Photo by Jeffrey Hastings A handful of people remained in Veterans Memorial Park near the rear entrance to Hillsborough County Superior Court North in Manchester Sunday morning.

MANCHESTER – Recent action by police and other city officials to evacuate and dismantle the homeless encampment at Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the Hillsborough County courthouse left a much smaller group of campers by Sunday morning.

The area, however, remained strewn with collapsed tents, clothing, food and water and other discarded belongings, most of it outside the temporary fencing that was brought in to discourage trespassers.

Some campers moved to the sidewalk or areas of the park that weren’t fenced off.

A dozen or so handwritten signs were posted along the fence, many of them urging Gov. Chris Sununu to “take care of your people,” to “protect … don’t evict,” and “treat others the way you want to be treated … with understanding and compassion.”

Late last week, Gov. Joyce Craig criticized the state’s removal process as “inhumane,” saying it would only lead to more trauma for people with nowhere else to go. She said the city would open an emergency shelter to house some of the displaced people in response.

Photo by Jeffrey Hastings One tent and piles of clothing were left behind in this corner of Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester Sunday morning.

State officials, including from the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice and Department of Safety, said they’ve been working to convince camp residents to leave since the summer.

More than 30 people departed after accepting state aid, but at least two who refused to leave were arrested and charged with criminal trespass while some others were issued summonses for illegal camping, the officials said.

-Jeffrey Hastings and The Associated Press contributed to this report

Photo by Jeffrey Hastings The sign is one of many affixed to temporary fencing police ordered brought in after breaking up the homeless encampment in Manchester over the weekend.

Photo by Jeffrey Hastings Discarded clothing and debris surround a granite monument where a sandwich was left behind when the homeless encampment in Manchester's Veterans Memorial Park was broken up by police over the weekend.

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