A high-tech mobile surveillance unit rented by the Lowell Police Department is deployed in the parking lot of Jay’s Food Store on Gorham Street to manage the growing vagrant population in the area. The solar-powered unit is equipped with multi-angle cameras, audio, spotlights and infrared imaging. It’s directly across the street from the LPD district, on the first floor of South Common Village, a low-income housing development for seniors and disabled people operated by the Lowell Housing Authority. (Melanie Gilbert/Lowell Sun)

Lowell City Councilman Corey Robinson appears in Judge Zachary Hillman’s courtroom at the Cornelius F. Kiernan Judicial Center on August 14, 2024, during a hearing on his two counts of assault on a member of the household’s family during an incident that allegedly took place. last November. (Melanie Gilbert/Lowell Sun)

The lower level of South Common Village, a low-income housing development for elderly and disabled people operated by the Lowell Housing Authority. Residents say the space is used by homeless people as a place to sleep and toilet themselves. (Mélanie Gilbert/Lowell Sun)

The lower level of South Common Village, a low-income housing development for elderly and disabled people operated by the Lowell Housing Authority. Residents say the space is used by homeless people as a place to sleep and toilet themselves. To the left is an open trash chute that was swarming with flies. Puddles of urine are visible on the floor in the area accessible through an unsecured door. (Mélanie Gilbert/Lowell Sun)