Obamaville

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/14/obamaville-springs-tent-c_n_391093.html

Obamaville: Springs Tent Community Has Sign Tying President To Homelessness
12-14-09

A tent community in Colorado Springs became the subject of controversy last week when an unknown person had a sign created that read 'Welcome To Obamaville: Colorado's Fastest-Growing Community.' The sign hung on a gate outside the tent community until this weekend, when it was replaced with a sign that read 'Please Help: We Need Firewood, Propane And Canned Food.'

KRDO, News Channel 13 in Colorado Springs, interviewed Spencer Swann, who designed the 'Obamaville' sign after being commissioned by a person he would not name. He said that the idea was to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. 'You mention his [Obama's] name, you get some attention, I think that was the whole idea behind it' Swann said.

Swann did not comment directly on whether the sign was intended to play off of 'Hoovervilles,' the name given to tent communities of homeless people during the great depression. Colorado Springs has been battling an epidemic of homelessness so significant that the city has considered banning camping within city limits due to 'safety concerns' from rampant tent communities.