The controversial man behind ‘Tent City’ made a brief appearance in the heart of Sydney before quickly disappearing hours later.
After the homeless site full of make-shift homes was cleared out five months ago from Martin Place, organiser Lanz Priestley has set up shop once again.
The group constructed an around-the-clock soup kitchen just a few metres away from the old Tent City, where the residents were forced to move along in August.
The so-called ‘Mayor of Martin Place’ told Daily Mail Australia the soup kitchen was in action for ‘three days’ before it was pulled down Monday night after they were asked to move on by police.
Hours after setting up a soup kitchen in Sydney’s CBD, so-called ‘Mayor of Martin Place’ Lanz Priestley said they were asked to move on by police, leaving an empty Martin Place (pictured)
Organisers of the homeless ‘Tent City’ (pictured) in Martin Place returned to site on Monday
Mr Priestley (left) set up a soup kitchen (right) in the area and said it would pop up every week
‘We’ve had it there every Sunday since Tent City came down,’ Mr Priestley said.
‘We do it when necessary because there’s nothing else for the guys in the area.’
Setting up on Macquarie Street, just a few metres from the old Tent City, the leader of the homeless group said their stand would only be up for a few hours because they ‘didn’t plan to leave it there’.
‘I’ve just had some cops come down and give me a move on order in Martin Place for stealing power,’ Mr Priestley, a father-of-12, said in a video shared to Facebook.
‘The guys here are going to look after this until we pull it down later tonight.’
The homeless leader initially refused to move on from the Martin Place location full of their make-shift homes but was left with no choice as police stepped in.
Mr Priestley said their soup stand would only be up for a few hours because they ‘didn’t plan to leave it there’ but were quickly moved along
The homeless leader initially refused to move on from the Martin Place location but was left with no choice as police stepped in last August
Mr Priestly told Daily Mail Australia to ‘never say never’ about Tent City (pictured) returning
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney siad they had spent $27 million on housing measures for the homeless
Sydney mayor Clover Moore moved to put residents of the Tent City into temporary housing, but within days many residents had returned to the streets.
Mr Priestly told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday Tent City could make a permanent return.
‘Never say never,’ he said.
‘But it would be ludicrous to bring them back right now for multiple of reasons.
‘Substantially because of the idiot laws.’
Rows of tents were removed from the Martin Place area, at the heart of Sydney’s CBD in August
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney told The Daily Telegraph they had spent $27 million on housing measures for the homeless.
‘The City of Sydney continues to work with state government agencies to manage public access in Martin Place, while supporting the needs of people sleeping rough in the city,’ the spokesperson said.
‘The City of Sydney supports the NSW government’s protocol for People in Public Places, which promotes the rights of people who are experiencing homelessness to access public spaces without the risk of discrimination.’
After being shut down in June last year, the homeless contingent returned just one month later.
Mr Priestly told Daily Mail Australia the make-shift soup kitchen would continue every Sunday.
‘It needs to be a 24/7 thing somewhere and it needs to be in the city,’ he said.
Workers travelling into Martin Place were forced to contend with the crowds of homeless on a daily basis