User:Ebeckerm/sandbox

Referenced in: List of tent cities in the United States

Under the L and M street overpasses in NoMa there is a well established tent city community of unhoused people. The encampments lie under the above-ground metro, on the sidewalks lining L st. and M st. They are one of the largest in Washington, DC, and officials have stated that they pose a risk “to health and safety of both those living and traveling through the area”. More broadly, the city has a significant shortage of affordable housing and in 2016 had one of the highest rates of urban homelessness in the United States.

Many residents have chosen to live in the encampment communities rather than shelters, where they have concerns about safety, lack of freedom and more. The surrounding community of NoMa is rapidly gentrifying with major projects like the renovation of the historic Uline Arena to DC’s Flagship REI. Housed residents of the area express concern about rising crime, which they attribute to the unhoused community.

The encampments lie under two public art installations, titled “Lightweave” and “Rain”. A neighborhood beautification project, the installations have also received criticism for being hostile architecture, and making it a less attractive place for unhoused residents to set up tents and deter sleeping. The installations are always lit, but also respond and are amplified by sounds and movement in the surrounding environment. For example, when a car passes by, the light gets brighter and follows the movement in a wave. Alternatively, when a metro train passes overhead and makes noise, the light changes color. This project received much acclaim, with praise for promoting safety and beauty in what was formerly described as an “eyesore” or “unsafe”. In order to install the art, the city conducted a cleanup of the encampments under the bridge. An event to celebrate the new installation was scheduled the same morning as a routine cleanup of the encampment.

The City has tried to clear the community and tents from the area over 100 times, with major pushes in 2019 and 2020. The most recent began in late September, and the city says it will be permanent. This time the city is piloting a program along with the clearing to place residents in permanent supportive housing. The new program has mixed reactions, both from residents of the encampments and those who work with issues of homelessness in the city more broadly. The cleanup was halted after a bulldozer being used in the process hit an unhoused resident of the encampment.