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 News affiliate WDSU that the governor 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 Louisiana State Police's New Orleans office and found that 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, Louisiana 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 department 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. Harris said some of the people relocated had housing vouchers that are part of the Home for Good initiative.

The project is a collaboration between the city, nonprofit organizations and private donors. Harris said case workers are making targeted visits to encampments to work with people, many of whom are working, to give them access to security and pet storage facilities, and to work with landlords to incentivize taking in 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 when someone just comes and interferes and interferes with a system that works and actually gives people housing and the services that they need, that's just deeply disturbing.”

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

A person she worked with was on her shift at Burger King at the time of the move and could not be reached because she 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 an ID card 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 uninhabited people from other areas to this new location.

New Orleans Council President Helena Moreno wrote a letter to Landry's office Wednesday, WDSU reported, urging the governor to work with the city on a unified approach to the housing issue.

Nathaniel Fields, the city's director of homeless services, told Nola.com that the city does not have the resources to ensure the safety of the new encampment. He said the cleanup 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 noted that the state had months to terminate, but now the rushed effort ahead of Swift's shows essentially results in “wasting 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 because of a Taylor Swift concert… the governor is basically just sweeping what he sees as trash into a corner “” Harris said.