Mayor Craig clearly showed the homeless of Manchester that she is Heartless and a Hypocrite. Her actions over the weekend in regards to the homeless camp on Canal Street were both stunning and contradictory to her comments about other homeless encampments in Manchester.
“This action from the state is inhumane, causing trauma to individuals with nowhere else to go.”
That was a quote from Mayor Joyce Craig when the state evicted the people living in camps surrounding the Court House.
In the height of hypocrisy, a mere three months later during one of the coldest weeks of the winter, the city of Manchester bulldozed a homeless encampment. Those living there were given 18 hours to evacuate. They were able to take just the clothes on their backs and what they could carry. The City did provide one tote for each person in the camp that would be stored for a period of time that is still unclear.
Calls to the Mayor’s office by the homeless and their advocates outright begging for a few additional days to vacate the encampment fell on deaf ears. The bulldozers moved in regardless. With little notice, the rug was pulled out from under these people on Canal Street leaving them with no place to go. They will be scattered throughout the city in the middle of the winter.
It begs the question, if the mayor felt that destroying homeless camps was inhumane, caused trauma to individuals, and put the health and safety of all of Manchester residents at risk, why does she now think this is the right course of action for our city? Was the mayor’s criticism of the state’s handling of the homeless camps political folly because she had no idea how to handle the situation and needed to place the blame on someone else?
This fiasco was the Mayors fault brought on by incompetence. This homeless camp was supposed to be cleared in June of 2020. Her procrastination and inability to make decisions or live up to her word caused this unsafe environment that resulted in a fire.
The City of Manchester has been given millions of dollars from the state and in excess of $3,266,000 for homeless related issues. How have these funds been spent? The mayor needs to address these questions. She owes the citizens of this city and those that are now left unsheltered, an explanation as to her actions and her previous statements toward the state.
Manchester Republican Committee
Lisa Freeman Vice Chairman