Louisiana forces relocation of homeless camp ahead of Taylor Swift's performances in New Orleans

Kate Kelly, a spokeswoman for Landry's office, told NBC affiliate WDSU that Landry understands the homelessness crisis is the “biggest problem” in New Orleans and is working on solutions.

“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,” Kelly said in a statement.

The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.

Harris said she and her co-workers toured the camp earlier this week with the head of the New Orleans office of the Louisiana State Police. She said the community was well-maintained and there were no signs of drug use or crime.

But on Wednesday morning, her team saw several foreign ministries preparing to clear the camp. Harris said the new site for the displaced lacks basic hygiene facilities, including toilets and trash cans.

When asked about their involvement in the move, state police said they were “committed to ensuring the safety of both the homeless and the broader community while maintaining public infrastructure.”

“LSP Troop NOLA is supporting the relocation of the unhoused community to a centralized area that provides greater access to services and ensures a safer environment,” a spokesperson said.

State police did not immediately respond to questions about what was being done to address the lack of sanitation facilities at the new camp or why those facilities were not in place before the move.

Last-minute unrest interrupts months of progress

Harris pointed out several problems with the “inhumane” last-minute decision. Some of the relocated people had vouchers in hand for dormitories, part of the Home for Good initiative, she said.

The project is a collaboration between the city, nonprofit organizations and private donors. Harris said caseworkers in warehouses are doing targeted outreach to work with people, many of whom are working, to give them access to security and pet storage, and to work with landlords to offer them incentives to rent to unhoused people .

According to Home for Good's website, six camps have already closed, with nine more scheduled to close by the end of the year. Harris said the city has been able to house nearly 600 people this year.

“So this works, what we do works,” Harris said. “And for someone to just come and interfere and interfere with a system that works and actually provides people with housing and the services that they need is just deeply disturbing.”

Harris said people's personal items were moved without their knowledge.

One person was on his shift at Burger King at the time of the move and could not be reached because he did not have a cell phone. Harris also pointed to a report from Nola.com in which a man named Joseph Neiswander returned from a walk to find all of his belongings missing, including his personal documents and phone.

“If a homeless person loses their documents, that means they have to start with step one and get basic documents like a state ID or a Social Security card,” Harris said, noting that those documents get them into the housing system.

Local officials like Harris also warned that many people would not stay in a new camp, especially as authorities move unhoused people from other areas to the new site.

City Council President Helena Moreno asked Landry's office in a letter Wednesday to work with the city on a unified approach to the housing issue, WDSU reported.

Nathaniel Fields, the city's homeless services director, told Nola.com that the city does not have the resources to ensure the safety of the new encampment. He said the eviction would disperse the community and complicate larger efforts to close all camps by 2025.

“I thought we could work better with our state partners on this, but I think we're just doing things the way they wanted,” Field told the outlet.

Harris also said that the state had months to terminate and that the rushed effort ahead of Swift's shows is now essentially “taking her name in vain.”

“There was no coordination with the city, and all of a sudden we're rounding up people to house them in a concentrated area with no services for a Taylor Swift concert. … The governor is basically just sweeping away what he sees as trash,” Harris said.