quiet enjoyment of all the residents and taxpayers of the City of Cranston; and 
• WHEREAS, these properties have increasingly been occupied by individuals for the sole purpose of erecting both permanent and temporary housing for the sole purpose of occupying said properties for their use and for the sole purpose of private housing; and 
• WHEREAS, the residents and taxpayers of the City of Cranston cannot quietly enjoy and use the properties of the City for their enjoyment, and these properties are being littered by such inhabitants with human waste, trash, drug paraphernalia, and other refuse which are all preventing the use of these properties by the residents of the City, 
• WHEREAS, these properties are located in various areas throughout the City, including public parks and public schools, and primarily in areas where the general public wishes to enjoy said properties but cannot due to the presence of said permanent and temporary housing; and 
• WHEREAS, the Mayor of the City of Cranston has previously submitted an ordinance to the City Council which, if it had been voted upon and passed, would have regulated the unsanitary, illegal, and dangerous use of public property for temporary and permanent housing; and 
• WHEREAS, the City Council had on its Ordinance Committee agenda the above-said ordinance, which on August 15, 2024, the Council chose to continue for three months to study this issue; so

NOW THEREFORE, I, KENNETH J. HOPKINS, pursuant to the powers vested in me under Charter Provision 5.01 and 5.02, to enforce the laws and ordinances of Cranston and to preserve the peace, Health, and safety of all of its inhabitants, do hereby issue this Order: 

1. I hereby declare that the Cranston Police Department (CPD) shall have the immediate authority to enter any city-owned property to inspect any such housing or encampment, and shall have the authority to coordinate with the City of Cranston Department of Public Works (DPW) to remove any such encampment or housing, however, not before contacting and cooperating with any social services necessary to relocate and provide temporary housing for any violator of this executive order. If any individual refuses to cooperate with any offered services, their encampment or housing shall be removed by the DPW forthwith and they shall be issued a no-trespass warning not to return to the immediate property. 
2. This Order shall take effect immediately upon signature. 

ORDERED this the 21st day of August 2024.

Before the city could send out a press release announcing their emergency actions to Cranstonians, the RI ACLU issued its statement saying, in part, “the power this executive order gives the police department to remove encampments is cruel, misguided, and ineffective”.

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The Ordinance Committee took no action on the request before it – passing it off to its November meeting.