Police remove items from homeless camp outside Confederation Building

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has removed items from a homeless protest site across from Confederation Building Tuesday afternoon, as the demonstration continues into its third week.

RNC officers were seen around 1 p.m. NT moving tents and packing belongings into black tote bins. 

Police on the scene told CBC News officers are only removing tents that blew down during Monday's wet and windy weather because they don't want the debris to blow into the road. 

"You deserve to be treated with respect. And I think we've done a good job of maintaining that," RNC Insp. Steve Knight told the group that congregated at the encampment. "But we're at a situation now where public safety has been compromised, because of that weather last night."

The City of St. John's told CBC News it isn't responsible for collecting any garbage on the encampment's grounds, as that would fall on the owners of the property — which, in this case, is the Pippy Park Commission.

WATCH | See police taking down tent encampment, and hear protesters' reactions

RNC media relations Const. James Cadigan also said police are taking the items from the encampment to RNC headquarters, where the protestors can then pick up their belongings. 

He said that police would not remove tents that are still standing. 

The dismantlement was met with some hostility, as people were quick to point out that some tents that had been taken down were only abandoned the night before — and that those people were set to return.

In one instance, a man had his tent taken down as it was unoccupied due to the fact that he left for a medical appointment.

"There was no one in your tent," Knight told the man.

"Yeah, cause I was in hospital for two days," the man replied.

Some people leaving the encampment were seen walking toward the nearby College of the North Atlantic. The college had locked some of its side doors when security noticed "an unusually high amount of traffic entering the building" last week, according to a statement sent to CBC News, but the main doors remained unlocked.

Resident Davy Short, who has been living at the encampment for over two weeks, said he plans to continue staying opposite Confederation Building.