Milford police have identified at least three suspects accused of targeting and carrying out acts of violence and vandalism at a local encampment for unhoused residents.
Police identified the suspects based on data from license plate readers and social media activity, according to Milford Mayor Richard Smith.
“Milford is better than that,” Smith said. “We're a very receptive and open community. We look after our neighbors, especially the least among us, the most vulnerable among us, and so this behavior is certainly not representative of who we are as a community.”
The incidents belie a greater national shift in how people view those who are unhoused, according to Jennifer Paradis, executive director of the Beth-El Center, a shelter for unhoused Milford residents.
“There's been a changing rhetoric and narrative around homelessness, and that teaches us that we should fear people experiencing homelessness, and that they're not full members of our society, and of course that couldn't be farther from the truth,” Paradis said.
The attacks which occurred over the last two weeks, range from throwing rocks at encampment residents, damaging their tents and property, to spraypainting swastikas on trees surrounding the encampment.
None of the encampment’s residents were severely injured, though one person was physically attacked by someone on a motorcycle, Paradis said.
Fireworks were reportedly thrown into the encampment, resulting in fires that residents have had to extinguish, but Smith said police were not aware of any fires.
The masked attacks were unprovoked and the motivation is unclear.
“When we try to answer the why, I think it gets to be just even more confusing and even more scary and sad,” Paradis said. “We don't know why. What we do know is that people experiencing homelessness, our unhoused neighbors, are under attack across the country.”
Milford police are investigating the incidents, but whether they will be charged as hate crimes is uncertain, Paradis said.
“This is raising the issue of the rights that folks have as unhoused members of our community,” Paradis said. “Housing status is not a protected class, which if you think about it, doesn't make a lot of sense. Why is it that you have effectively less rights as a citizen one day of being unhoused versus, maybe you were housed the day before?”
About five unhoused residents live in the encampment. Over the years, Beth-El has helped residents of the encampment transition to more stable housing, Paradis said.
If the attacks had taken place on a single-family home, the response would’ve been different, Paradis said.
Social media plays a major role in the way people’s perceptions of the unhouse are shaped, Smith said.
“Meanness and hate have been given the green light, and social media is certainly at fault in many cases,” Smith said. “Too much hate can be promulgated on social media with anonymous posts and reckless assertions."
