A bizarre afternoon in Sciotoville started with reports of a woman “sword fighting” with a pole in traffic—and ended with officers discovering an abandoned homeless camp apparently now ruled by cats.
A Portsmouth officer was flagged down on Harding Avenue after reports that an apparently intoxicated woman was waving a pole around like a sword and walking in and out of traffic.
When officers caught up with her a few minutes later, they recognized a troubled homeless woman they’ve reportedly dealt with many times before.
Police said she was no longer in traffic when they contacted her.
The woman told officers she planned to seek help through Potter’s House Ministries and was trying to walk to a bank to cash her check.
🐈 HOMELESS CAMP NOW “TAKEN OVER BY CATS”
While still in the area, the officer checked on a known homeless camp near Giovanni’s Pizza.
But according to the report, the people appeared to have moved on.
The cats had not.
Officers noted the camp now seemed to be occupied primarily by cats roaming the area.
🌳 MORE SCREAMING IN TRACY PARK
Later that afternoon, police received another call about a woman yelling and screaming inside Tracy Park.
When officers arrived, they found another woman matching the description.
Police said she appeared okay and explained she was upset with family members and was walking to the homeless shelter.
👀 A GLIMPSE INTO DAILY STREET CALLS
These kinds of calls happen more often than many people realize.
Officers regularly respond to situations involving:
- Homelessness
- Mental health struggles
- Addiction
- Public disturbances
- People in emotional crisis
And many of those encounters don’t end with arrests.
Sometimes it’s simply police trying to make sure someone survives another day.
