This story was originally published at 2:53 a.m. on August 29, 2022. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
Five people were arrested after activists posted up tents in city councilmember's yards to protest the lack of affordable housing and treatment of unhoused folks in a demonstration on Sunday.
The city cleared an encampment of unhoused people on the southside in June and has another clearing planned for an eastside camp in mid-September. In addition, the city's has often been criticized for relying on tax abatements for housing affordability.
A total of 8 people set up tents in the front yards of three city officials: City Council President Shannon Hardin, City Attorney Zach Klein and City Council Member Shayla Favor, who chairs the council housing committee.
Activists in front of Hardin and Klein's house were arrested. Of the five arrested, only one was released by Sunday night, according to organizers.
The demonstration, organized by mutual aid group First Collective, began around 4:30 with protesters beginning to assemble tents with signs reading "camp sweeps kill" and "houses not handcuffs," for example. First Collectives helps to run a camp for unhoused folks in the Near East. The city plans to clear the camp and gave camp residents a trespassing notice on July 28. The sweep, or remediation the city refers to it, was originally planned for September 1 but has since been rescheduled for September 14.
Editor's note: One of the protesters arrested is involved with Matter's parent company Grey Matter Media. The individual is not involved with editorial operations or decision-making.
