The District closed 19 homeless encampments in October. In 2026, the city has cleared about 160 encampments.
On Oct. 20, the District cleared its largest encampment of the month, impacting at least five residents at the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Memorial Library. The area outside the library has long been a popular spot for people experiencing homelessness looking to sleep in a covered space, but both the city and the library have targeted it in recent years through clearings and policies against sleeping in the area. In 2026 alone, the District has cleared the area at least seven times.
In July, MLK Library began more strictly enforcing its sleeping ban, placing rope barriers in front of the library and stationing police beside the ropes overnight, blocking the dozens of people who often slept in the area. Many people who chose to stay moved to the public area of the sidewalk along the tree boxes, with some setting up tents but others taking their belongings with them when they left each morning…