Clean up of homeless encampment at San Jose's Columbus Park set to begin
Homelessness is not just a problem for the unhoused. It's also a problem for Bay Area cities. One of those cities, San Jose, has been taking an increasingly hard line when it comes to encampments.
One large camp, in Columbus Park, is scheduled to be dismantled beginning Monday. But some who live there say it feels like the city has been funneling homeless people there for years.
It's been a long time since Columbus Park resembled anything like a park. It's now a huge homeless encampment that has been building in size for up to 10 years. But in a weekend community letter, Mayor Matt Mahan announced that the cleanup of the park would begin on Monday.
"It won't be easy. It won't happen overnight," he wrote, "and it may get worse in the area before it gets better. But continuing to do nothing, allowing this encampment to grow out of control, is not an option."
As she drove down the street filled with dilapidated RVs and junk, Gail Osmer said she understood why the city would be upset by it.
"Babe, exactly. I know, 100%. They've let it go, even though it's been this way for a while," Osmer said.
Osmer was a San Jose homeless advocate before the term "homeless" was even coined. It feels like everyone in the camp knows her. And though, in his letter, Mayor Mahan insisted there is housing available for all that want it, Osmer found that laughable.
"We do have a lot of tiny homes coming online. But at the end of the year, not today," she said.
So, did she think the abatement should be postponed until then?
"Yes, of course. But [Mahan] won't do that. All the RVs are going to be abated, no matter where they live, they're going to be moved from one area to another," she said.
The park is directly under the airport flight path, which is why no homes exist there and why the campers think it's an ideal place for them. In fact, resident Kat Daughterty said it feels like the city has purposely been sending the homeless to that area.
"They kept sweeping and abating wherever people were parked and scattered out and herding them here. And once they got in the park, they weren't really messing with anybody," she said. "I mean, obviously, there wasn't a sign with an arrow, but pretty much that's how it went."
Nevertheless, on Monday morning, the removal of the RVs is supposed to begin. But not all of them.
Vehicles with a special city-issued tag are being permitted to stay. They have signed an agreement, selling their RVs to be demolished for $2,000 and accepting an offer of housing, which in most cases means a hotel room provided by the city.
But, again, there aren't enough rooms available, so, according to the tag, they can stay for another month, until Sept. 5. The rest will have to go immediately.
"Well, they've lost their patience with the unhoused," said Osmer. "They really have, and I can understand that. But, like at this park, the city dropped the ball! They let this end up looking like this. I call it a 'third world country.'"
Mayor Mahan is calling Monday's action "Operation Cleanup Columbus" and said it will take about eight weeks to complete. Once cleared, re-encampment will not be permitted and the park will be restored as a recreational facility.
Ironically, both Osmer and the mayor agree that no one should be living in the RVs, that everyone would be better off in more stable, dignified housing. The question is, do you kick them out now or wait until that is actually available?