Latest news with #encampment
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Who owns the ‘Jungle' homeless encampment in Olympia?
Days after The Olympian published a story about an elected official and others touring the homeless encampment known as the Jungle — a meeting that was spurred by concerns about recent violence at the camp — readers had more questions about the site between Martin Way and Pacific Avenue near Interstate 5. Chief among those questions: Who owns the land? The answer: Although the city of Olympia owns some of it, most is privately held by a business called JJP Group LLC, which also owns the Chevron station near the camp on its Pacific Avenue side. A representative of JJP Group LLC declined to comment. The Olympian, working with a Thurston County Assessor's Office representative, identified six parcels owned by JJP Group between Martin Way and Pacific Avenue that total 16.40 acres. The city owns two parcels that total 6.75 acres. Why does the city own those parcels and what arrangement do they have to access the site for camp residents? The city-owned property was purchased in June 2021, said Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray. 'The city purchased the property for multiple uses including, but not limited to, the future extension of Ensign Road and to allow the city more flexibility in managing several informal homeless encampments and providing other housing and homeless services to individuals living there,' she said. Accessing the private property, including a large chunk of land near Martin Way, is the result of a two-year option agreement to purchase land in the area that was agreed to between the city and JJP, Ray said. That option is still in place, she said, and it specifies that access will be allowed for trash cleanup, homeless outreach activities and for the installation and construction of fencing between the camp and neighboring businesses, she said. Neighbors weigh in The Olympian decided to ask a neighboring business owner about the experience of operating next door to the camp. THC of Olympia, a marijuana retailer, couldn't be closer. The business is situated steps away from the front entrance to the camp at 3200 Martin Way E. THC owner Ciaran Wilburn, who has been there for about nine years, said the camp has evolved from one he described as a group of 'old-timers looking to escape society' to what he called a 'large drug and mental health crisis.' Wilburn said he does not have many issues with the people who occupy the camp, but he scoffed at a city officials who say the city is doing a good job of balancing accountability with compassion at the Jungle. 'This is compassion?' said Wilburn as he stood outside his business and gestured at the camp. He rattled off a list things that would help: better defined camp spaces, more sanitation services, running water and security cameras that might prevent crime. 'Put the camera systems up you have in the grocery store parking lot, so at least there's the illusion of security,' he said. Wilburn wasn't done. 'This is the most accepting area I've ever visited, and this is how we're dealing with this? It's a joke,' he said. 'Nine years of watching this, the city's a joke.' What do camp residents say? The Olympian spent time at the front entrance to the camp to interview those coming and going. Those interviewed were uncomfortable with using their full names, but they did agree to first names and ages. Former long-term camp resident, Danielle, 35, pulled up in her car to pick up some people on the fringe of the camp. She recalled it was kind of cool to build her own shelter there, but although the camp was safe for the most part, it had an 'uncomfortable energy.' She said she was finally able to get housing with the assistance of the Family Support Center. She said there needs to be more shelters for women, so they don't have to wait as long in a camp like the Jungle for housing. 'It's not right, it's not fair,' she said. Does the camp govern itself? She said it is self-governing to a degree and that people hold each other accountable. When young people enter the camp because they are curious about it, they are told to leave, she said. 'It's not OK. The young should not be here.' Mark, 36, originally from California, said he has lived in the camp a long time. 'I like it here,' he said, adding that he has freedom in the camp and nobody bothers him. He described the camp as safe. C.J., 49, who was sitting in the backseat of Danielle's car, said she lived in the Jungle for five years before she secured housing. She said the camp has a hierarchy, but it's not too different from regular society in that there's an expectation that you'll pick up after yourself and not touch other people's stuff. There was a time when the camp had an 'aura of peace and calm' to it, but not in the last 18 months, she said. In that time, The Olympian has reported about a rape at the camp and the violent assault of a woman by a group of people. Wolf, 59, said he has lived at the camp for the last six to seven months. 'The goal is to get out of here,' he said. He, too, said the camp is 95% safe, although there are a few characters in the Jungle that account for that 5%. 'A lot of people help each other,' he said, adding that it feels like a 'big, loose, chaotic family.' Equal time When The Olympian wrote about the tour of the camp, one of those on hand was Olympia City Council candidate Wendy Carlson, who is challenging incumbent Clark Gilman. Gilman did not participate in that tour, so in the interest of equal time, The Olympian reached out to him after Tuesday night's council meeting to get his thoughts about the camp. Here's what he had to say: 'I agree that the living conditions are not appropriate for anybody at the Jungle, but I also recognize the reality that we don't have the resources to just end it,' he said. 'And so instead, we're in a position of managing it as best we can, and that's been through a combination of policing, of social work and mutual aid outreach, of having our crisis responders be in relationships with people there.' Gilman also said that without policy changes the problem continues. 'There's not a finite number of people who are very poor or who are not able to access health care services that they need,' he said. 'And as long as we keep minting more people who are very poor, and as long as we keep reducing what's available for health care, we're going to continue to have more individuals who are in this situation that we're trying to help as best we can and to manage the situation.' Concerns about 'Jungle' homeless encampment spur tour with Lacey, Olympia officials Four people charged in connection with June 18 attack in Olympia's 'Jungle' Olympia man charged with attempted murder in Lacey rape case faces new rape charge Solve the daily Crossword
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Family of a man crushed at an Atlanta homeless encampment sues the city
Family members and activists protest the death of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused man killed when the city cleared an encampment last week, in front of City Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) ATLANTA — The family of a homeless man who died after a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment sweep sued the city of Atlanta on Friday over his death, calling it 'tragic and preventable.' The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor's sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says. City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor's pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding. 'A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That's obviously wrong,' attorney Harold Spence said. 'Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don't know what's inside, you don't crush it.' The lawsuit filed in Fulton County State Court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer. A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement 'the incident involving Mr. Taylor was a tragedy' but that he could not comment on pending litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial. Taylor's death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city's policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. The family's lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of 'respect and dignity' instead of rushing to clear their communities 'as if they were invisible.' City officials have said they are doing that. Right after Taylor's death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then. Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials co-ordinated with the local nonprofit who leads the city's homelessness services to offer people living there housing with supportive services. Lawyers said they were grateful for the city's efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor's lawyers and family called on Dickens' administration cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing. Taylor's sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a Friday news conference where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered. She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his 'annoying' weekly calls — and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two. 'We're here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,' Chaney said. -—- Charlotte Kramon, The Associated Press Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Leaders move to clear homeless encampment under 31st Street Bridge while trying to keep another from springing up
PennDOT on Monday will be decommissioning a new encampment under the 31st Street Bridge. The decommissioning comes with offers of help, but it also comes with a new resolve to prevent their return. Responding to complaints from homeowners on Washington's Landing of drug activity and aggressive panhandling above Route 28, PennDOT removed that encampment, but those living there have simply relocated to a spot under the 31st Street Bridge. "They congregate under the bridge, they sleep under the bridge, there's obviously activities happening under that bridge that frankly nobody would want 50 yards from their home," said Gerry Delon of Washington's Landing. "Unfortunately, as I think, what you see now has become evident, is it's a problem that does tend to migrate from place to place," Delon added. PennDOT is also moving again, posting signs warning those living there to vacate by Monday, at which time a hired contractor will clear the encampment and trash any tents and debris that remain. In recent days, outreach workers from the county have been on site providing alternatives. The decommissioning of the encampment comes with offers of help for both shelter and treatment, but the city, county, and in this case, the state, want to be clear: they don't want a new encampment springing up, and they will move quickly to remove another. After years of encampments lining the city's riverfronts, the city and county have moved aggressively in the past several months to decommission one on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on the Allegheny, a sprawling encampment on the Eliza Furnace Trail behind the county jail and most recently, the removal of an entrenched encampment along the Mon on the South Side. Not wanting to see their return, the city has posted the trails and its parks, stating that its no camping ordinances will be strictly enforced, and Allegheny County Human Services Director Erin Dalton recently said the county would reach out to anyone who pitches a tent. "There will always be probably some people staying outside. But we will come to where they are. We're not giving up in offering housing to people," Dalton said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Stop calling 911 about unhoused people on Public Utility Commission property: CK police
The Chatham-Kent Police Service is asking people to please stop calling 911 about unhoused people camped on the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) property on Grand Avenue. Calling 911 is for emergencies only, the force said in a news release issued Thursday. "The Chatham-Kent Police Service is aware of the presence of unhoused individuals choosing to shelter at the PUC property, which is municipally-owned and is within the guidelines of the municipality's encampment protocol," police said. "Unhoused individuals are permitted to shelter at this property under existing guidelines." Outreach workers from R.O.C.K., Reach Out Chatham-Kent, have been working with the municipality to help relocate residents of an encampment in the downtown park on the edge of the Thames River. City officials say they needed people out of the park by the start of this week because a construction project requires the site for equipment storage into next year. Unhoused can camp if there's no adequate alternative The eviction has led to confusion among unhoused people and their advocates over where they can legally camp. Courts have ruled that Ontario municipalities cannot evict encampment residents without offering adequate, accessible shelter spaces. "This means that the Municipality of Chatham-Kent cannot remove people who are experiencing homelessness unless alternative options are provided or there are compelling safety concerns," the municipality says on its website. "Chatham-Kent's current emergency shelter (Victoria Park Place) operated at 99 per cent capacity on average in 2024, illustrating that there are simply not enough beds for the approximately 200-plus individuals experiencing homelessness in Chatham-Kent." The municipality's encampment policy prohibits encampments in the following areas. On or within 100 metres of municipal playgrounds, water parks, splash pads, beaches or sports fields. On or within 100 metres of any elementary school, childcare facility, assisted living facility or other health or social services facility providing support or care services to youth or vulnerable populations. Within 10 metres of any private property line. On or under bridges. On or within five metres of sidewalks or pedestrian paths. On or within 25 metres of any cemetery. On or within five metres of an off-leash dog area. On or within five metres of any community garden. In any actively used parking lot. In or on any public-use building or structure. In areas that block the free movement of another person on a street, public pathway, sidewalk or other path of public travel. On municipal land where individuals have a private easement or ownership interest or where the municipality owes a duty to maintain the land to the benefit or partial benefit of private individuals (i.e. beach access). On municipal lands in areas obstructing construction or maintenance activities. Structures must be freestanding and able to be moved as necessary, the rules say. The policy also expresses zero tolerance for violence or other criminal acts and demands that sites "maintain a level of reasonable cleanliness." That includes no used, uncapped needles in or around the site and no unreasonable amounts of garbage, clutter, or uncontained debris.
CBC
15-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Inside Chatham's encampment, confused people ask where they can go before Monday eviction
Christina Ratte has spent hours of her days this week trying to figure out where a relative living in a Chatham encampment can move to before Monday's eviction deadline. She says the dozens of people living in tents at an encampment in a park downtown on the edge of the Thames River are frustrated with conflicting information from different authorities. "Are you wanting them to go out and to buy measuring tapes and like, actually check, just wander around and just check, 'OK, am I 100 metres from the closest school playground?,'" said Ratte. Chatham-Kent's encampment protocol prevents people from setting up shelter near schools, playgrounds or along private property lines. Ratte has been scrambling between online maps and calls to area officials to find a space where her relative could live. "The rules are technically complicated,' she said. "A few are even confusing to me and I'm a bookkeeper with a college education." People living in tents say searching for housing, jobs difficult task The municipality wants people out of the park by Monday because a construction project requires the site for equipment storage into next year. But people living at the site say they're unable to pay for housing and are on wait lists for affordable units that could take years to become vacant. Ron Cowell, standing in front of a water-logged tarp covering the collapsed tent he's lived in for nearly a year, said being homeless makes it nearly impossible to find stable housing or a job. "The major deal is to get up in the morning in one piece, the same piece you went to bed in, and survive through the course of the day," said Cowell. He doesn't have a phone or a laptop but when he does have access to rental listings he sees prices that are beyond his budget. "I mean, I'm looking at one bedrooms that are between $1,800 and $2,600 a month. For a one bedroom." Police kick people off of property municipality said is OK He's watched people pack up all their possessions at the encampment to head for a new place after last week's eviction notice, only to see them return a while later to move back into the park. "There's been some who have gone but have been sent back," said Cowell. Ratte has heard the same thing and wants clarity on where people can go. "People have tried and they keep on being sent back, so I'm at square one again," she said. People at the site tell CBC News that one of the residents packed up their stuff and moved to another site that was suggested to them, when they were told to leave the park. But once they arrived, a police officer told them they couldn't stay there and sent them back downtown. 'May be some confusion,' says police That was a misunderstanding by police, according to Reach Out Chatham-Kent (R.O.C.K), an outreach group that has visited the site daily to help. On Thursday, the municipality confirmed the site does fit within the encampment protocol and people can set up shelters there, which has been communicated to police. A spokesperson for the Chatham-Kent police service said they're looking into the incident. "We recognize that there may be some confusion around this matter but please note that our officers are acting in good faith based on the information and guidance available to them," said spokesperson Shelomi Legall. Confusion, uncertainty for dozens living in Chatham encampment who have been told they need to relocate 5 days ago Duration 2:30 Residents of a Chatham encampment were recently told they need to leave the area while the municipality does construction work. But there's uncertainty for many about where to go next. The CBC's Chris Ensing reports. Deadline to leave is Monday morning The confusion has made for a stressful time at the park, said Danny Zimmerman, who visits often to help friends living in the encampment. "I think they should talk to us more," said Zimmerman. "Get together with us and talk to us instead of just jumping in our faces and saying, 'this is what's happening, this is what we're doing.'" The municipality and R.O.C.K. have offered to help connect people to housing supports and move items ahead of the Monday deadline. But the director of housing services in Chatham-Kent says they know not everyone will be able to find a bed. "We are in desperate need of supportive housing in our community in Chatham-Kent," said Kim Crew. "We don't have any. Our council has been pretty vocal about the need for it." Until the municipality gets that housing, "there's going to be no solution for some folks," Crew said. Ratte said her relative is living in the park after a house they lived in burned down, destroying all of their possessions. With no space to take her relative in her own home, Ratte has been supporting them while they live in the park. She's frustrated with the confusion about where people should go and what could happen if they don't leave. "If the cops show up and they haven't moved, the cops will take everything they own and throw it out," said Ratte. After her relative's house fire, Ratte says she worries losing what's left could be unbearable for her family member.
