The Mayor of the vibrant Delaware city that Joe Biden calls home has accused officials from crime-ridden Philadelphia of busing in homeless people.
John Carney, the mayor of Wilmington, the Diamond State’s largest city, announced on October 29 that the city had no other choice but to convert its Christina Park into a city-sanctioned homeless encampment.
Carney, a Democrat, blamed Philadelphia for a recent alarming spike in Wilmington’s homeless population.
He specifically cited that, through Philadelphia’s Traveler Assistance program, the Pennsylvania city has spent $270,000 since 2021 on one-way bus tickets to transport homeless people to a location of their choice.
‘We will do our part to serve our residents,’ Carney said in a statement. ‘But let me be clear: the constant influx of people from other cities and towns makes it harder for us to care for our population.
‘Most importantly, it’s unfair to Wilmington residents who live with the consequences of these actions.’
In his attempt to clean up the mess he claims Philadelphia created, he turned to Christina Park, a small green space that has been an unofficial homeless site in the city for more than a year.
The city installed outdoor bathrooms and opened a new dining room with the local Ministry of Caring for those dwelling in the green space along the Christina River.
Wilmington, which border Philadelphia, has been grappling with a homeless crisis
A city-sanctioned tent city has emerged at Wilmington’s Christina Park
The Christina Park homeless encampment will provide residents with food and bathrooms
Carney said he hopes the tent city will only be a temporary solution as he develops a better plan to serve the city’s homeless population of roughly 640.
In May, he confronted Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker about the Kensington Community Revival Program, a multifaceted initiative to beautify and assist the residents of the city’s most troubled neighborhood.
‘Since the start of the Kensington Community Revival Program, we have observed a dramatic increase of individuals experiencing homelessness within our borders,’ Carney wrote to Parker, according to ABC6.
Wilmington residents have been left stunned by Christina Park’s transformation and have expressed concerns about what it means for their community.
‘[It’s] kinda sad because families go there for picnics, BBQs, basketball, football. Now it’s going to be shut off to us because of the homelessness,’ resident Vickie Miller told ABC6.
‘We have enough crowdedness down here in Delaware for them to be coming from Philly, it’s sad.’
Another resident, Cheryl Dayton, told the outlet that ‘the homeless crisis has been here too long.’
Other community members argue that this public space is not an appropriate site for a tent city.
John Carney, the mayor of Wilmington, blamed Philadelphia for the city’s homeless influx
Kensington is one of Philadelphia’s most dangerous neighborhoods and has a major homeless crisis
Former President Joe Biden, left, attended the University of Delaware and live in a Wilmington suburb
‘Do not take Christiana Park away from the citizens. Many people use it and need it for fun and relaxation,’ Wilmington realtor Charles Potter wrote on Facebook in September before Carney’s plan was finalized.
‘At the same time, give the homeless population the REAL help that they need.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the mayor’s offices of Philadelphia and Wilmington for comment.
Wilmington, which borders Philadelphia, offers a mix of city and small-town features and is home to the University of Delaware’s downtown campus, where former president Joe Biden attended.
In fact, Biden moved from his birthplace of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington when he was 10.
Architectural Digest reported that since the 1990s, the Biden family has resided in a mansion in Greenville, an affluent suburb of Wilmington.
During his 2020 presidential bid, the 6,850-square-foot property served as his campaign’s headquarters. As the president, he hosted world leaders in his basement.
His Wilmington home became the center of a 2023 FBI investigation into alleged mishandling of classified documents. Investigators uncovered six confidential documents from the residence.
