Public parks are not a permanent place to live. They do not have the infrastructure to support basic human needs. Gompers Park became a permanent place to live for over two years to an encampment of unhoused individuals. It limited the public's access, caused public safety risks with illegal activity, and destruction to the environment.

There was illegal drug use, with used needles discarded throughout the park, prostitution, battery, fires, hidden weapons and knives found in trees and bushes, extensive shoplifting at nearby stores, threatening behavior, lewd conduct and indecent exposure, excessive garbage, debris and human waste, and a pit bull kept off leash by someone in the encampment that viscously attacked 3 dogs. There were over 21 fires at Gompers Park during this time which required Chicago Fire Department to extinguish. The public safety risk posed around the little league baseball diamond threatened to have all games moved to surrounding parks.

When public spaces are allowed to become permanent places to live these images demonstrate what can be the result. Once the Accelerated Moving Event occurred and the unhoused were paired with housing and support services, the work to restore Gompers Park began.