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http://www.news-leader.com/article/...less-camp-evacuated-rushefsky-burris-williams
'Dawg' moves his belongings from the camp he shared with his girlfriend on Tuesday. He said he was packing everything up because he heard that the homeless were being forced out of their camps.
A City Council member and advocates are asking why several homeless residents were forced out of their camps Tuesday.
While advocates believe there’s been an orchestrated effort to crack down, police say it was an isolated call, and a councilwoman wants to know who’s behind it.
What remains unclear is who is telling homeless individuals in nearby camps that they must leave.
Police say they responded to a complaint on city property, near the intersection of College Street and Main Avenue, and found two people trespassing. Those two were told to leave and a public works crew cleaned up the area, according to spokeswoman Lisa Cox.
However, at least three other nearby camps on private property were evacuated Tuesday, according to advocates.
“I was at the (Veterans Coming Home Center), and a call came over that we had to get out of the camps,” said a man who goes only by the name “Dawg.” “I only had a few moments to get my things.”
The man was clearing out his things from a camp northwest of the area to which police responded. He said he received permission to keep his possessions in the basement of the Veterans Coming Home Center for a night and would stay at a cold-weather shelter.
Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky emailed City Manager Greg Burris and Police Chief Paul Williams to ask about the camps.
“Was there a problem with these camps other than their existence?” she asked in the email. “It may be railroad property but I’d like to know who is giving the order if it’s coming from the city.”
In the email chain, police explain that they responded to an area that was “clearly marked ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘No Dumping’ and fenced off,” and that two people were issued citations for trespassing, were given time to gather their items and were given information on warming shelters and resources.
Heather Kennedy, a homeless advocate, was assisting people Tuesday as they tried to find places to move their possessions.
“We’re trying to gather up all the tents, tarps and blankets,” she said. “So we don’t have to find donations to replace them.”
Dennis Coad and Faye Estepp, two other advocates, spent most of the day trying to help people who lived in the camps. Coad said he had a space that could serve as temporary shelter, and Estepp was housing a couple she knew.
Coad said he was trying to find good, secluded spaces outside city limits for people to stay, but acknowledged that it’s beneficial for homeless individuals to be within walking distance of services they use.
Advocates said it’s common for homeless people to have to move because they’ve been forced out.
Dawg said he’s lived all over the country and has been told to leave camps on many occasions.
“There’s an idea of the homeless that we’re all alcoholics or drug addicts,” he said. “I’m not involved in any of that. I’m just trying to survive.”
Kennedy said many people in the homeless community talk about the crackdown on a camp near Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue in 2012.
In that incident, 17 people were arrested after being given 24 hours to clear out of a camp.
Rushefsky said she got a call from a local advocate Tuesday alerting her that homeless camps were being shut down, so she started asking questions.
Advocates were frustrated with the timing of the crackdown — a day after City Council passed an ordinance restricting panhandling and on a day with especially cold temperatures.
“If this is the way we handle the homeless community in Springfield, it’s pretty appalling,” Rushefsky said.
'Dawg' moves his belongings from the camp he shared with his girlfriend on Tuesday. He said he was packing everything up because he heard that the homeless were being forced out of their camps.
A City Council member and advocates are asking why several homeless residents were forced out of their camps Tuesday.
While advocates believe there’s been an orchestrated effort to crack down, police say it was an isolated call, and a councilwoman wants to know who’s behind it.
What remains unclear is who is telling homeless individuals in nearby camps that they must leave.
Police say they responded to a complaint on city property, near the intersection of College Street and Main Avenue, and found two people trespassing. Those two were told to leave and a public works crew cleaned up the area, according to spokeswoman Lisa Cox.
However, at least three other nearby camps on private property were evacuated Tuesday, according to advocates.
“I was at the (Veterans Coming Home Center), and a call came over that we had to get out of the camps,” said a man who goes only by the name “Dawg.” “I only had a few moments to get my things.”
The man was clearing out his things from a camp northwest of the area to which police responded. He said he received permission to keep his possessions in the basement of the Veterans Coming Home Center for a night and would stay at a cold-weather shelter.
Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky emailed City Manager Greg Burris and Police Chief Paul Williams to ask about the camps.
“Was there a problem with these camps other than their existence?” she asked in the email. “It may be railroad property but I’d like to know who is giving the order if it’s coming from the city.”
In the email chain, police explain that they responded to an area that was “clearly marked ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘No Dumping’ and fenced off,” and that two people were issued citations for trespassing, were given time to gather their items and were given information on warming shelters and resources.
Heather Kennedy, a homeless advocate, was assisting people Tuesday as they tried to find places to move their possessions.
“We’re trying to gather up all the tents, tarps and blankets,” she said. “So we don’t have to find donations to replace them.”
Dennis Coad and Faye Estepp, two other advocates, spent most of the day trying to help people who lived in the camps. Coad said he had a space that could serve as temporary shelter, and Estepp was housing a couple she knew.
Coad said he was trying to find good, secluded spaces outside city limits for people to stay, but acknowledged that it’s beneficial for homeless individuals to be within walking distance of services they use.
Advocates said it’s common for homeless people to have to move because they’ve been forced out.
Dawg said he’s lived all over the country and has been told to leave camps on many occasions.
“There’s an idea of the homeless that we’re all alcoholics or drug addicts,” he said. “I’m not involved in any of that. I’m just trying to survive.”
Kennedy said many people in the homeless community talk about the crackdown on a camp near Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue in 2012.
In that incident, 17 people were arrested after being given 24 hours to clear out of a camp.
Rushefsky said she got a call from a local advocate Tuesday alerting her that homeless camps were being shut down, so she started asking questions.
Advocates were frustrated with the timing of the crackdown — a day after City Council passed an ordinance restricting panhandling and on a day with especially cold temperatures.
“If this is the way we handle the homeless community in Springfield, it’s pretty appalling,” Rushefsky said.
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