Salinas homeless to be ousted from Sherwood Park
Salinas police are preparing to kick out overnight campers at Sherwood Park off of North Main Street this week.
“Over a month ago, (the city) made this decision,” said Sgt. Brian Johnson, who works for the Salinas Police Department. “They started handing out flyers stating between this period of time until July 11, they would be given a warning before they started removing people from the parks.”
About 30 homeless currently live in the park. But after multiple complaints from resident about drug trafficking, needles and human waste at the location, the city is cracking down.
Many are concerned about how campers are so close to Tatum’s Garden and other public recreation areas.
City code actually bars anyone from camping or lodging at a public park between dusk and daylight, but the city is now deciding to strictly enforce that rule because of the complaints.
“Come on ya’ll, you guys are kicking us out of everything,” said Charlie, a homeless man who lives in Sherwood Park.
“Everybody’s not out here drug addicts, prostitutes and drug dealers,” said Rita Acosta, another homeless resident.
Many of the homeless here have nowhere to go once they are displaced, and many of them are thinking of sleeping in public right-of-ways like sidewalks, where city code allows them to with some restrictions.
Homeless also say going into a shelter is hard for them.
“When you go into a shelter, they bag and tag you,” said Acosta. “They make take everything out of your pockets, they put into a plastic bag, they put your name on it. Come on, we’re not being booked into jail.”
The city is putting out bins for the homeless to store things up to 90 days. They will also provide housing options for them, including for the Moongate Plaza in Chinatown, which is still being built.
But many of the homeless say the waiting list is long. They have until midnight on Wednesday night to leave Sherwood Park, after which police say they will hand out citations to anyone who is not complying. Enforcement could occur anytime after that deadline.
Police will also remove any personal property left at the park after deadline passes.
