The man at the centre of Sydney’s homeless ‘Tent City’ has returned to the site less than six months after he and its residents were cleared out.
Having been moved on from their makeshift homes at Martin Place in August dozens of the organisers of the camp returned to the site again on the first day of 2018.
Led by Lanz Priestley, the so-called ‘Mayor of Martin Place’, a group set up an around-the-clock soup kitchen at their old stomping ground on Monday afternoon.
Taking to Facebook to share video upon his return to the once overcrowded area, Mr Priestley said he had been told to move on by police within just minutes of his return.
Organisers of the homeless ‘Tent City’ in Martin Place, at the heart of Sydney’s CBD, returned to the cite on Monday
Lanz Priestley (left), the so-called Mayor of Martin Place, took to Facebook to share a video of him setting up a soup kitchen on nearby Macquarie Street (right)
Rows of tents were removed from the Martin Place area, at the heart of Sydney’s CBD in August
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.
‘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, told the camera.
‘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 but was left with no choice as police stepped in.
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.
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney told The Daily Telegraph they had spent $27 million on housing measures for the homeless.
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
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney siad they had spent $27 million on housing measures for the homeless
Workers travelling into Martin Place were forced to contend with the crowds of homeless on a daily basis
‘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 made no comments about making a permanent return to Martin Place but did suggest in his video that the soup kitchen would become a regular occurrence.
Mr Priestly made no comments about making a permanent return to Martin Place but did suggest in his video that the soup kitchen would become a regular occurrence