Under pressure from some community members, Morgantown officials are again making moves to relocate unhoused community members living in the Diamond Village encampment.
Poverty is not a crime, and people experiencing homelessness are afforded the same rights under the Constitution as everyone else.
We remain concerned about the treatment of community members living at the Diamond Village encampment, and we will continue to monitor the city of Morgantown’s and the Monongalia County Health Department’s actions as this situation develops.
Many of our questions regarding how the city intends to provide adequate housing for these individuals remain unanswered. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and now is not the time to rush a decision that could result in serious public health consequences.
We have also filed a formal request under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act for health department records relating to communications with community members regarding the encampment. We look forward to a timely response to our request.”