Libraries become the last refuge for Washington's homeless

"Laquisha Spencer lives in a green tent in front of the Martin Luther King Public Library, the largest in Washington, in the city center. In the afternoons, she sweeps the sidewalk at the library's entrance and spends much of the day using its computers. She needs them for several legal cases, ranging from child custody to lawsuits she has filed against the city police and other agencies."

"I use the library all the time, I go there for breakfast, and they give out blankets and, after events, they hand out food, says the Texas native, who hopes to finish her law degree once she secures stable housing. Her tent has already received an eviction notice, and in the coming days the Metropolitan Police will destroy it, throwing away everything inside."

"She claims that civilians have even come to kick at her tent, while police officers have threatened her with pepper spray just for being homeless. Like her, hundreds of homeless people have been evicted from their tents in parks and public spaces after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order called Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful. The order mandated the prompt removal and cleanup of all homeless or vagrant encampments,"

Laquisha Spencer lives in a green tent outside the Martin Luther King Public Library and relies on the library's computers and services for legal cases and daily needs. Her tent has been removed multiple times, and she reports civilians and police harassing or threatening her. An executive order titled Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful mandated removal and cleanup of homeless encampments and coincided with deployment of hundreds of National Guard members to carry out cleanups. Authorities destroyed dozens of encampments in August, and plans to send an additional 500 Guard troops followed a shooting, intensifying enforcement against encampments.

Read at english.elpais.com