Due to the growing homeless population of Northampton, however, many believed the vacated buildings should be used as a shelter or something of the like. 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. Following the arrests, the chief of security for the Northampton State Hospital states that breaking and entering the vacated buildings would bring prosecution. The community continued to gather in hopes of addressing this issue. A forum was held on September 29, 1996 at the Northampton Center for the Arts and a conference entitled “Our Neighbors: Homeless in the Valley… Why??!!” was held on November 2, 1996 at the Christ United Methodist Church. Short and long terms solutions were brainstormed, some of which revolved around the hospital: “Keep the pressure on to make sure that low-cost housing is developed at the former Northampton State Hospital.” Despite these efforts and their popularity, city administrators only seriously considered demolition to redevelop the propertyIn 2006 Old Main was finally demolished, and by the following summer, the Memorial Complex was gone. In 2007, the city of Northampton adopted a smart growth zoning overlay district covering the grounds of the Northampton State Hospital as part of Massachusetts's "Smart Growth Zoning Overlay District Act" enacted in 2004. The zoning district is designed to promote mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development, and in 2008, the 40-unit Village Hill development broke ground on the former hospital grounds. On November 17 and 18, 2000 a series of memorial events took place in Northampton focusing on the history of Northampton State Hospital. The two-day event titled "The State Hospital: In Memoriam" included an academic symposium, an open forum with former patients, and three art exhibitions. The event was sponsored by the Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC) Continuing Education Program and offered continuing education credits to psychologists and nurses in attendance. The first day of the academic symposium featured the research and experiences of psychiatrists, mental health professionals, and academics from around the United States. An open forum took place the morning of the second day, during which former patients shared stories of their experiences inside the hospital.