I’m writing from the Rivanna Trail over by Free Bridge near Pantops, where at around 9 a.m., the City of Charlottesville began clearing an encampment that has grown here over the past couple of years.
Between 25 and 30 people remained at the encampment as of this morning, a mutual aid group familiar with the encampment and its residents said.
Many of the tents here are empty, and some have collapsed. The folks remaining have spent the morning like most of us do. Putting on deodorant, getting dressed, brushing their hair, walking their dogs. But they were also packing up their lives. After today, they can’t stay…