Canton Plaza Cleared Out

‘No Incident’ as Squatters in Canton Plaza Are Told to Move Out 

A congregation of homeless people had made the Midtown Plaza in downtown Canton their home for the past several weeks. Yet they have now moved on. They moved out on Tuesday per recommendation of Canton Police Chief James Santimaw who noted that the makeshift residents moved out ‘without incident’.

Santimaw also stated that those there were told the building was unsafe and that they had to move for their safety. Coercion was not part of the equation. Even though the tenants moved out without trouble, the area of the plaza is still littered with various odds and ends that the Canton Department of Public works has said it will soon remove. A fence was installed around the area adorned with signs saying “No Loitering” and “No Trespassing” for public safety.

Over the past several weeks Canton Mayor Michael Dalton has been dealing with this and going about it in a careful, diligent manner. This is not a problem that just recently appeared, rather it has reappeared. This is just the first time that it has been open to the public view. There have been rumors that someone was living under the Main Street bridge a few years back, along with someone living somewhere in the woods between the BIRP and Atlantic testing.

The police are aware of the people involved and all of them have allegedly refused any help offered. Social Services cannot help them as they are not abiding by their program rules. Additionally, they refuse to go to a shelter in Ogdensburg. This story is on going as the village continues to work on the topic.