If there was mutual respect, you don't think there would be a live-and-let-live policy between the homeless population and business community?  Or the homeless population and the residential community?

If I come in and poop on your living room rug and then ask you to respect me, would you be in a very respectful mood?

Tents in and of themselves are harmless and quirky.  Destructive behavior is not.  I don't know anybody who would mind shopping trendy retail or eating in a nice restaurant in view of a couple of tents, but it's a different story when someone pops out of the tent to shoot up, publicly copulate, and then wander over to aggressively hit you up for spare change and curse at you if you say no.