News

Tent Man Removed by the State

Published

1 week ago

January 6, 2025

VICKSBURG, Miss – The man who had made a camp in a tent on the side of the interstate near Walmart was ordered to be removed by the State of Mississippi, according to Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones.

Units with the Vicksburg Police Department along with a MDOT truck were seen removing items from there this morning. By 10 a.m. the camp has been cleared.

The man had gained notoriety locally due to the high visibility of his camp on the side of Hwy 61 near Walmart. Some 15,000 vehicles a day pass that area according to MDOT.

Chief Jones on the situation

“That area is owned by the state. They got with our legal department to see what we could do. We were out there assisting them,” said Vicksburg Police Chief Penny Jones. “He wasn’t there when his items were removed. It isn’t sanitary or safe for him to be out there. I would hope he was offered shelter at the mission.”

Reactions

The removal of the homeless man has sparked a mix of responses from the community. In the group, “Crime, Discussion and Community Events” one commenter said, “That is a good thing because if you let one person do it, there’s gonna be a whole lotta people that’s gonna try to do the same thing he was doing in the next thing you know this place would have looked like California. They need to let the homeless live and all these abandoned houses, the landlords don’t want to remodel them or rent them out or sell them at least let the homeless live them, especially during the winter time.”

Another said, “I hope someone came and helped him out of kindness and compassion. I hope no one called out of spite because of their negative thoughts…it’s cold outside today and he was living in a tent that was his home. You might didn’t like it. But that eyesore to you was his kingdom and peace and maybe only home. It’s sad that life has to teach ppl how to treat others.”