WATCH: Reporter Jeremy Hunka gets a look inside the camp at Oppenheimer Park.
VANCOUVER – The 250 campers at Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park can stay put, at least for now.
A BC Supreme Court Justice has postponed her decision on whether to grant the city of Vancouver an injunction to kick the campers out. She says that it will give the campers time to get lawyers if they need them.
The city says the camp is no longer safe and the protesters vow to stay until the city find them somewhere safe to live.
Global News reporter Jeremy Hunka spent the night at Oppenheimer Park and got a first-hand look at what it is like to live in the camp.
The city, police and fire say the camp has become a major safety and health concern, with reports of assaults, weapons, drug use and general disorder. Neighbours are also complaining that they can no longer use the park.
However, many campers say they are living there because they have nowhere else to go and even if they had the opportunity to go to a shelter they would rather stay in the park as it is a place of community.
“Right now it’s a place to crash, specifically for my girlfriend and I,” said camper Brock Fetterly. “I think that a lot of people here are seeking resources and trying to find housing.”
Hunka says many campers are very welcoming. On Tuesday night they lit a sacred fire in the middle of the camp, which keeps the campers warm and is a meeting place. Most nights, no drugs, alcohol or swearing is allowed around the fire.
Vancouver Police patrol the park at night, keeping the peace. Some residents of the park say they do fear for their safety.
“They may just see a collection of ragged tents but this is a community and we know that we’re safe and we’re not in isolation living with our hurt and pain on our own,” said camper Jeffrey Dean Caldwell.
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