Tent city is found behind McDonald’s on West Market Street. (Adam Studzinski/WJBC)
By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – The owner of the property where as many as 14 of Bloomington's homeless population are calling home is preparing to clear the area out.
The area, called Tent City, is found behind McDonald’s on West Market Street. Carl Thomas owns the property and said he's never given permission for the homeless to stay there.
"They at one time were behind the Culver’s restaurant and they cleaned all that out," said Thomas. "Part of them moved across the street onto my property."
Thomas has had the area cleared out more than once in the past.
"In the last, probably, five years I have probably had them removed two or three different times," he said.
Thomas planned to call the McLean County sheriff about coming to remove the homeless.
"It'll probably be on Saturday," said Thomas. "I don't mean to be, or act like, a heartless person, but the majority of people that are back there that say that they can't go to the shelters is because the shelters don't allow people with alcohol on their breath to enter the shelter."
Thomas added most of the homeless people seen asking for money near the interstate and at McDonald’s are at the gas stations in the area almost every evening buying beer and cigarettes.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at adam.studzinski@cumulus.com.
