The residents of Camp Namegan, the Tent City that occupied Regina Park in Saanich, marched in protest of the treatment of homeless people by the District of Saanich on the evening of Friday, September 14.
Campers were evicted from the park on Thursday, two days after the court order injunction's deadline to vacate Regina Park.
They were locked out, many without their belongings, and they went to Rudd Park in Saanich, as it's one of the 102 parks in Greater Victoria where overnight camping between 7pm and 9am is allowed.
After spending a night at Rudd park, they marched through Saanich, causing traffic delays on Blanshard street.
They then set up their newest encampment at the corner of Carey Road and Caddilac Avenue, across from the Whole Foods in Saanich.
Chrissy Brett, the organizer of what they are now calling Namegan Nation, says they will be having a meeting in the evening, but they don't plan on leaving in the morning yet. "This is provincial land, it doesn't have any camping bylaws that require us to leave at 9 o'clock in the morning. So we'll see how the police choose to deal with us, and how the province of BC chooses to deal with us."
She says that after the 2008 Tent City in Victoria, she was told by the Assistant Deputy Minister that they could camp anywhere on crown land outisde of Victoria.
She says Saanich police has not treated the campers with compassion, as many campers' belongings were locked in Regina Park, and those items are being thrown out.
Brett says she would like to invite Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell to a meeting to discuss how to handle the homeless crisis in the city. She also says she would invite the Premier, the Prime Minister, and Ministers from all levels of government to discuss how to solve the crisis in the province, and in the nation.