VIDEO & PHOTOS: Tent City Tents Torn Down as Encampment Nears Its End; Statement from Deputy Mayor Akerman

tc 1[VIDEO & PHOTOS] The massive efforts of former Mayor and current Deputy Mayor Albert Akerman to close down Tent City are paying off in a large way.

Dozens of tents at the homeless encampment are being torn down as the Township continues to work on placing the homeless in permanent housing.

The tents, says Deputy Mayor Albert Akerman, belonged to residents who had a weeks notice to remove their belongings before the Township removes the tent.

“We will continue these efforts until the entire Tent City is cleaned out,” Deputy Mayor Akerman told TLS in an exclusive video while they were tearing down the tents this morning.

To date, about half the residents were placed and only about 50 residents remain in the camp, Akerman says. [TLS]

Tent City Tents being Torn Down as Homeless Encampment Nears its End from The Lakewood Scoop on Vimeo.

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50 COMMENTS

  1. wow! good going! this is how it should be- homeless placed in normal places (not the woods!!) and neighbors living like normal without excessive smoke and wandering individuals in their backyards!! KEEP IT UP, LKWD!!!

  2. Good job Mr. Ackerman. Lakewood needs more afficitive people like you.
    And as you are at it, there is another obstacle in Lakewood, and that is an uncalled for stop sign on Pine st. and MLK dr. Thank You.

  3. Bill – reading you’re comment one would think you want these homeless jailed or killed!! What the township is doing here is PREVENTING just that from happening by placing them in HOUSES!! We are all on the same side here no matter what the motive

  4. Are they having a tent sale? Joking aside I really hope they all find an improved life with good health, roof over their head, & steady income.

  5. Great job! many of these “residents” take up valuable space and resources in our hospital for no other reason than being drunk and cold, its time they were relocated

  6. When everything is done at tent city that seems to be making a lot of people happy lets just hope that section of woods remain, I would not want to see condos town houses ,single family homes or schools going in there. WE NEED GREEN SPACE!

  7. TO H, #13, They only took down some tents, not all of them. THe remaining 50 people still have their tents up. It ain’t over til it’s over!

  8. What is wrong with you people. I do not support this decision to get rid of tent city. Where are they all going to go now? How would you feel if someone came and knocked down your living space. Many of them have mental illnesses and that was their home. Shame on lakewood for doing this.

  9. #21 lakewood – If that is indeed the case (like we all hope it to be), then why does the article clearly state “The tents, says Deputy Mayor Albert Akerman, belonged to residents who had a weeks notice to remove their belongings before the Township removes the tent.” One week to find somewhere to live.. How can that happen when that is the very reason they are in the woods to begin with!!

  10. Hey, #17 – do you think only tent city residents get cold and drunk? You don’t think there are other people taking up room in hospitals, not paying for it, who return to nice, warm, paid for homes?!

  11. For the record, Lakewood has spent the past few months placing many of us into real homes and giving us the opportunity to start afresh. Many of us were placed either through steps or social services. ALL THE TENTS THAT WERE TORN DOWN WERE OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL THAT WERE PLACED IN TO REAL HOUSING. They were then repopulated by Rev Steve recruiting new people – that is against the agreement that we signed with the Lakewood Township. No new people are allowed to move into TC only the people on the census. Now, according to the agreement one week after someone is placed his tent shall be removed….so the township is doing its job and is being very compassionate and sympathetic to us residents. The reason there are mixed reports as to what is going on its because Rev Steve dedicated his whole life to help us homeless and now he will have to seek an alternative way to help the homeless, therefore he is painting the picture as if Lakewood is out to get the homeless and not being compassionate etc. HOWEVER, THE OPPOSITE IS THE TRUE REALITY MOST OF ITS HERE ARE AWAITING OUT TURN TO START OVER OUR LIFE AND GET A FREE HOUSE FOR A YEAR…..KEEP IT UP LAKEWOOD WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE ALL YOU ARE DOING

  12. I am outraged and saddened by some of these comments. I hope you never have to face some of the heartship you’re putting on these homeless people. Lakewood seems to be a very cold town that doesn’t care about human beings. One day you too will have to answer to your higher power!

  13. Thank you to the Lakewood Twp for working so hard to give the residents a better opportunity and a genuine sense of hope to get another chance at life. No one should be forced to permanently live outdoors in a tent in 2014. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  14. #31, Please be outraged and saddened, when squatters come to a new town where they never lived, steal public property, break the law, bring drugs and harmful smoke to a residential neighborhood, and then get the opportunity to start fresh on Lakewood taxpayers bill. That is really a reason to be outraged and saddened.

  15. Before you pass judgement, why don’t you find out all the facts and facets in this story?? Why don’t you take the time to find out how much time was invested, how many hours so this can be done in the most humane and caring way to relocate those without homes to a BETTER place.
    Judge from the FACTS, not what someone with an agenda is trying to get you to believe. I have met many people – not from the community or local area- who have come down to help after hearing how horrible Lakewood must be to these poor people, and left disgusted with how they were mislead with propaganda. Yes – propaganda against GOOD people who are trying to help by moving them to a better place!

  16. “I am outraged and saddened by some of these comments. I hope you never have to face some of the heartship you’re putting on these homeless people”

    Do you have kids? How would you feel if any time your child walked out of your home they are overwhelmed with toxic fumes?

    Do I feel bad for theses people? Sure… but not because they are living outdoors. This was not the first time they had someone extend a generous hand and offer them alternative living quarters. Repeated efforts to have them placed elsewhere were constantly refused. You know why? Because shelters have rules & several of these residents wouldn’t have been able to continue with their drug habits & thievery – that’s why they chose to remain there.

    The reason I feel bad for them is not because they live in the forest… I feel bad for them because they are unable to differentiate a good decision from a bad one.

  17. It’s actually bittersweet for me.
    One the one hand I’m happy to see them get placed, on the other I was kinda gettin used to them. I need a new cause to kvetch about now.

  18. No one seems to give credit to Minister Steve for all the hard work he has done and all he has given up to help the homeless. If it were not for him the people that received housing would living on the streets and the other people still living in tent city would have no hope of receiving housing. With the severe winters that we have had,I believe that many of these people would died if he had not helped provide them with food, warm clothing and sheter . So I think we should all (including those wo never like Tent City) take a moment and say THANK YOU MINISTER STEVE for your tireless efforts helping the homeless.

  19. This is a real sigh of relief, for me and all the people joining the new development off Cedar Bridge. When people would ask where I’m moving to, I felt so odd saying “to the WOODS off Cedar Bridge. Thank you Issac, you are someone our town admires.

  20. For the record: I know al the people at tent city and Chris is not a tent city resident nor has he ever been one. There is no one that has ever lived in tent city that is not grateful far the help that they received. On behalf of the real residents of tent city that have received housing, I would like to say Thank You to all the people that help find housing and Thank You to minister Steve and all the people that contributed food and clothing.

  21. Cudos to you Chris tc. Good luck and I hope you have success in everything. Thanks deputy Ackerman and the lakewood township. After watching this video my son said to me” I can start to sleep better now” . Lets hope that the job gets finished soon so my son can tell me ” now I can also play outside and not be scared”.

  22. To Bill Van wyck & PC – ur wrong. Letting them stay in a tent in the woods in 3 degree temperature is not being compassionate. Thats being mean. We, the ppl supporting emptying Tent City, are the kind, warm, compassionate ones, you & ppl sharing ur opinion are the Cold Hearted Snakes.

  23. Thank you to the Lakewood Twp for working so hard to give the residents a better opportunity and genuine sense of hope to get another chance at life. No one should be forced to permanently live outdoors in a tent in 2014.

    Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  24. People in T C live there because they can not find shelter anywhere else. Ocean County does NOT have shelters. The closest shelter around here is the Rescue Mission in Atlantic City which is totally overcrowded. At least when they live in a small community like TC they have some security and knowledge that there are people out there that care.

  25. At least the Hasidic community , many who are sweet gentle people , will no longer have to tolerate their children being harassed by drunken Tent City residents . Take a look at the two houses destroyed by a tent City resident who stripped all the copper wiring out of it on Vine Street. While a few residents were truly innocent, majority of Tent City residents are addicts in need of help, which ‘Minister’ Steve is not able to provide, in fact he enables them to further addiction.

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