I am not a morning person, but Bertha had asked me to volunteer for this year's Bayfront Cleanup. Bertha has known my dad since childhood, and if say no to Bertha, it makes my dad look bad, which is why I'm now on the board of my neighborhood association. And it's why I tumbled out of my soft, warm bed at 7:30 this morning, still horribly in need of it, then stumbled through the house to feed the animals, threw on the first articles of clothing my fingers touched, splashed some water on my face, used the toilet and was out the door at 8:00.
An hour later, after signing in, wolfing down a free donut and coffee, finding Bertha and the rest of the contingency from my neighborhood, and grabbing gloves and plastic bags, we were in a van headed toward the creek. The portion that runs under a nearby street is an ideal spot for a homeless encampment: a fairly large covered ledge that's sheltered from street and rain; running water (granted, it's cold and none too clean); and public access is blocked by a fence. So it came as no surprise that it actually is frequented by the down and out.
When we arrived, the ledge in the photo above was so covered with bottles, napkins and other trash that the cement underneath wasn't visible. There was also a queen sized mattress. The photo was taken after a few trash and recycling bags had been filled and dragged up to the street for pick-up. One of the recent inhabitants was (possibly still is) a woman and her children.
Farther downstream, a dam had formed by a couple of branches entangled with quilt, jacket, hose and a couple garbage bags full of items that had been intended for a charity shop. The bags had been taken from donation bins, rummaged through, and the remainder left in and along the creek. We spent what felt like forever untangling, unearthing and dragging the wet, muddy, HEAVY items out of the creek. Those are some of the things we pulled out above before we bagged them up. And guess what? My boots aren't water proof, so I was soaking in microorganism-infested creek water! Next year I'm bringing my own heavy-duty, long gloves and wellies. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and bags and some items were embedded too far in the silt to remove without tools, so a lot of trash stayed where it was. Developing public access to the creek could solve a lot of the problems along it.
Find of the day? A makeshift bong made of plastic bottles and electrical tape. Sadly, when the mayor announced prizes at the after-cleanup lunch for unusual and interesting finds, the bong didn't even receive a mention.
Miss Piggly Wiggly stayed home, because I didn't want to have to clean her up after the clean up. She's just here for Martina.
:-D - look at her ear!
ReplyDeleteThat's her looking cute for doggie snacks pose!
Delete*waves to doggeh*
ReplyDeleteWow. Sounds like you had your work cut out for you. And that doesn't look like too great a place for folks to be camping out in the first place. Too bad there's no way to limit access, as you say.
As desperate measures go, it's not so bad. The banks themselves haven't eroded from the use, so there is still plenty of vegetation for cover and protection, and the street underpass (tunnel under the street?) provides protection from precipitation. It might even be possible to "borrow" garden water from a sympathetic soul in one of the adjacent homes.
DeleteThat said, this county is one of the most expensive in the country, and it is worrisome that with all the wealth (or at least spending) here that there are still people who slip through the cracks and can't at least have a roof over their heads while they get back on their feet.
You are a good woman to go out and clean up... Especially as a non-morning person! We have what we call "the trap line" here- a section of wooded land behind the store where people go to drink. The trap line used to be closer to the store, but in an effort to get rid of the trap line the property owners removed some of the bush. The route became more public so the drinkers moved their spot to thicker bush.
ReplyDeletePublic access would help get rid of a lot of the problems... Or move them elsewhere, at the very least.
Homeless and with children. Horrifying for an adult, even moreso for kids.
I feel for the mom and her kids, and fear for them. I've only ever seen males in that area (someone else saw her recently), and there were sureño tags on the landing yesterday.
DeleteThere is a portion of the creek further upstream that has easy access to a largely unused alley and beer. I think that alley and creek portion might be our trap line.
Wow. That is some hands on heavy duty work. Thanks for doing it.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely an experience.
DeleteDonuts. Is there anything they can't do?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they can't clean my house for me, Walter. I'd like for them to be able to remodel my kitchen, too.
Delete.. hang on.. there is a woman living there with children?.. this world ugh... it hurts so much sometimes..
ReplyDeleteI don't know if she's still there, but yes, the person who saw her said she had her children with her, too. There is a homeless shelter within walking distance, but I think they only open it up when the temperatures drop.
Delete