Picture essay: A day at the Flinders St homeless camp
AS the homeless camp outside Flinders St Station continues to grow, we spend a day at the makeshift site and observe offences, arrests and police visits.
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IT’s 9am on Tuesday morning.
As busy commuters rush from train platforms and head to work, a camp of homeless people outside Flinders St Station continues to grow.
Over the past three weeks, the number of rough sleepers along the concrete wall has almost doubled, from eight people to about 15.
Two men stand at a telephone booth.
One grips a crutch in one hand and a bottle in the other.
He drinks from the brown paper bag before walking along the path to sit with a man and woman.
9.15am. The same man with the bottle in the brown paper bag sits beside two others as they sleep on the footpath.
He lights up a bong and smokes.
10.36am. Another man with long hair smokes from the same bong.
While he does so, police officers arrive and speak to those camped on the footpath.
11.20am. A man who had been asleep with a can of bourbon and cola in hand is arrested by police.
With his hands cuffed behind his back, a friend puts a cigarette in his mouth.
Officers put the bourbon can in the bin, take the cigarette from his mouth after a puff and lead him to a divvy van.
11.54am. A man called Assain arrives to clean the public toilets in front of the makeshift camp.
Assain fears for his safety.
He has requested police backup while he cleans.
12.20pm. Salvation Army volunteers arrive to speak to the homeless.
12.51pm. A social worker writes on a notepad as he speaks with rough sleepers.
He gets a high-five from one man.
1.41pm. The arrested man returns little more than two hours after police took him into custody.
He arrives with another can of bourbon and sits in the same spot.
2.08pm. Police reappear.
Officers take down details of one man after he throws his open alcohol in the bin.
Another man empties his bottle of beer as police approach.
The previously arrested man sleeps through the whole ordeal and his new bourbon can remains untouched.
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