HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Several residents of a tent camp on Mill Street are expressing their concerns over the forced move to a different location.
Some homeless Huntsville residents have until the end of the week to move as the city works on flood mitigation on Mill Street.
While some may transition to service centers, many won’t or can’t. Instead, they will be moved to another tent camp on Derrick Street, but that presents another problem.
People living at the Mill Street tent camp say there are several residents listed as sex offenders and moving to the new camp on Derrick Street would be in violation of Alabama law.
“Everybody here is afraid of going over there and being arrested because it is not in compliance,” says Lawrence Azbell.
According to Alabama law, adults listed as sex offenders are not allowed within 2,000 feet of any school or childcare facility. The YMCA Downtown Early Childhood Education Center is within that distance of the new camp. Meaning if they are forced to live on Derrick Street, they will be forced into violating state law.