Volunteers and organizers of the demonstration ran around the exterior of the mass of about 150 people marching to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton’s house Monday night. Some of them stood at intersections to prevent oncoming traffic from hitting anyone in the group, directing them through Bloomington’s streets, while others led people in song.
“Ain’t gonna let no mayor turn me around, I’m gonna keep on walking, keep on talking, marching on to freedom land,” sang about 150 people as they marched to Hamilton’s house.
The march was led by people carrying a sign that read, “FIGHT POVERTY NOT THE POOR.”
About five minutes into their march, a light but freezing rain started to fall. But many protesters knew the group they were advocating for had faced much worse.
Related: [Bloomington man experiencing homelessness leads demonstration to mayor’s house]
IU students, concerned Bloomington citizens and volunteers from groups such as the Bloomington Homeless Coalition and Poor People’s Campaign Bloomington gathered in Seminary Park at 9 p.m. Monday to participate in the “Hands off the Homeless” demonstration.
The city has cleared the encampment in Seminary Park and evicted people staying in the park twice since Dec. 9.
The group of people, which fluctuated between about 50 to 150, protested the city’s treatment of people experiencing homelessness in Bloomington. The event was organized mainly by Bloomington Homeless Coalition volunteers and people who are or have been unhoused.
Jennifer Crossley, Monroe County Democratic Party chair, started the night’s event by speaking at Seminary Park about how she believes the city and public officials need to show more support for the people who had camped in Seminary Park and other members of the homeless community.
Related: [Police move items from Seminary Park encampment out of right of way, eviction date still unclear]
“Let people stay here, find long term solutions, put things in this area to humanize people and give them their dignity instead of showing up here with the trash truck and acting like folks here are trash,” Crossley said. “That is not okay.”
Trevor Richardson, a man experiencing homelessness, and Virginia Goodman, a woman who has experienced homelessness, gave short opening remarks before handing the mic over to Patrick Saling, one of the organizers. Saling taught the crowd some songs and chants to shout later as they marched from the park to Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton’s house.
“Oh, somebody’s hurting my brother and it’s gone on…” Saling sang to the crowd of protesters.
“Far too long,” the crowd shouted in response, looking at the lyrics that had been dispersed to them earlier that evening.
“And we won’t be silent anymore,” everyone sang together.
The demonstrators left Seminary Park to march to Mayor John Hamilton’s House at about 9:45 p.m. As they completed the 20-minute march, protesters held signs, chanted and occasionally stepped aside for approaching traffic.
When they arrived at Hamilton’s house, five people stepped up and spoke. Many of them, including Richardson, discussed how the city and Hamilton’s policies affected them and the people they know.
“They don’t want us to live, they want us to exist and they want us to exist how they say we should exist,” Richardson said. “Living is not always pretty, but living is up to the person living that life. Mayor Hamilton is not a dictator, and we should hold him accountable when he tries to be.”
Richardson said it has been hard to provide for his 4-year-old daughter and keep working his job because he fears his tent being moved all the time. Bloomington’s shelters aren’t open 24/7, and he sometimes needs to sleep during the day because of the odd hours he has to work.
At one point the crowd directly addressed Hamilton, shouting at his house and asking him to come outside. Hamilton did not step out to address the crowd.
The protesters marched from Hamilton’s house to Peoples Park around 10:40 p.m. The park closes at 11 p.m., and the organizers wanted to be there past that time to break the rules they believe are hurting the homeless community, Saling said.
When the group, which had decreased to about 50 people, reached the park, the marchers stood around its perimeter while some people experiencing homelessness set up their tents in the middle.
Some people, mainly students and volunteers with organizations such as Beacon and Pigeon Hill Pantry, spoke to the crowd and encouraged them to use their voices and privilege to speak against the way the Bloomington homeless community is being treated.
Ky Freeman, president of IU’s Black Student Union, spoke about the importance of coming together to fight oppressive powers, such as racism and classism.
“Now what we have to see is to stress the importance of those in coalitions across identities, across socioeconomic statuses so that we can find a way to uplift all those who are disenfranchised by the systems and the powers that be,” he said. “This structure that we have is no longer conducive to our longevity in these communities, nor has it ever been.”
Other speakers included student representatives from IU’s Rainbow Coalition and Pigeon Hill Pantry founder Nicole Johnson.
After the speakers were finished at about 11:20 p.m., about 40 people left the park. Those who stayed mainly included organizers of the event and people experiencing homelessness who had decided to pitch their tents in Peoples Park, including Travis Dugan.
“We don’t really have nowhere else to go,” Dugan said. “We gave up all our options, I mean we could go out on sidewalks and stuff but then we still get in trouble if we block the path.”
The Bloomington Police Department did not remove the tents from the park Monday night or early Tuesday.
