VICTORIA — Homeless campers on the grounds of Victoria's courthouse are staging a block party as they face eviction.
The party got off to a rough start this morning as police cars arrived with sirens blaring to investigate a disturbance at one of the tents within the camp.
Police were not commenting, but a photographer at the camp says there was an alleged assault.
Today is the deadline set for campers to move, but city police and British Columbia's government say the timeline is a soft one geared towards people voluntarily leaving for shelters as opposed to a forced eviction.
A placard outside the camp invites people to a block party later today that includes guest speakers and people from other B.C. homeless camps.
Victoria's camp grew from a few tents last spring to more than 100 people and dozens of tents, forcing the issue of homelessness from alleyways and parks to the highly visible manicured grounds of the downtown courthouse.
