BERKELEY — For about the dozenth time since the beginning of October, police evicted a group of homeless people this week from their roving tent camp up and down the Adeline Corridor and near City Hall.

The group, which includes former mayoral candidate Mike Lee and other members of the organization First They Came for the Homeless, was evicted before dawn Wednesday from the grassy median strip of Adeline Street between Oregon and Russell streets.

Many expressed disappointment and anger at the city for its enforcement action shortly before Christmas. One post on the Facebook site of First They Came for the Homeless on Wednesday read, in part:

“Merry Christmas from the city, mayor, and police. Now hurry up and die!”

Mayor Jesse Arreguin, in a statement on Wednesday, said the city’s response to illegal lodging is complaint driven, and that violations can be enforced anytime.

“Prior to this morning’s enforcement action, I did discuss the issue with the City Manager (Dee Williams-Ridley) and encouraged her to postpone taking action until after the Christmas holiday,” Arreguin said. “In the end, she decided given the volume of complaints by neighbors that she needed to act at this time.”

City spokespersons were not immediately available for comment last week and over the weekend.

On Monday in the late afternoon, the homeless group at the Adeline median had received a notice of violation from police for alleged illegal camping, citing “public health concerns about human waste and trash accumulation.”

Lee and others said the following day they collected garbage regularly at the camp and that talk of the presence of human waste is nonsense. They pointed to the presence of three portable toilets at the camp, which had been delivered there by volunteers.

City officials have said that they are proactively providing alternatives to encampments such as the one recently dispersed from the Adeline median. On Dec. 14, the city activated its Emergency Operations Center and continued it at least through Thursday.

During the activation, Berkeley doubled its storm shelter capacity, from 65 to 130, city spokesman Matthai Chakko said last week. Additionally, there are 140 shelter spaces, funded by the city through community agencies, he said.

On Thursday, around 9 p.m., an official at the North Berkeley Senior Center, one of the facilities offering shelter during the activation, said there was still space available. A van was parked outside for possible transport to another facility in case the North Berkeley center filled up, the official said.

The city has published a list of Homeless Emergency Services that include daytime respite and meals, alcohol and other drugs programs, restrooms, showers and meal services. All services on the list except for the Berkeley Emergency Storm Shelter are year-round.