Flint-area Homeless Camp Cleared Out After Decade
BURTON (AP) - A homeless encampment in a wooded wilderness that grew on the site of a former General Motors parking lot in the Flint area has been cleared out after about a decade of use.
The area referred to by those who lived there as Tent City was cleared out this month under orders from Burton police and the site's owners, The Flint Journal reported Sunday. They lived without running water and electricity, and most left each winter to find shelter.
"We're good people," said Brian Martinson, 44, who said he lived for more than 10 years at the site. "We're just down and out on our luck."
The population of Tent City was as high as 14 some summers. This year, five tents were clustered together among trees and shrubs growing through concrete, gravel and dirt. At least seven men lived or stored belongings there, with David "Red" Pattinson acting as the de facto mayor.
"I choose to be here," Pattinson said. "This is our home. We're family here."
The newspaper said it searched for weeks for the long-rumored Tent City, and visited with residents over the course of a month before it was closed.
The RACER Trust - Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust - owns the property. It took over that and other sites around the country left behind in the bankruptcy of General Motors. On Sept. 6, Burton Mayor Paula Zelenko met with RACER Trust officials about the camp.
"RACER does not allow unauthorized visitors on our sites for safety reasons," said RACER spokesman Bill Richmond.
After the meeting, Burton police Chief John Benthall and RACER representatives went into the woods and gave the men until Sept. 9 to leave.
"They're all very nice gentlemen," Zelenko said. "They're just homeless."
Overall, homelessness in the Flint area increased by 14 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to Gerry Leslie of Metro Community Development, which gathers data on local homelessness from area agencies. The growth is on top of a 37 percent increase from the previous year.
The wooded area is in what once was a parking lot near the Flint-Burton border. It once was filled with freshly built vehicles, destined for dealerships.
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