{"id":74529,"date":"2019-09-28T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/longstanding-homeless-camp-shut-down-but-trash-abounds\/"},"modified":"2019-09-28T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T11:00:00","slug":"longstanding-homeless-camp-shut-down-but-trash-abounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/longstanding-homeless-camp-shut-down-but-trash-abounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Longstanding homeless camp shut down, but trash abounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"La
La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office deputies throw a sleeping bag filled with garbage into a dumpster Wednesday while assisting homeless campers moving out of an illegal camp just west of Durango. Homeless people are now allowed to camp on a 200-acre site near the Purple Cliffs, south of downtown Durango.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

By late afternoon Wednesday, the homeless camp just west of Durango had mostly been vacated, save for a few stragglers picking up their belongings. But across the landscape, heaps and heaps of trash remained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s trash everywhere,\u201d said La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith. \u201cWe\u2019re going to need help.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pi\u00f1on-juniper forests that blanket the hillsides near the Tech Center have accommodated homeless campers for decades.<\/p>\n

While camping in the area \u2013 which crosses lands owned by the city of Durango, La Plata County and the Bureau of Land Management \u2013 has long been prohibited, local authorities historically chose to passively enforce the ban, preferring to work with the community on the outskirts of town.<\/p>\n

\"Both
Both the La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office and homeless campers said the move out of the camp west of Durango was smooth and respectful. Sheriff Sean Smith said fire danger, trash and impacts to nearby neighborhoods reached a boiling point, prompting closure of the camp.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

But increasing concern about fire danger, trash and impacts to nearby neighborhoods put heightened scrutiny on the camp in recent years and culminated with the Sheriff\u2019s Office announcement last week that it would shut down the camp<\/a> and reopen an alternative 200-acre site farther south of Durango.<\/p>\n

Smith said he met several times with the homeless community in the past week to discuss the coming changes, so it would be no surprise when seven deputies arrived about 10 a.m. Wednesday and offered rides and trailers to move campers to the new site near the Purple Cliffs south of downtown Durango.<\/p>\n

Smith said there was a strong sense of cooperation between deputies and the approximately 45 people living in the camp. The few stragglers late Wednesday also noted the respect shown throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Their trash, however, presents a problem.<\/p>\n

Chris Burke, spokesman for the Sheriff\u2019s Office, said the garbage heaps are especially disconcerting because the camp was cleaned last year.<\/p>\n

\"La
La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office spokesman Chris Burke said about 45 people were living at the homeless camp west of Durango. A community cleanup day will be necessary to remove the remaining trash and waste, the Sheriff\u2019s Office said.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Scattered around hillsides is common camping equipment \u2013 tarps, tents and chairs. Mixed in are random items, such as wall clocks, furniture, bike parts, cigarettes, shoes and other clothing. Human waste, Burke said, is typically found left in buckets or in a dug-out hole with a tarp on top.<\/p>\n

Smith said it will take a community cleanup day, yet to be scheduled, to handle the mess; his department simply doesn\u2019t have the resources. In turn, the sheriff promised to patrol the area to make sure campers don\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis won\u2019t ever be the place to camp again,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Moving south<\/div>\n

Nora Scott grew up in Durango, has a job in town, and since November, has lived at the camp near the Tech Center. She said she\u2019s trying to keep a positive attitude about the new site near the Purple Cliffs \u2013 she\u2019s heard good and bad things from people who have made the move.<\/p>\n

\"Nora
Nora Scott, left, and Timothy Sargent had been staying at the homeless camp west of Durango. They are moving to the new location near the Purple Cliffs, though they hope trash and waste issues are addressed.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Scott also hopes campers take lessons learned from their old stomping grounds \u2013 namely, to be more responsible with garbage and waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people know to carry out their trash, but we don\u2019t have control over other people,\u201d she said. \u201cEven we hate it. And just because we\u2019re leaving, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s the end of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith hopes that trash bins and portable toilets are added at the new camp, but the funding is up in the air.<\/p>\n

Tim Sargent said a type of camper he calls a \u201ctrash monkey\u201d leaves trash at a campsite until the mess becomes too much for them to bear. Then, they find a new site, and the trash pile starts up all over again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to live in another trash bin, and I want stricter enforcement,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we need to set stronger principles and expectations up front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where that responsibility will fall is another unknown. Smith said his department doesn\u2019t have the capacity to manage a homeless camp, a sentiment reiterated by county and city officials<\/a>. In recent weeks, local nonprofits have been seen as a possible solution.<\/p>\n

Donna Mae Baukat with Community Compassion Outreach said campers themselves should hold the brunt of responsibility for their conduct.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t have self-governing, the camp can get chaotic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

And as for services such as trash, portable toilets and transportation, it\u2019ll likely take a community effort, Baukat said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s such a new situation that we are just now trying to address it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Megan Graham, spokeswoman for La Plata County, said any solution to the homeless issue would require partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe county has been committed and dedicated to working with partners to find potential solutions that both serve the homeless population and the community,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ll continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh start<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a fresh start for homeless campers at the Purple Cliffs, but they do have concerns.<\/p>\n

Manna soup kitchen used to be just a short walk away. Downtown was within eyesight. And other services were not far out of reach.<\/p>\n

\"Piles
Piles of trash are scattered across the hillsides of a longstanding homeless camp west of Durango. La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office spokesman Chris Burke said it\u2019s especially disconcerting because the entire camp was cleaned up last year.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Ty Delancy, who had lived at the Tech Center camp for just over a month, said he\u2019s going to try out the Purple Cliffs. He typically likes to camp off on his own, but that\u2019s increasingly hard around Durango, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to disassociate myself from all the garbage, the worrying about stealing,\u201d he said. \u201cThat just hasn\u2019t been the case here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott worried about where campers will get their water or how she\u2019ll get to work without a car. Sargent said he hopes the sense of community from people who live on the streets continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think people in Durango realize there is a street community here who help each other out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ann Morse, director of Manna, said campers will need to settle in before they\u2019re comfortable with the new site.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce those needs are brought up, we\u2019ll see how to work together to meet them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Camp elsewhere<\/div>\n

In the meantime, Smith said the site near the Tech Center will be patrolled frequently by deputies. Illegal campers will be told to move. If they don\u2019t move, their belongings will be confiscated, which they\u2019ll have 30 days to collect.<\/p>\n

\"La
La Plata County Sheriff Sean Smith said if the community helps clean up the homeless camp west of Durango, he promises to make sure the spot never becomes a place for illegal camping again.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Authorities in La Plata County have decided it\u2019s better to work with individuals to get them on the right side of the law, rather than issue citations that won\u2019t be paid or make arrests that could crowd the jail. Neither action would address the cause of the problem.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, camping at the Tech Center became too much of a danger, warranting a more robust response, Smith said. The site at the Purple Cliffs doesn\u2019t have homes nearby, and there are more ways to reduce wildfire risk, which he said are all positives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message is, \u2018This is no longer the spot,\u2019\u201d Smith said. \u201cDown there is.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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