 On April 15, 1996, six young activists were arrested for trespassing on the grounds of the hospital.The group, consisting mostly of first-year Hampshire students, attempted an occupation of the Earle Street building with the mission that the building be used as transitional housing for homeless people.Most of the students played roles in their local Food Not Bombs chapters and they all took part in meetings for a local group working to address the homelessness in Northampton, the Next Step Housing Collaborative.