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Homeless encampments cleared
Authorities sweep riverbanks, cite seven for lodging in public
| Wednesday, Apr 18 2007 10:30 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Apr 18 2007 10:36 PM
Bakersfield police officers and city workers swept the banks of the Kern River and along the bike path Wednesday, breaking up makeshift camps and issuing citations for lodging in a public place.
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The "bedroom" at a homeless encampment along the Kern River bed. Two men and woman were cited by Bakersfield police for lodging in public. One of the men had lived at the site for eight months.
Sausage, eggs, olive oil, and a working clock, part of an elaborate homeless encampment along the Kern River bed about a quarter mile west of Coffee Road.
Seven people received citations and one person was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, according to Detective Greg Terry. The people cited were told to leave the area.
Terry said the riverbed is swept of homeless camps periodically. He didn't know why it was done Wednesday.
Sgt. Frank Gonzales said the department receives citizen complaints about homeless people along the bike path.
A crew of 16 police officers, city workers, a code enforcement officer and an animal control official worked west from Manor Street. Gonzales, taking a lunch break at Beach Park, thought they'd continue to Buena Vista Road.
He said they were breaking up camps and picking up trash in the area off the bike path. They removed cans, clothes, shoes, old mattresses and tarps.
Ferrall Smith received a citation.
"Now I have nowhere to go," said Smith, 53.
He argued he should not have been cited for lodging at the river.
"I was not staying there," he said. "I just go over to visit. I stay for a day or two and leave."
He said he was planning to spend Wednesday night at a friend's camp at the river but his friend received a citation and was informed the city would bulldoze the settlement today. Smith said if officials do that, they will be destroying a habitat for the endangered kangaroo rat, which his friend has seen at the camp.
Furthermore, he argued they weren't lodging in public because they are hidden from public view. His friend's camp is by a large tree. Smith said joggers passed by without seeing them.
He described Wednesday's sweep of the riverbed as unfair, adding that the people staying there are not hurting anybody.
The Rev. Daniel Gorman, executive director of the Bakersfield Rescue Mission, said when a homeless person is asked to leave a place where they feel somewhat safe and secure, "it can be a very scary time."
Sometimes, he said, a crisis such as a forced move can motivate a person to make positive changes in his or her life, like seeking counseling for substance abuse. With these changes, the person may ultimately get off the street -- if that's what he or she wants.
Other times, he said, a crisis "forces more chaos."
Asked where someone might go if he or she was told to leave the area of the bike path, Gorman said the person has few options in this county. The rescue mission currently serves about 200 people and, according to Gorman, never turns someone away as long as he is willing to make changes in his life.
The Bakersfield Homeless Center also takes in people off the street.
Terry said police officers refer homeless people who are interested to shelter or other housing.
Smith said he sought shelter at the rescue mission in December and was told there was a 30-day wait.
He said he could stay with his mom, who lives in Bakersfield, but his friend's camp by the river is closer to work. He works for a construction company and said it only takes him five minutes to ride his bicycle there from his friend's camp. "It's so convenient for me," he added.
His friend, he said, will probably set up camp at another big tree by the river.
Meanwhile, Smith is planning to fight his citation in court.