Inmate workers help the city of Salem Parks and Recreation Department install bollards and place boulders at Cascades Gateway Park on Wednesday morning. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter)
Following a spate of clear-outs of homeless camps in Salem, the city has followed through to ensure at least one park stays free of overnighters.
Inmate work crews Wednesday helped the city’s Parks and Recreation Department install bollards and strategically place boulders to fence off parts of Cascades Gateway Park where homeless campers tend to sleep in vehicles overnight.
Since early September, city workers have been adding features that make the park less accessible, hoping to curb littering and property damage, and keep it clean for the general public. Under city law, it is illegal to stay in a park after sundown.
“The efforts at Cascades Park are consistent with protective measures taken at other city parks to protect the public investment, encourage active use of our parks, and to discourage illegal camping,” Heather Dimke, a city spokesperson, said.
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Limiting cars in the park will enable staff to keep it safer and cleaner for visitors, Dimke said. Areas now blocked by bollards and boulders can still be reached by foot, she said, and can be removed when necessary, such as in an emergency.
The effort quickly drew objections from homeless residents and advocates, who say the city’s moves further displace people from where they feel safe, and where they had been unbothered for months.
“They’re going to force them into much smaller areas,” said Ken Houghton, outreach coordinator for The ARCHES Project, who helps homeless people find services like rental assistance and food.
Doug Pendleton, who had lived at the park in his van since November, agreed the camp has been damaged. More campers arrived in recent months, he said, some of whom trashed the area. He said the city, however, is penalizing everyone for those few malcontents.
“Other people make messes and others try to keep the messes cleaned up,” Pendleton said. “We try to keep it clean.”
Cascades Gateway Park was among the heavily camped areas in Salem cleared out recently by the Salem Police Department, the city parks department and the Oregon Department of Transportation. The clear-outs have been routine, according to a Salem police spokesman.
At least nine people were arrested or cited at Cascades Gateway Park since Aug. 31, when police first moved to clear out campers. That initial move was prompted by reports of people throwing trash into the park’s pond, according to police.
Have a tip? Contact reporter Troy Brynelson at 503-575-9930, [email protected] or @TroyWB.
