The Leonardo museum says a block-long homeless camp along 500 South in Salt Lake City is a safety concern for its patrons, but those asked to move say they have nowhere else to go.
“We’re a family museum, and we have field trips every day here,” Leonardo Chief Development Officer Debra Peterson told FOX 13. “Not that this is an issue from all homeless people, but there is drug use and there are issues.”
Peterson said museum staff clean up outside the building and has dealt with property damage. Two men who were fighting broke through a window the museum has yet to have repaired due to its $10,000 cost, she said.
While the Salt Lake County Health Department did clean up the area in December, Executive Director Gary Edwards said that sleeping bags and tents were not removed because of the time of year.
“We can’t in good conscience take those types of belongings from individuals," Edwards told FOX 13.
FOX 13 spoke with people experiencing homeless who were sleeping near the museum Thursday. Many said they don’t have anywhere else to go. Some of those who moved just set up camp around the corner from the museum.
See more at FOX 13.
Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.
