Woodbridge, Va. –– In less than 24 hours, those who live in a homeless camp along Interstate 95 in Dale City will be forced to leave.
Virginia State Police on Thursday will enter a homeless camp near the intersection of I-95 and Dale Boulevard and force many off the land who for years have lived at the overwhelmingly self-sustaining community.
That land is maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which asked state police for help in removing the people in the tents.
“Last week, the Virginia Department of Transportation put up no trespassing signs, and we have had state troopers going to the camps to let them know that they will need to vacate the land by March 31,” said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
Troopers began notifying residents of the camps March 23 that they would have to leave, said Geller.
The encampment is located near the Prince William heating and cooling shelter, next to the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission’s bus terminal on Telegraph Road.
Nearby, a planned National Museum of Americans in Wartime was approved last fall for construction behind K-Mart. Now enough money needs to be raised by the museum organization so it can be built. The wartime museum will include recreated combat landscapes and working tanks and planes.
In recent months the camp has become known as a dangerous place for some.
Last June, a man was shot in the ear at the camp. The victim suffered injuries that were not life threatening, but it prompted a police search for the shooter.
Johnny McManus in December was found guilty for assault and battery in connection with the incident and sentenced to 12 months in jail, according to court records.
We’ll have more on this story as it develops.
