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Residents and advocates criticize city response to Christina Park eviction during council meeting
Summary
Multiple residents and volunteers told Wilmington City Council that the June 15 eviction of Christina Park lacked adequate medical access, shelter planning and transparency, urging the council to withhold votes and deliver a long-term transition plan for people experiencing homelessness.
Dozens of residents and volunteers used the City Council public-comment period June 18 to sharply criticize the city’s handling of a June 15 eviction at Christina Park and to demand long-term shelter and housing solutions.
Connor Brophy, a neighborhood resident and volunteer, said the council had opposed the eviction but did not back that stance with new shelter funding or planning. “Killer Carney has spit in your face yet again, City Council,” Brophy said, urging council members to withhold votes on mayoral measures until a humane long-term solution is in place.
Volunteers who helped people at Christina Park described chaotic scenes during the eviction. Mimi Sibilus, who volunteers distributing food and supplies, said medics and volunteers were repeatedly denied access to people in crisis and that intake numbers released by the city did not reflect the individuals involved. She urged the council to pass Councilmember Darby’s resolution 0240 and produce a transition plan before July 4.
Jean Messick, another volunteer, framed the short-term placements the city provided as temporary fixes: some residents received 14- or 30-day hotel stays while others were given six-month placements at the Hope Center — moves that Messick warned would return people to the street in winter unless a permanent plan is developed.
Speakers also described operational failures during the eviction: a medic denied entry to treat someone with COPD, a person in crisis nearly died on-site, and volunteers said public-works crews and some officers did not coordinate effectively with outreach teams. Commenters called for better counts and case-tracking for displaced individuals and urged the council to use available federal funds for shelter projects such as tiny-home communities or rehabilitated properties.
In closing remarks at the meeting, council members acknowledged hearing the testimony and reiterated that public-safety agencies and outreach partners had been working on the issue. The council extended public comment and moved on to its legislative agenda without taking a new vote on homelessness-related directives during the June 18 session.
The council is not scheduled to vote on a specific homelessness plan at this meeting; community members said they expect follow-up from both council and the mayor’s office in coming weeks.
