TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A local activist's artwork calling out the city of Tallahassee's actions towards homelessness has been removed and now the artist says she wants to see more done to solve the root of the problem.
Nik Rye led construction and design for this makeshift bus shelter after a homeless man who frequently slept where it stood was found dead. This, shortly after the city removed a bus stop bench and awning near the corner of Gaines St. and Railroad Ave.
Rye says the city's removal of covered bus shelters in the area is an act of gentrification that's putting homeless people in even greater danger.
"You can't just push them out of a space. And that seems to be the answer. They're spending a lot of money pushing people out of areas instead of just finding ways to house them. That is on them. That's their responsibility as a local government," Rye says.
The bus stop's shelter and bench were both replaced today.
We reached out to the City of Tallahassee as well as the Big Bend Continuum of Care for their response to Rye's artistic activism and are still waiting to hear back.
