Why Should Delaware Care?
In recent years, the unhoused community in Wilmington has grown in size and in its need. In response, Mayor John Carney introduced a short-term plan to convert an Eastside park into the only sanctioned city area for its unhoused population.
A chaotic scene unfolded during a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Christina Park as Wilmington officials attempted to carry out a plan to move residents of a city-sanctioned homeless encampment out of their personal tents and into government-issued ones.
The effort drew protests from housing advocates and resistance from some residents, who feared the changes could threaten their property and disrupt the community.
The morning began calmly enough at the Eastside park as city workers prepared to place wooden pallets onto squares painted on the park’s grassy field, marking newly designated tent spots. Previously, residents of the encampment had chosen their own spaces, spreading throughout the park with tents, sofas, generators, and grills.
As the crews set up, several housing advocates also congregated, and could be seen speaking with encampment residents, city officials and police.
The mood was initially lighthearted but grew tense as the day progressed, with many advocates saying they became frustrated with city decisions to abruptly decrease the size of each tent plot, and to restrict the amount of belongings that residents could keep outside the tents.
Also inflaming tensions was a rumor that spread during the day that a city official said police would arrest anyone who refused to move into the new tents.
“They are threatening arrest,” housing advocate Shyanne Miller said through a megaphone as protesters gathered. “We are not having it.”
Eventually, several of the advocates began to demonstrate against the city’s actions. Some even placed themselves behind a forklift to prevent work crews from setting up pallets on which the new tents would be placed.
“As soon as all this stuff came to light, it became super evident that doing that work would be incredibly unethical and ultimately damaging to the community out here in the park,” said one protester who offered his name only as Gene.
Throughout the day, officials from Mayor John Carney’s office sought to defend their decision to move the encampment residents, stating that it was done out of concern for the park’s appearance, as well as to make it easier for paramedic crews to respond to emergencies in the community.
Asked if residents who didn’t move into the new tents would be arrested, Carney’s chief of staff, Cerron Cade, said that those who refuse to move to city-provided tents would have to leave the encampment entirely.
“We have to have some rules. And if folks don’t want to follow the rules, there’s no doors to the park. They can leave,” Cade said.
As Cade spoke, some residents of the encampment chided him for the city’s action. Still, most watched passively as the protesters and city officials engaged in standoffs and debates.
In interviews with Spotlight Delaware, six residents of the encampments expressed fear that the city’s mandate to move would result in the loss of their possessions – including their own personal tents.
Two of those residents also said they would outright refuse to move out of their personal tent, complaining that the city’s plan to condense the community onto a smaller footprint would spark conflicts.
“I don’t want no f***** neighbors, dude,” said one of them who didn’t provide their name.
“We’re not moving,” said another resident, Ron “Philly” Simmons, who has acted as a de-facto leader of the community during its first few months as a city-sanctioned encampment.
In contrast, one man who was settling into one of the new city-issued tents, called them “fantastic,” even as his move clearly exhausted him. The 67-year-old , Jerry Alford, said he has cancer, among other ailments.
But Alford’s enthusiasm changed when asked whether he knew that the table he had placed in front of the new tent was an apparent violation of new city rules.
The rules state that encampment residents can only keep a chair and a bike outside of their tents. All other belongings must remain in their tent.
“Why? What’s that hurt?” Alford asked, referring to his table.
By Wednesday evening, Wilmington officials released a statement again asserting that the park setup is intended to improve safety, organization, and emergency access for the community.
Officials noted that residents are being asked to consolidate belongings into city-issued tents to reduce clutter, trash, and pest concerns, with additional services like showers and laundry expected soon.
“This site has always been intended to be a temporary solution as folks move toward treatment and more stable housing,” the statement read.
City officials also asserted that no arrests were made at the park and that they were “disappointed” that protests delayed setup efforts.
By the late afternoon, city crews took their forklift and left the park with several pallets still in a stack and some tents not yet pitched.
Christina Park becomes ‘tent city’
The decision to move people out of their tents comes about six months after Carney first declared that Christina Park would become a legal homeless encampment in the city.
He did so in line with recommendations that had been issued by Wilmington’s homelessness task force, which Carney established early in 2025.
Following Carney’s decision, dozens of people moved into the park. By December, Spotlight Delaware reported that an estimated 50 tents had been pitched in the grassy field along the northern half of the park.
Despite the growth, Simmons told Spotlight Delaware then “there’s no way to really live in a public park” — particularly one that at the time had no showers or bathrooms.
By January, the city entered into a contract with the homeless services organization, Friendship House, to oversee the homeless community by coordinating donations, providing bathrooms, cleaning services and security, and by offering case management for residents.
That same month, the city also brought portable restrooms for the encampment – which residents had been requesting for weeks. Shower and laundry services are expected to begin at the park later this month, according to the city.
On Wednesday, the executive director of the Friendship House, Kim Eppehimer, told Spotlight Delaware that the decision to move park residents out of their tents and into new ones was a city decision. The Friendship House, she said, is trying to support residents while helping to facilitate the city’s plan.
“This is a difficult situation, and we truly recognize that,” Eppehimer said.
