A judge is ordering to two private property owners in Lansing to install portable toilets on their land where a longstanding homeless encampment has been established.
City leaders say they are not interested in displacing those at the encampment north of Old Town and want to find a place for them to go. But the city’s attorney says they are more concerned with sanitation and safety.
The property owners say they’re not happy with the judge’s ruling because all of the costs for the installation and maintenance of the mobile toilets are on them, not the city.
"I'm very, very disappointed in the city's characterization that they can't put the porta-potties on a city-owned park," Mark Kerrins, Co-owner of 113 W. Michigan LLC said.
He argues the portable toilets should be installed in Dietrich Park which neighbors the encampment.
Kerrins added that he's pleased with the efforts to relocate people to shelters or more stable housing, but isn't in a position to pay for these toilets.
The city filed a lawsuit against Kerrins and another property owner last month to get the encampment cleared, citing safety and sanitation concerns.
The city also proposed several other measures in the injunction to ensure proper sanitation and safety at the hearing. These included allowing social services to access the encampment, regular trash disposal services and the prohibition of using open flames inside structures.
Although the number of toilets being installed has not been finalized, they are aiming to set up around five to 10 based on the number of residents. Weekly cleanings of the toilets paid for by the property owners was also added by the judge as part of the injunction.
Kit Cushman has been a resident of the encampment for about a year and a half. She agrees with Kerrins that the city should be paying.
"I know that quite a few people were placed out there and swept from other encampments to our camp, and that is not the property owner's fault," Cushman said.
A pre-trial hearing in the case is set for next month with the trial scheduled to begin in late January.
Cushman said this date is too far away, as it will be well into Winter when the trial begins. She added that the recently announced pod village for unhoused residents won't begin construction until March, well after the trial begins.
