A Louisiana judge temporarily blocked efforts by state officials to clean up homeless encampments in New Orleans – blocking a push that took place before three o’clock Taylor Swift concerts in the city this weekend.

Efforts to relocate about 75 people living in tents under an overpass near the Superdome began in the days before the pop star shows, which could draw 150,000 visitors to the stadium.

Judge Lori Jupiter granted a temporary restraining order Friday, ordering state law enforcement officials not to “destroy or dispose of the property of unhoused persons without legal process” and to notify persons from the “state-sanctioned camp” that they are “free to leave.” .”

The order is in effect until November 4.

The judge’s decision follows a lawsuit filed by homeless victims of the sweep. In legal filings, they argued that state troopers violated their constitutional rights by illegally searching, seizing and destroying their property, disposing of their most valuable possessions and “forcibly removing them.”

According to the lawsuit, a legal observer heard police say, “The governor wants you to move because of the Taylor Swift concert.”

State officials said residents were being moved to a new location about two blocks away, where unhoused people living in the tourist-heavy French Quarter neighborhood would also be moved.

A spokesperson for Gov. Jeff Landry said the effort was aimed at addressing homelessness and safety issues, tying the initiative to the February concerts and party. Super Bowlwhich will take place in the city.

“As we prepare to host Taylor Swift and Super Bowl LIX, we are committed to ensuring New Orleans performs its best on the world stage,” Landry Communications Director Kate Kelly said. in a press release published to local media. .

Advocates say these efforts have disrupted local officials’ work to connect homeless people to social services and help them find more permanent housing solutions.

Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit that seeks permanent housing for homeless people, said the cleanup was an unnecessary and harmful endeavor and that many people in the camp were suffering from mental illnesses and distrusted authorities and those who tried. to help them.

“Some people got scared and left, and that’s not good,” she said. “Because then all the work that we did to assess them and document their disabilities and, you know, work with them on their housing plan has now been in vain. »

Among those who made the decision Wednesday was Terrence Cobbins. Taking a break from collecting his belongings, he said he was told to move because of the concerts.

“They’ve never done it before for other people,” he said. “Why Taylor Swift?”

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover under-reported issues.