From [HERE] One of Chicago’s longest-standing tent cities was cleared Wednesday as the city prepares for the Democratic National Convention, with many of the tent city’s residents offered rooms at a Gold Coast hotel operating as a homeless shelter.

But to make room for residents of the South Loop tent city, existing tenants of the hotel-turned-shelter were evicted, with some now living on the street, residents and activists said.

The encampment, sandwiched between the Dan Ryan Expressway and the 1100 block of South Desplaines Street, was cleared of tents and personal belongings by Wednesday morning. Crews added extra fencing to the area, cordoning off the strip of land that has been a respite for the unhoused for over four decades.

The encampment and others near the site of the DNC were cleared as a precaution in case the Secret Service determined the camps posed a safety threat, city officials said. [MORE]