Complaints see homeless man’s belongings taken

A homeless man living on the benches outside the Nelson Provincial Museum has had his belongings taken by the city council, but has not been moved on.

Nelson City Council enforcement officers confiscated the items after complaints to the council about the benches.

Jason McCutcheon said his things were taken on Wednesday morning, while he was away.

‘‘I woke up, got out of bed, went to get some cigarettes, and when I get back all my things are gone – they’ve left a bit of paper here,’’ he said.

‘‘I don’t know [what the note said], I threw it away. I don’t want anything to do with them.’’

McCutcheon said people had told him he should live at Franklyn Village.

‘‘I don’t want anything to do with it – I’d just get evicted from there, too. Get evicted in Christchurch, all over the country.’’

McCutcheon said he had been living on the bench outside the museum for about six weeks, since he was evicted from the Nelson night shelter after getting into an argument with another resident.

He said he had no intention of going to the council and having his belongings returned, and did not indicate any plans to move from his spot outside the museum.

‘‘This is my home. This is where I live.’’

The council said in an uncredited statement that ‘‘a number of agencies’’ had been working with McCutcheon to help him find accommodation, but despite offers, he had declined and remained on the benches.

‘‘A number of complaints have been received from the public, and so council has today progressed to enforce the City Amenity Bylaw.’’

The bylaw came into effect in September last year as a way to deal with vagrant Lewis Stanton’s prolonged occupation of a site on Trafalgar St. The council introduced it in relation to the use of city amenity, which it describes as ‘‘use of spaces, lighting, and blocking of retail

‘‘I woke up, got out of bed, went to get some cigarettes, and when I get back all my things are gone.’’

windows’’, and in relation to safety, such as not sleeping overnight in the CBD without council permission.

‘‘Items that were preventing the public from using the seating outside of the museum have been removed and will be returned once [McCutcheon] agrees to comply with the provisions of the bylaw,’’ the council said.

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Homeless man Jason McCutcheon has had his belongings confiscated by the Nelson City Council, but says he has no intention of asking for them back, or moving on.

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Jason McCutcheon has been living on the benches outside the Nelson Provincial Museum for about six weeks, top. Other homeless people began congregating and leaving their belongings there, above, sparking complaints to the city council.