Still fighting over Diamond

People have long fought over diamonds, but this is getting ridiculous.

Granted, we aren’t talking about precious gems. Rather, we’re talking about Diamond Village and its inhabitants — arguably far more valuable.

The discussion around Diamond Village is even more complex than it is divisive, which is saying something considering the heated back-and-forth we’ve seen in the Morgantown community since June. On one hand, the homeless encampment is an eyesore for Greenmont and makes the neighbors uncomfortable. On the other, Diamond Village is a contained place where members of the unhoused community can go, and where they feel safe, which keeps them from hanging out in front of downtown businesses. On one hand, a tent city isn’t exactly the warmest, driest, cleanest place for a person to sleep. On the other, it provides more shelter than sleeping on benches, under bridges or in the woods. On one hand, there have been 44 overdoses at the camp, all reversed by Naxolone, so we know drug use is happening. On the other, drug use can happen anywhere in Morgantown, and that’s 44 fewer bodies in the morgue and 44 chances for recovery.

With a matter this multifaceted, there are no easy solutions. There are no quick resolutions. Which is why we’re extremely disappointed with the Mon County Health Department’s decision to issue citations against the city, resulting in the city deciding to clear out the encampment ASAP.

We have several issues with MCHD’s actions. On a strictly humanitarian level, it is cruel to disband Diamond Village in the middle of a pandemic, particularly when doing so goes against CDC guidelines. Next, according the 64-CSR-18 — which the statute MCHD insists Morgantown and Diamond Village are in violation of — a campground is defined as “a tract of land established, maintained and offered to the public for payment for the location or placement of two or more camping units [including tents].” Last we checked, the land wasn’t offered to the public — the residents of Diamond Village set up shop there in protest — and residents haven’t paid to be there. It seems Diamond Village doesn’t meet the criteria of a “campground,” which means Morgantown isn’t running an illegal and/or non-permitted campground. Unless there’s something we don’t know. In which case, we hope someone will educate us.

Until the health department started issuing citations, there was a plan in place to gather members of the Diamond Village community and representatives of organizations to come up with a solution that meets everyone’s needs and allows the unsheltered individuals a say in what happens next. Because of MCHD’s interference, the city has implemented a housing plan (which is not a bad thing, per se) on an accelerated timetable (which is a bad thing), without input from the people directly impacted. And the current approach only helps the current residents, leaving other unhoused people without access to this opportunity.

If sanitation at Diamond Village is a concern, MCHD should have sat down with the various stakeholders and worked out a solution to keep the property clean while it’s in use. Instead, MCHD threw down costly citations that forced the city into immediate action to avoid penalties, destroying carefully made plans and agreements.