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