Jan Feetz

Rode SGRT today. Between Imperial Highway and Wilderness Park there are encampments there.....they weren't there just two weeks ago...the nursery curve has residents/tents again. Looks like they wandered over from the SART. !Geez!

TGT1

Rode the Rio Hondo, LA river, LB, SGRT loop yesterday from Whittier Narrows, and there's an order of magnitude increase in the bum population, mostly close to LB on the LA river and from the 91 to Firestone on the SGRT.

Jan Feetz

Yeah, it was kind of strange. 2 weeks ago Sunday, just saw 1 tent going north at Eldorado Park, then some guys under the 105 fwy. Today...Sheesh!

TGT1

We almost clocked one that was staggering around under a dark overpass with a 24 in his hand at 10:00 in the morning.

Flounce

I don’t enjoy riding through camps of malodorous half clothed people any more than any other cyclist. This is a scene I expect in Brazil or some other third world country, not the United States, certainly not orange county. I just rode through there today on century ride. Like everyone, I would much prefer there be no homeless people living on SART. But having said that, the general attitude of many on this thread is an example of something that is wrong with this country, something that makes our country weak because of our lack of concern for our fellow Americans. An analogy would be if people were being shot - literally - every other day on our street and our primary concern is that our white shoes get blood stains on them all the time from stepping in the pools of blood.

Yes it sucks that we can’t enjoy a bike ride because of all these homeless people, but the bigger issue is that a society as affluent as ours is either unable or does not care to fix this issue of homelessness at a root level, and I’m not talking about shuttling them around from one place to another place so that they are out of sight and out of mind, or giving them endless handouts. I mean having the safety nets in place and programs that prevent someone on the borderline from becoming homeless in the first place, and other programs and efforts to assist those who are currently homeless to become part of working society again. Clearly, this is a huge problem that is complex with no easy solution, but whether one has a solution or not, the abundance of outrage at having our bike ride disrupted, juxtaposed with a complete lack of outrage that nothing is being done to assist the homeless at a root level, is callous. Just an observation.

McBTC

He's talking about his bed here: "It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It" ~Robert Fulghum

When you say it is callous that nothing is being done to assist the homeless at a root level I think what you must really be saying is that nothing has ever been done that apparently worked but, among those you'd like to think we could give an assist, what if for some of them they're doing what actually does work for them? Fulghum essentially says that you should feel free to reach into your pocket and give them some money because doing so makes you feel good. We can hope at least some of those dollars will go toward buying a sausage muffin on the dollar menu at McD's and not just cheap wine, MJ or J&B.

Cyclcist11023131

Just throw money at it. Seems to be a common thread. Why is this my fault? I’ve worked my entire life. Gone thru the divorce and lost it all phase. Now I made it back and have retired. The whole time I paid taxes. The state and federal government spent this(wasted most) building roads and parks and maintaining beaches. Now I want to use them. Instead I am constantly begged for money, can’t ride SART by my house, and I have to kick these arrogant kids off camping on my front lawn. Human waste next to my trees. My packages all disappeared. Zombies are real. They are created by methamphetamine, mind gone, teeth gone, body still on auto pilot. How am I responsible for this. Let natural selection take its course. Remember, only a small noticeable group is mentally ill. The vast majority are treating this like their own vast Burning Man adventure. Living off the grid. Except it is right in the middle of societies grid. Go, be free. But don’t half ass it by moving the the riverbed. Go create your own utopia. See how that works out. Or fall in line, get a job and participate. Lastly, to all you that feed these addicts money at the stoplights. Stop! It is like feeding birds in the street. Eventually they get squished. Meanwhile feeding the beggars change just keeps them running around in traffic. Americans used to have enough pride to stay of welfare if they could. Now begging seems to have become acceptable. If you want to help, don’t shame the vast majority. Go try to help them. You will get an education in hopelessness and excuses. And how to reuse needles and clean glass pipes. On the other hand some are great bike mechanics....

trailangel

Old English 800?

Hey, a couple of good points of view, well articulated here.

McBTC

Googled that and every hit had a different stat: --e.g., ~33 percent of the homeless are individuals with serious mental illnesses ... schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder or major depression; and...30%; 20 to 25%; approximately one-third; 20 percent of the population experiencing homelessness have serious mental illness and 17 percent live with chronic substance use; 13 to 15 percent...

This was interesting:



In any event, it's not a new phenomenon if as stated, "The homeless population has increased steadily in cities and small towns since the 1970s." It seems to me the description has morphed from bums on exhaust grates in NYC to what are now seen as, "homeless" in beach cities and suburbia.

TGT1

Metropolitan Hospital Norwalk has plenty of room for tents, if that's what floats their boat.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9269.../data=!3m1!1e3

In the 60's and 70's you had the confluence of the philosophical and the pharmaceutical that led to the dismantling of the state mental health system. Between "patients rights" and the "give'em a pill and send them on their way" all those buildings were emptied out and a good many torn down. A good portion of the 167 acres is now vacant.

How it's "humane" to let someone live under a bridge who really needs institutionalization?

Then there's the percentage that are comfortable squatting on public land.

The answer for them is to make it uncomfortable enough that they make other, (hopefully better) choices.

McBTC

It wouldn't surprise me to learn some who are living on the cheap qualify for some sort of monthly financial support from the government...

https://www.disability-benefits-help...ility-benefits

TakingMyTime

There's no doubt at all that many of them are receiving Food Stamps, Disability, etc. Just because you live in a tent along the ditch doesn't mean you can't apply and receive these benefits.

skidder

I rode up from the beach this morning to Orangewood Ave (about 1/2 way through the camp). No homeless folks on the way up, but the homeless camp looked deserted, like most folks just left their tents and trash and moved on. Coming back towards the beach I didn't see any homeless, but I did run into an OC Parks & Rec ranger vehicle going slowly northbound with its yellow lights on (about 8:30AM); first time I've seen one of those. I also noticed the little 'triangle' rest area at the 17th street bridge in Santa Ana (where you cross over south of the golf course) was fenced off. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few weeks.

Garfield Cat

How could I have registered to get a motel voucher for a month or so? I want one that serves a nice free breakfast too.

McBTC

No free lunches? So callous...

TakingMyTime

For David Carter, the federal judge at center of clash between O.C. officials and riverbed homeless, a hands-on approach is nothing new

Hopefully he's smart enough to realize that a majority of these people are playing the system and he'll get tough on them.

ZippyThePinhead

Daily Mail (UK) article on SART Homeless:

Judge approves shutdown of large California homeless camp | Daily Mail Online

TakingMyTime

Several local TV channels have been covering this today. It appears that they are being "kicked out". The conditions were that the city provide the housing for 30 days. Maybe that will give the local cities some time to work up a defense and keep them from homesteading again.

popeye

We rode it yesterday (tues.) and they had posted cops at each end. The unofficial detour is not fun and the cop said he never told us. There is a beautiful clean open trail on the other side that we had used in previous closures just sitting there. I did hear we might get through after a few days of clean up but that goes against everything I had heard previously.

Garfield Cat

I wonder of all 400 homeless (count) are finding motels to stay in. It's been a few days now and I would like to hear from these motel operators (not necessarily the owners) about how its going.

There will be the hotel guests who pay and those who are on vouchers. How they interact.

When I travel with my bike, I would bring the bike into the room (if allowed) and then ask the maintenance crew if they have a spare rag (cut up towels) so that I can wipe down the bike.

That brings up the issue about cleaning the linen and towels for all the guests. I always wondered if bacteria could survive the cleaning process. And I'm not even considering the conditions now at hand.

jimincalif

I too would like to hear from them.

Not sure about the reliability of the Daily Mail, but someone is suggesting bacteria survive and repopulate quickly. I'm not a germophobe but I'd rather stay elsewhere.

Anti-bacterial kitchen sprays and wipes may be useless | Daily Mail Online

TakingMyTime

Last night on the news they said that this section of the SART had been cleared, but they expected it to be about 2 days before they completed the cleanup. I'm guessing that is because of all the needles they have reported finding. They also keep using the number of people who have been directed to hotels at 400. That makes me wonder about previous reporting. I remember them saying they had gone through the camp and interviewed around 1000 people earlier this month. Where are the other 600?

There was no mention as to when the path would be opened back up. As soon as I see that green light, I'm going to head down to Huntington State Beach and take an "out and back" cruise on the trail. I hope is stays safe and passable and does not revert back to what it was any time soon.

I'm waiting for one of you to report back as to its progress and with a first ride impression.

jimincalif

Big trouble this morning, fight between a pedestrian and a cyclist, one dead, not much known yet:

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/2...riday-morning/

Another article, it's hard to have sympathy for people like "David":

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/2...ated-thursday/

McBTC

Homeless, transients, whatever... they were living in a riverbed.

California couple accused of sexually abusing son may have committed sexual acts on dogs, cops say | Fox News

popeye

Please remind me never to ride the SART at 4 am. I feel for the folks who need to use it at that time for transportation as for which it was designed and built at some expense.