Wall Stree Journal Article

By ALEX P. KELLOGG
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A group of about 20 homeless people were told by state police to vacate a campsite they'd set up near an interstate highway as this college town is preparing to host President Barack Obama for a commencement address at the University of Michigan.
Members of the group said they believed they were evicted because their site, which they call Camp Take Notice, falls along the route that tens of thousands of people will take to hear the President speak at Michigan Stadium, which seats more than 100,000 people.
"We didn't do nothing for them to move us that fast," said Lynvel Cooper, 51 years old, who has been homeless for nearly seven months and had been living at the camp site for about six weeks. "It didn't feel right."
Brian Nord, a graduate student at the university and president of the board of Mission, a nonprofit group that works with the homeless, said "the local government doesn't want the appearance of this" while the President is in Ann Arbor. Mr. Nord said he plans to attend Obama's speech Saturday.
The camp is located near the Ann Arbor Saline Road exit of Interstate 94, in a wooded area near a commuter parking lot. An Applebee's restaurant is nearby; Michigan Stadium is about two miles away.
Lt. Wynonia Sturdivant, a Michigan state police officer who dealt with the matter, said the people were informed on Tuesday that they were trespassing on property belonging to the Michigan Department of Transportation. "I didn't remove them," she said. "They voluntarily moved."
She added that complaints had been filed in recent weeks about panhandling on the exit ramp near the camp site, although she couldn't verify if panhandling would be illegal at that location. Residents of the camp said they have strict rules that forbid anyone from panhandling nearby. They also said they have had regular visits from city and state police, and were told to move their tents to a different spot near the highway ramp about seven months ago after police said they were trespassing there, but had never before been told to leave.
Mr. Cooper, an Ann Arbor native, said he has moved to a gulley several miles away, along with most of the group. State police said the group could also be trespassing there, but that they haven't gone to check yet. Mr. Cooper did maintenance and landscaping work but ran short on money last fall, forcing him onto the streets, then a shelter and finally to Camp Take Notice.
He described living there as "a lot better" than many shelters, despite the lack of electricity. He said people would watch out for each other and avoid drugs and violence. Many have cell phones, and some jobs.Write to Alex P. Kellogg at alex.kellogg@wsj.com