Advocates for Lansing's homeless visit camps with concerns over eviction

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect Victor Lyons' housing status and to clarify who said some city leaders have advocated for a compassionate care center.

LANSING — Several activists visited a pair of campsites near downtown Lansing Tuesday morning in hopes of keeping them safe for more than 20 people mainly with nowhere else to stay.

Lansing police visited the sites near Saginaw and Larch streets Monday night, raising concerns about eviction among activists and homeless residents.

Tuesday morning, some of the activists brought donuts and coffee. A few passing drivers honked their horns in support.

Khadja Erickson, an advocate for people who are homeless, said she came out Tuesday because there have been about two dozen sites broken up in the last year.

"And that's not all of them," said Erickson, a mobile distribution director with Punks With Lunch Lansing.

But Jordan Gulkis, a spokesperson for the Lansing Police Department, said there were no plans Tuesday to break up an encampment near the Burger King on Saginaw Street and another one nearby known as the "Back 40."

Gulkis said she was not immediately able to confirm the number of encampments that have been subject to police action in the last year.

Erickson said she has recommendations for the city. One is to designate a spot for homeless residence instead of pushing people out of one public park and one private property after another.

"All the concealed spots have been bulldozed, a lot of folks have been out here since COVID," she said. "There are better ways to address this with a compassionate encampment that allows property, partners and animals. It would let people get job opportunities and see nurses and get healthcare."

Erickson said what generally happens during an encampment eviction is that police come and check identifications, sometimes arresting people for outstanding warrants. Everyone's belongings are bundled together in a pile somewhere else for five days so it can be claimed, Erickson said.

She said that people frequently don't know about the pile or can't access it and often their possessions - which can include identification, personal letters, medication or valuable memories - are tossed as trash or taken by someone else.

"People are out here because of trauma and this is more trauma on top of it," Erickson said.

If they're not arrested, the people living there will simply move down the road to another encampment or set up a new one somewhere else.

Lansing officials have been trying to contend with its homeless population for years.

The city received $800,000 in state money last year to help address homelessness in the city.

An effort at a warming shelter a year ago was roundly criticized when it served a fraction of its capacity during a January 2024 cold snap.

The city has also explored options including a tent city or a small home community.

Scott Bean, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the city is working with a partner agency to have more shelter beds available this winter.

"We know that more beds are needed and these funds can be put into action quickly to assist in that plan and give people a warm, safe place to sleep," he said.

A man who goes as "Cowboy" Lee and his cousin, Victor Lyons, said Tuesday they watch over the residents at the Back 40. Lyons said he has a home. His son and his son's family stay there now. But he chooses to live at the encampment, where he's been for several months, to help make others safe.

Lee and Lyons have been at several encampments in the last few years, generally a few months at a time, until the encampment gets busted up and they have to recreate all the amenities they have: Cooking appliances, food, pallets to keep the mud at bay, period products for women at the camp and trash cans.

Lee and Lyons said one of the most immediate needs is trash service. They hope to get someone to donate a dumpster so they can clean up the site.

The cousins live in neighboring tents, on a small concrete patch between grassy sections with plenty of other tents nearby, hidden from the busy Larch Street by a row of buildings and a row of brush.

"You meet a lot of good people out here," Lee said. "If people don't see one of us here, they don't feel safe."

He isn't worried about an eviction because he said the property owner has given permission to stay there.

Gulkis said both campsites visited by activists Tuesday have 'no trespass' notices on file. She said she is not aware of imminent plans to evict the people living there and the police department would not take the initiative until the property owners pursue additional steps. Police at that point would get involved and arrive with resources and support staff for the people living there.

The State Journal was not able to contact the owners of the properties.

Gulkis said a police department social worker, who is not a sworn officer, went with officers to the encampment near the Burger King on Monday to check on a person the social worker suspected may be dealing with medical issues.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415