Homeless camp in New Orleans forced to move due to Taylor Swift shows

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry authorized state police to begin clearing a homeless encampment near the New Orleans Superdome, where 150,000 people are expected to attend Taylor Swift concerts this weekend.

About 75 people living in a tent camp on Calliope Street under the Pontchartrain Expressway were relocated about two blocks away, Louisiana State Police said.

Landry spokeswoman Kate Kelly issued a statement to local media saying the move was intended to address homelessness and safety issues in preparation for the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as the Tackle the Super Bowl in February.

“Governor Landry recognizes that the biggest issue facing the city of New Orleans right now is the homelessness crisis, and he is working with LSP and local officials to address this issue,” Kelly said. “As we prepare for the city to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans looks its best on the world stage.”

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Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agents are assisting state police in giving instructions to people living in a homeless camp to move to another predetermined location while conducting a search ahead of a Taylor Swift concert in New Orleans on Wednesday . (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

But officials in New Orleans criticized the raid, saying it would hamper progress in finding long-term, permanent housing for those affected.

About 75 homeless people lived in the camp and were relocated about two blocks away. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“We are asking the governor not to sweep this encampment and other encampments,” Nathaniel Fields, director of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy, said during a news conference Tuesday. “We ask them to work with us and be part of the partnership and not part of the problem.”

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Others living without shelter in the city's tourist-dependent French Quarter area would also be moved to the same location as the homeless displaced from near the Superdome, officials said.

City officials in New Orleans opposed moving the homeless to the camp, arguing that it would hinder progress in finding long-term, permanent housing for those affected. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Resident Andy Levin told WWL-TV that the move was necessary, acknowledging that it was a temporary solution to a chronic problem facing the city and its community.

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“When you have such a large concentration of drug addicts and mentally ill people, they go into the neighborhood,” Levin said. “You find them there defecating, taking drugs, having sex, there's a man over there urinating. This is untenable … and from the perspective of the Central City community, moving these people is necessary.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.