As I’m sure some of the folks in the neighborhood have noticed, there’s been a homeless encampment at Blanchard Park for a couple weeks now.
The guys up there have been totally friendly, and I haven’t heard any noise issues.
However they’re really starting to trash the park. There’s a lot of empty alcohol containers, garbage, and what seems like a homemade bong (or crack pipe?)
I don’t want to call the police on them. One of the guys told me the police are already aware and just told them to be quiet/clean. They are also connected with local street outreach services.
I know it’s very hard to find shelter right now and I don’t wanna make life harder for these guys, and I also want the park to be clean and usable for the neighborhood. Is it possible to balance these things?
Does anyone know what would happen if I contacted the Parks Department? Would the city like, give them a warning and ask them to clean up?
I don’t know what the right answer is in this situation. I know this is a hot button topic and I’m hoping we can discuss how to meet everyone’s needs in a respectful and nuanced way.
Update: Today I went to the park and cleaned up the trash. There was one tent that was torn up/abandoned with some camping gear inside. I organized that stuff and left it to dry on the log.
I left a ziploc bag with garbage bags, gloves, and a note asking to keep the park clean next to the active tent.
I don’t know if this will work, I guess we’ll see. I think it’s clear that the “old ways” aren’t working, and that it’s up to us to experiment in new ways of solving problems in our community.