Regina police received a hostile welcome when they arrived Friday to tear down the tent encampment in front of City Hall.

The decommissioning started at 1:30 p.m. with one police officer saying, “Anyone who is asked to leave and refuses will be arrested.”

It follows Regina Fire Chief Layne Jackson’s decision on Thursday.

“Regina Fire and Protective Service had become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a significant fire at the encampment. Today’s (Thursday) fire confirms that the lives of those living on the encampment are at imminent risk.”

“To best protect the lives of those in the encampment, and in response to an imminent risk to their safety, I’m exercising my authority under the Fire Safety Act, and we are now advising camp residents and organizers that they must vacate City Hall courtyard and the areas alongside City Hall immediately,” he continued.

Volunteers line up against Regina Police officers. (Photo by Tanner Wallace-Scribner)

Alejandra Cabrera, a volunteer, said another with no place to go, the encampment residents would be left alone.

“This isn’t going anywhere; if not here, where? You want to disperse them so they die out on the streets alone,” she said. “Yes, we had death, but you know how many other people we saved that we used Narcon? There could have been so many more deaths.”

Mandla Mthembu being detained by Regina Police Service. (Photo by Tanner Wallace-Scribner)

Mandla Mthembu, a camp volunteer and one of the first to be detained, spoke during a press conference before the teardown began and had a simple message for the City of Regina.

“The lack of humanity, the lack of compassion, the lack of sense of duty from the people in power and from the people that are standing alongside them is disgusting.”

“The response by the City and by the services that are coming here to remove them, not coordinating with us here as volunteers, with services, and community-based organizations that been reaching out and working alongside the people here, and most importantly, the people you have been living at the camp for the last 40 days, to not even talk to them about what guidelines they can do or what their role in how to make this a safe living environment, to come here and tell them that they had to leave is disgusting.”

Mthembu said people didn’t camp outside of City Hall by choice; they were camping because they had nowhere to go.

“It’s not because they are denying services, it’s not because they chose this, it’s not because they would rather be here than be in a home or be somewhere safe, the fact of the matter is, they’ve been given nothing and the little to no services that are provided to people here is a disgrace.”

“There is nothing that people are saying that they can go to, they have nowhere, and they have nobody to go to that is going to be safer than a tent.”

A look at some of the messages in front of City Hall. (Photo by Tanner Wallace-Scribner)