Post by Modesto Anarcho on Feb 14, 2009 22:28:18 GMT -5
Homeless face eviction
Caltrans orders removal of encampments in Stockton
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Jennifer Torres
By Jennifer Torres
Record Staff Writer
February 14, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - At least 50 people and likely more are to be evicted next week from encampments - some of them elaborate - built in the shadows and among the thick plants under the Crosstown Freeway and along Mormon Slough.
On Friday morning, a small group of men and women bent over to read a sign that warned them in English and Spanish that they must leave the California Department of Transportation property by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
"I've been here a while. A year, maybe two," said Hope Olivas whose tent is pitched under the highway near South Lincoln Street. "I just got the word that we were supposed to get out."
Outside Olivas' tent are her pink-upholstered arm chair and the plastic bags in which she disposes her garbage.
She said she picked her spot because she feels safe there. Freeway lights keep it bright at night. "You can tell who's coming and going," she said.
David Brewer, director of St. Mary's Interfaith Community Services, joined other social service workers along Mormon Slough on Friday morning.
He said the people who camp there often come to the St. Mary's campus during the day for meals, showers and other programs.
He said he had called the American Civil Liberties Union, seeking to stay next week's eviction.
"What it's offering them is a safe place," he said. "Some freedom."
It isn't uncommon for Caltrans to call for the dismantling of tent settlements that spring up on its property across the state.
Safety is a concern, according to the agency. And the people living under freeways sometimes damage surrounding land and structures.
Near where Olivas sleeps, for example, other campers have cut steps and a pathway into the mud along the slough.
But such evictions have also drawn criticism. In Fresno, a group of homeless people successfully sued after city and Caltrans workers destroyed encampments there, including personal property. In June, a U.S. District Court finalized a $2.3 million settlement in the case.
A Caltrans spokeswoman did not respond Friday to a request for information on the evictions planned in Stockton.
John Reynolds oversees the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless. At least 50 people are camped in the immediate vicinity of the Crosstown Freeway, he said. Still more stay deeper in along the water.
Typically, he said, they receive ample notice that a camp is going to be cleared.
With the temperature still cold and more rain looming, the shelter's beds are full. But Reynolds said floor mats and space in the agency's multipurpose room would be offered to people living under the freeway.
Many decline, he said. Some are undocumented immigrants afraid of deportation. Some are drug-addicted. Some are prostitutes. Some have pets they don't want to leave behind.
"Some are going to pack and move along into another location until they get notice again," Reynolds said. "Some will come right into the shelter, and we're happy when that happens."
He said shelter workers regularly visit the camps in part to make sure children aren't living there.
"If an adult doesn't want to come to shelter, we can't make them," Reynolds said. "But they can't say 'no' for a child. For us, that's a CPS call."
Contact reporter Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com.
Caltrans orders removal of encampments in Stockton
Print this ArticlePrint this Article Email this ArticleEmail this Article
Text Size: A | A | A
Jennifer Torres
By Jennifer Torres
Record Staff Writer
February 14, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - At least 50 people and likely more are to be evicted next week from encampments - some of them elaborate - built in the shadows and among the thick plants under the Crosstown Freeway and along Mormon Slough.
On Friday morning, a small group of men and women bent over to read a sign that warned them in English and Spanish that they must leave the California Department of Transportation property by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
"I've been here a while. A year, maybe two," said Hope Olivas whose tent is pitched under the highway near South Lincoln Street. "I just got the word that we were supposed to get out."
Outside Olivas' tent are her pink-upholstered arm chair and the plastic bags in which she disposes her garbage.
She said she picked her spot because she feels safe there. Freeway lights keep it bright at night. "You can tell who's coming and going," she said.
David Brewer, director of St. Mary's Interfaith Community Services, joined other social service workers along Mormon Slough on Friday morning.
He said the people who camp there often come to the St. Mary's campus during the day for meals, showers and other programs.
He said he had called the American Civil Liberties Union, seeking to stay next week's eviction.
"What it's offering them is a safe place," he said. "Some freedom."
It isn't uncommon for Caltrans to call for the dismantling of tent settlements that spring up on its property across the state.
Safety is a concern, according to the agency. And the people living under freeways sometimes damage surrounding land and structures.
Near where Olivas sleeps, for example, other campers have cut steps and a pathway into the mud along the slough.
But such evictions have also drawn criticism. In Fresno, a group of homeless people successfully sued after city and Caltrans workers destroyed encampments there, including personal property. In June, a U.S. District Court finalized a $2.3 million settlement in the case.
A Caltrans spokeswoman did not respond Friday to a request for information on the evictions planned in Stockton.
John Reynolds oversees the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless. At least 50 people are camped in the immediate vicinity of the Crosstown Freeway, he said. Still more stay deeper in along the water.
Typically, he said, they receive ample notice that a camp is going to be cleared.
With the temperature still cold and more rain looming, the shelter's beds are full. But Reynolds said floor mats and space in the agency's multipurpose room would be offered to people living under the freeway.
Many decline, he said. Some are undocumented immigrants afraid of deportation. Some are drug-addicted. Some are prostitutes. Some have pets they don't want to leave behind.
"Some are going to pack and move along into another location until they get notice again," Reynolds said. "Some will come right into the shelter, and we're happy when that happens."
He said shelter workers regularly visit the camps in part to make sure children aren't living there.
"If an adult doesn't want to come to shelter, we can't make them," Reynolds said. "But they can't say 'no' for a child. For us, that's a CPS call."
Contact reporter Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com.