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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2016)
OCTOBER 28, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A11 (Continfed from Page A1) of storage spaces and use one as a workshop and the other as a gallery while I was living in my van,” he said. When his van was rear-end- ed by “a big diesel truck” things started to spiral rapidly, and he’s been living on the streets since. “It’s just a profound dif- ference in per- spective to be the guy sleep- ing next to the guy you’ve never met be- cause you don’t want to freeze to death,” Wiz said. “It chang- es the way you think. I’ve gone through dumpsters looking for things for people to eat.” Day-to-day living, he said, revolves around three ques- tions: how do you stay warm and dry; what do you eat; and where do you go to the bath- room? “And where do you put your stuff so it’s there when you come back if you do go to the bathroom?” he said. He’s met some on the streets who he’s felt made their way by preying on other homeless people, but he seen others tap deep veins of kindness. “The people who have the least share the most. Someone will give you their last scrap of food, or part of it,” he said. Prior to taking up the spot under the awning, some mem- bers of the group – who Wiz calls brothers – had been living around the old Alberston’s just north on River Road North. When it was announced that the building had been sold to new owners, word made its way down the ranks that the camp would have to fi nd an- other spot. Wiz understands it’s neces- sary to a degree, and bore no umbrage to police offi cers who end up as the messengers. “ W h e n we were over there, the po- lice would come by and tell us to fl ag them down if needed — Wiz we anything,” Wiz said. Local and regional leaders assembled a homelessness task force earlier this year with plans to make recommendations for coping with Marion County’s burgeoning homeless popula- tion. Talks have spanned topics too numerous to list, but many have been targeted around spe- cifi c subgroups: youth, veterans, women, domestic violence vic- tims and many, many more. When asked what the area’s homeless residents need most, Wiz gets visibly distraught, but settles on the necessities. “There’s too many, but it’s the basics. We could use lock- ers to store our stuff for a few hours or a couple of days for a few dollars. There should be more public restrooms. You don’t have to be homeless to need a place to pee,” he said. Wiz remained under the awning until mid-evening. Tuesday morning, he, and his brothers, were gone. “It’s jfst a profofnd difference in perspective” Homeless camps in Keizer taking fp more KPD time By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Homelessness is becoming more vis- ible in Keizer. In many ways, it reached a fl ashpoint when a group of about a dozen of the ar- eas homeless individuals set down stakes under an awning at the south end of the old Roth’s building last weekend. Mem- bers of the group were asked to move on late Monday morning, but their appear- ance along Keizer’s main drag made them more visible than other groups had been in recent years. Since rain continued throughout the day Monday, the offi cers involved told the Roth’s group they had until Tuesday morning to pull up camp. That camp was one symptom of larger issues affecting the Keizer area, said Jeff Kuhns, deputy chief of the Keizer Police Department. “The frequency and number of home- less folks in Keizer has increased remark- ably in the past few months even though we have been trying to encourage them to ‘move on,’” Kuhns said. Kuhns said it only became more no- ticeable to more Keizer residents with the appearance of the Roth’s encamp- ment. A similar camp was set up in the bottle return area of the old Albertson’s build- ing and they are common occurrences along the Willamette River at the south- west end of town. “Just recently, I worked with the man- ager of Safeway to assist him in having several individuals move on who were living in their vehicles in the Safeway parking lot,” Kuhns said. Eventually, the manager had to contact a local towing company and post signs throughout the parking lot threatening towing. About the same time as the Roth’s camp was up and running, KPD offi cers were also responding to complaints of a group trespassing behind the Keizer Her- itage Center gazebo and in the parking lot of the building. “We responded to and asked these individuals to move on. They did, but only to the gazebo that is in city owned property at Chalmers Jones Park adjacent to City Hall,” Kuhns said. “Public prop- erty (like the Chalmers Jones gazebo) is a whole different ballgame.” Kuhns said the most diffi cult situa- tions are those involving private property – like the Roth’s building, the Albertson’s building and even vacated or foreclosed homes where some members of the lo- cal homeless population have forced their way in. “Offi cers try to offer the individual re- sources and options that may assist them in fi nding a resolution to the problem or current circumstance they fi nd them- selves in. This may include directions to the Union Gospel Mission or Salvation Army in Salem or Simonka Place for women and children. Additionally, we point them towards the Keizer Com- munity Food Bank at the Faith Lutheran Church,” Kuhns said. The resounding message at recent meetings of a regional task force on homelessness is that there simply aren’t enough services to accommodate climb- ing numbers, but the task force is expect- ed to come up with recommendations for alleviating the situation after its fi nal meeting February 2017. ECLIPSE: Consultant report suggests planning years in advance (Continfed from Page A1) event will need to be Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act com- pliant, there is limited space to accommodate the parking space campers would require. “Are cars going to park by the tents? If not, we have to shuttle them in. These are the logistics that nobody knows yet, and any (vehicle) over 5,000 pounds will damage the path- way to access parts of the camp- ing site,” Gottfried said. Gottfried and Barker deter- mined there would be fewer than 50 spots available for the RVs and there would be two different dry camping sites. The cost would be $75 a night for dry camping and $135 a night for RVs with a two-night minimum. The proceeds from camping and portions of the other likely activities, like ven- dor food sales, would be do- nated to Keizer’s parks. How- ever, the expenses related to the event are likely to be substan- tial, portable toilets will need to be rented and round-the-clock security will add to the total. Gottfried was dismayed to learn that a retail vendor space was not a likelihood, and want- ed to see events at the amphi- theater scaled back. She also referenced a free eclipse planning guide provided by an Australia-based eclipse consultant, Dr. Kate Russo. Russo’s guide suggests that planning begin years in advance of an eclipse and that even six months is likely too late to start. Organizers have a little more than eight months to fi nalize all details and that includes prep- ping a large site at the park. For the eclipse-viewing alone, Russo recommends that an astronomy expert, a science educator, a meteorologist and an eclipse-chaser all be enlisted to help with the planning, and that doesn’t include all the oth- er facets involved with organiz- ing a large event. Conservative estimates sug- gest that as many as 30,000 to 40,000 will visit the area dur- ing the eclipse – that includes visitors from other areas of the country as well as those just to the north and south. Cities like Portland and Eugene will only experience a partial eclipse. Gottfried stressed that she is not dissuaded from attempting to pull it off, but that she wants whatever happens to refl ect positively on the city. “There is a lot to do and no time to do it in. I want it to be good, I don’t want people to come to Keizer and have (a bad experience),” she said. KEIZER MAYOR CATHY CLARK JOINS GATOR AND DENISE EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 5:30 PM TUNE IN AS WE TALK ALL THINGS KEIZER! • Apples • Pears • Apple Cider • E.Z. Orchards HarvestFest October 1st – 31st • Pumpkin Patch • Corn Maze • Hay Rides • Petting Zoo • Pony Rides • Face Painting • Live Music* • Pedal Tractors • Duck Races • and More! *For more information go to ezorchards.com/harvest-festival for a full list of daily activities and availabilities* Apple Cider & Pumpkin Donuts • • Caramel Apples • Squash STRANGERS: Lockers, restrooms would help Mon – Fri: 9 am to 6 pm Sat: 10 am to 5pm, Sun: 11am to 5pm At corner of Cordon & Hazel Green Roads ezorchards.com • 503-393-1506 • Facebook.com/ezorchards