Alabama coastal city of Mobile claims nearby Mississippi city of Biloxi is dumping HOMELESS people over the border and coercing them to go

A city in Alabama is accusing police in neighboring Mississippi of transporting homeless citizens over state lines.

The city of Mobile made the claim in a 'cease and desist' letter sent to Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich - where officials asserted the practice has been going on for several months and offered photos framed as evidence. 

One photograph, a still from a Mobile surveillance camera, shows a Biloxi police SUV passing a traffic light camera well within the Alabama city.

Located about an hour's drive away, Mobile has a population of some 200,000 - while Biloxi, a city of 50,000, is a renowned casino destination.  

Bioxi's Mayor, Andrew 'FoFo' Gilich, denies any wrongdoing - despite recent comments from Biloxi's police chief stating the city has reached 'an overabundance.'

Scroll down for video: 

The city of Mobile, Alabama, is accusing police in neighboring Biloxi, Mississippi - a casino city with a growing homeless population - of transporting homeless citizens over state lines

Biloxi Mayor Andrew 'FoFo' Gilich, at left, denies any wrongdoing - after a civic servant 71-year-old Republican Sandy Stimpson cited a recent 'influx' of homeless in Mobile, as well as an increasing number of calls for police 'associated with that ever-increasing number'

A Republican who has served as mayor for eight years, Gilich said Biloxi is working with homeless shelters in Mobile, and claimed no one has been taken against their will - citing that fewer than 20 people have been transported.

'Since August 2022, the City has worked with two shelters in Mobile that offer homeless persons numerous resources not available in our community,' he wrote in a letter sent Friday, in response to Mobile's cease-and-desist.

'These shelters have been in coordination and contact with our police department, and any individuals wanting to go to the Mobile shelters have signed consent forms,' it continued.

'Since August of last year, there have been less than twenty transports,' he added. 'During the 2023 calendar year only two people were offered transportation.'

Responding to allegations he is using police and city vehicles to transport unhoused individuals, Gilich, 75, simply said: 'the inherences in your letter attributing some wrongdoing by our police department are incorrect.

'If you would like to discuss details further, we welcome an open discussion with your administration and law enforcement officers.'

A day earlier, Mobile's chief of staff sent a scathing correspondence to Gilich's office claiming cops from his police force were using tactics ranging from intimidation to deception to transport homeless citizens the 60-some miles to nearby Biloxi.

In it, the civic servant under 71-year-old Republican Sandy Stimpson cited a recent 'influx' of homeless and an increasing number of calls for police 'associated with that ever-increasing number.'

The Alabama city made the claim in a cease and desist letter sent to Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich - where officials asserted the practice has been going on for several months and offered photos billed as evidence

One photograph, a still from a Mobile surveillance camera, shows a Biloxi police SUV passing a traffic light camera well within the Alabama city

In a letter sent the following day, Gilich denied any wrongdoing - despite recent comments from Biloxi's police chief stating the city has reached ' an overabundance' of homeless people

City officials in Alabama wrote: 'Over the past several months, the City of Mobile has noticed an influx of homeless individuals and an increased number of police calls associated with that ever-increasing number'. A homeless encampment erected in the city this month is seen here

Biloxi also has a growing homeless population - a problem that officials acknowledged as far back as 2018, before the pandemic worsened matters

'Over the past several months, the City of Mobile has noticed an influx of homeless individuals and an increased number of police calls associated with that ever-increasing number.

'After initiating an investigation, which included interviews, it has come to our attention that the City of Biloxi/Biloxi Police Department is engaging in a pattern and practice of behavior that is quite troubling.'

It went on: 'Based upon what we have ascertained, the Biloxi Police Department, utilizing uniformed police officers and city vehicles, is transporting homeless individuals from Biloxi, MS, to Mobile.

'Furthermore,' the note added, 'the techniques utilized to coerce the individuals to travel range from intimidation and fear to fraud and deception.'

Speaking on behalf of Stimpson - who has been mayor of Mobile for more than a decade - Barber wrote that 'interviews with multiple homeless individuals' supported his claims, and revealed 'a consistent pattern' of illegal police activity.

The official proceeded to paint a picture of the alleged city plot, using a 'general description of events' offered by the interviewees.

The majority of the accounts, Barber wrote, 'are all quite similar.'

'It begins with a confrontation with Biloxi Police.'

In an interview in 2018, Biloxi Police Chief John Miller - who started on the force as a patrolman in 1990 - griped about complaints of increased homeless activity in the Miscopy City

Located about an hour's drive away, Mobile has a population of some 200,000 - and reportedly has around 670 unsheltered people roughing it on a given night

He continued: 'During the [prospective] exchange, the officer, while in uniform and acting under his apparent authority, implies to the homeless individual that they are in violation of one or more criminal statutes.

'The officer [further] explains the City of Biloxi does not have adequate social services programs to assist the homeless,' he added.

'At that point, the officer insinuates the individual has a choice of either going to jail or being transported to Mobile.'

'Although an actual threat of arrest is never articulated, the clear connotation of the exchange leaves the homeless individual with no alternative but to be transported to Mobile or the possibility they may be arrested,' 

'Once the homeless individual agrees to go to Mobile, the officer transports them in their city vehicle.'

Another tactic used by Biloxi cops, Barber wrote, was promises of aid - where officers supposedly reach out to homeless individuals before driving them 'to the area of a [Mobile] homeless shelter.'

During one interview, a homeless person supposedly told Mobile investigators that a Biloxi office had been 'bragging to a co-worker [that] he had transported over 50 people to Mobile.'

In another instance that allegedly took place on September 26,  a homeless person provided the date, time, and location where he had been dropped off.

Attached to the letter was a photograph of a Biloxi police vehicle at the same Mobile location where the man said he had been dropped off.

A 'no to panhandling' sign is seen up in Biloxi, whose reputation as a tourist destination has been marred by its relatively recent rise in homelessness

Concluding homeless individuals' Constitutional rights are being infringed upon, Barber - on behalf of the mayor - requested the City of Biloxi end the practice, adding that should it continue, Mobile would be 'forced to seek alternative actions.'

Those actions, the official wrote, include notifying the Department of Justice, as well as the FBI.

Less than a day later, Gilich rejected Mobile's assessment - calling it 'incorrect.' The Biloxi Police Department, long headed by presiding police chief John Miller, did not immediately comment on the potential scandal.

In an interview in 2018, Miller - who started on the force as a patrolman in 1990 -  griped about complaints of increased homeless activity. 

'We’ve reached a point now where we have an overabundance,' Miller told Biloxi news station WLOX nearly five years ago.

Around that time, Mayor Gilich issued a statement revealing the city’s homeless population had grown to somewhere around 400 on a given day - and expressed a desire to do something about it. 

Since then, the city has enlisted overnight security to watch over the city's overrun bus stations, as citizens continue to complain of congregations consisting of marijuana smoking and drinking, as well as individuals sleeping on the street.

The fact the city is known as a haven for gambling for citizens near the southern coast does not help matters - while the recent rise also has also harmed the city's image as a tourist destination.

Matters have worsened since the pandemic, fueling local efforts cited by Gilich in his letter to house individuals.   

Meanwhile, in Mobile - per a recent study - there are thought to be around 670 unsheltered people on a given day, a figure that is up 6 percent from 2022. 

It is also slightly more than the historic 18-year average for the city, and is the highest seen in 11 years. In 2011, the area’s homelessness count was at 718.

That came one year after an 18-year high and in the midst of the Great Recession, when Housing First counted 883.