Residents, advocates press Bethlehem leaders over notices and services at riverside encampments

Dozens of residents and homeless-justice advocates used public comment at a Bethlehem City Council meeting to press officials about recent notices placed on tents at encampments near the Greenway and Mincey Trail and to demand clearer communication and more services.

Speakers described seeing bright orange notices saying tents must be removed by April 3 and a separate vehicle tag placed on a tent; that combination, several speakers said, created fear among people living there and prompted questions about whether a sweep was imminent. “Please remove your tent, belongings and trash from Bethlehem city property ... tents are not permitted on city property,” a poster quoted during the meeting read, citing Bethlehem city ordinance 9-41-02(a)(4). Several attendees said the notice language and short timeline were alarming to encampment residents.

The concern drew repeated calls for the city to reopen public restrooms and to coordinate cleanup…