Page 6 - Reedley Exponent 7-12-18

HOMELESS Continued from page A1
“It’s a different type of problem than we’ve had in the past,” homeowner Cheryl Vitali said at the July 3 meet- ing. “We’ve seen homeless people there on and off, but nothing like we have right now. It’s a safety concern not just for our neighborhood, but for the entire community.”
Added Vitali: “We are no- ticing smoke and a lot more trash than we’ve seen in a long time. These are well- established encampments.”
At the meeting, Zieba said the rise in the number of homeless people is not a prob- lem that is unique to Reedley.
“Most cities are experi- encing what we are experi- encing here,” she said.
What complicates matters is that the encampment is lo- cated on a mixture of proper- ties owned by the city, county, and state, as well as private owners. The police depart- ment is in the process of try- ing to figure out the boundary lines.
Ediger said at the meet- ing that police have chased away most of the homeless in the encampment, except for one person. Most have moved north, toward Goodfellow Av- enue. Just days prior to the meeting, Ediger said police seized many of their belong- ings. The law dictates that the items remain in police inven- tory until they are reclaimed. Police are concerned that the homeless will return to the encampment.
“We sent a strong mes- sage that this is going to continue until you decide to move,” Ediger said.
Over the past year, police have offered food, housing, and mental health services to the homeless, but to no avail.
“We have probably con- tacted the homeless over 50 times each,” Ediger said. “We have pleaded with them to take these services.”
Once a week for the past year, Ediger said a repre- sentative from the Poverello House, a homeless shelter in Fresno, has visited Reedley to offer food and other services to homeless people in Reed- ley. He said food distribution initially took place along But-
Jon Earnest / The Exponent
Pao Saphan, owner of Sam’s Strawberry, points out trash left by homeless campers behind his business along Manning Avenue, next to Jack in the Box. Saphan’s business and residents of the River Bottom subdivision have been littered by homeless staying in the area.
What can we do to reclaim the area where we live, so that we can feel safer? I get disturbed because if they aren’t here, they’re some- where else. I can’t sit here and say it’s not my problem
anymore.
— Janet Adams, homeowner in the River Bottom subdivision
River Conservation District to come up with a plan to clean up the trash that re- mains from the encampments without disturbing the river’s riparian habitat. He said it is unsafe to clean up by hand. Some items are submerged because the water level of the Kings River has risen in recent weeks.
Ediger expects a plan to be in place within the next 30 to 60 days.
“We should be able to clean up the area fairly quick- ly once we come up with a plan,” Ediger said. “We know how important this is to the community.”
Zieba said the city is try- ing to balance the legal rights of the homeless with the safe- ty of the community. But, she said the city’s hands are often “handcuffed.” She said being homeless is not a crime.
“Everything is very regu- lated when it comes to home- lessness,” she said. “We have to be very cautious.”
For the most part, Zieba said the city has tried to make it as uncomfortable as possi- ble for homeless people to set up camp in Reedley.
“This is a great concern to all of us,” she said. “There are state and district laws concerning what we can and can’t do with the homeless. We need a compassionate approach, but we don’t want to see neighborhoods de- stroyed.”
On a city and local level, Zieba assured residents that their concerns are being heard and addressed.
“Reedley is not crime free, gang-free, or drug-free, but we are doing a darn good job of squeezing the bal- loon so that crime goes else- where,” she said.
The Reedley Exponent A6 Thursday, July 12, 2018
tonwillow Avenue but became too dangerous when homeless people tried to cross the busy streets there. The food distri- bution was moved south of Fisher Avenue.
A worker from the Fresno County Department of Men- tal Health Services is now stationed out of the Reedley Police Department and deals directly with Reedley’s home- less population on a regular basis.
Reedley police Sgt. Gary Kincaid heads up the police department’s homeless out- reach team. He said most of the homeless are native to this area. Many are addicted to drugs and are estranged from their families. But, Kincaid said they don’t want help.
“Pretty much all of the homeless here want to be homeless,” he said at the meeting.
Kincaid said police have cited and arrested some of the homeless for trespassing and drug-related crimes. Most of these crimes, however, are only misdemeanors.
“If we arrest them for trespassing, it doesn’t mean they won’t be back tomor- row,” Ediger said.
Upon initial contact with police, a trespasser is issued a warning. Police take a pic- ture of the person with the warning citation as evidence. A second violation can result in an arrest.
In an interview with The Exponent, Pao Saphan said homeless people have caused a lot of problems for his fruit and vegetable business along Manning Avenue, next to Jack in the Box. His business, Sam’s Strawberry, is located on 35 acres of property that serves as a primary access point for the homeless to their encampment along the Kings River. The property is located just north of the Riv- er Bottom subdivision.
Saphan said homeless people have stolen and van- dalized his strawberry plants over the past five years that he has been there, resulting in thousands of dollars in damage. He said the number of homeless people has in-
creased within the past two years. Homeless people have cut the chain-link fence that borders his property, broken into his strawberry stand, and sleep in his fields.
“They’re not supposed to be here,” Saphan said.
He has posted “private property” and “no trespass- ing” signs, but they are ig- nored. Saphan leases his property from Dick Otani. Kincaid said police are in the process of getting the land- owner to sign a trespassing form, which would make tres- passing convictions easier to obtain.
Janet Adams, a River Bottom homeowner, thanked city officials for their work, but expressed ongoing frus- tration. She said a homeless person stole items from her property to outfit his dwell- ing.
“What can we do to re- claim the area where we live, so that we can feel safer?” she asked at the meeting. “I get disturbed because if they aren’t here, they’re some- where else. I can’t sit here
and say it’s not my problem anymore.”
Other homeowners said the trash in the encampments is a fire hazard and a public health concern. Some of that trash includes hypodermic needles and human waste.
One homeowner said she once saw a homeless man looking over her fence and when confronted, “he responded with vulgar lan- guage.” She sees homeless people trespassing daily through the fields north of the subdivision where Saphan’s business is located.
“Are there any powers given to us as citizens to let them know you’re not wel- come here?” one homeowner asked.
Kincaid said people should call police immediately if they see anything suspicious.
“I hope we don’t get to the point where someone is as- saulted,” another homeowner said.
Ediger said the police department is working with the California Department of Fish and Game and the Kings
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