HOMELESS CAMP SHUT DOWN
About two dozen tents stretched over a block in Oceanside; police, outreach workers move many to motel
What had started as a homeless man’s effort to create what he called a “trauma-informed safe center” for homeless people in Oceanside came to an end Tuesday morning when police officers and outreach workers began clearing out the area and moving people into motel rooms.
Rodney McGough, who had overseen the encampment along South Oceanside Boulevard as it grew over the past few months, said the city caused unnecessary confusion and anxiety in the crackdown, but he accepted a motel room and said he was ready to move on.
“I’m very thankful for the efforts to help us move to another place and continue the healing that’s going on,” he said.
McGough began setting up an encampment at the site in late 2019, moving tents alongside the street each night in what he calls a “camp on wheels.” It became more noticeable early this year when he left the tents out permanently and more people moved in.
Even as the camp grew to move than two dozen tents, however, he and others kept it relatively tidy and free of litter, and McGough said he often worked to get people help with emotional and psychological problems linked to their homelessness.
But McGough also said he knew the encampment was not sustainable, and on April 7 the Oceanside City Council took actions that would lead to its end by creating a new ordinance forbidding camping on public property and agreeing to spend about $600,000 to provide motel rooms to people living on the site.
Notices that the enforcement could begin in 48 hours were placed alongside a fence behind the tents Thursday and again on Sunday, and police officers were on the site by 6 a.m. Tuesday.
By midday, dozens of people who had been staying at the encampment by Oceanside Town & Country shopping center had been driven by the Oceanside Police Department’s homeless outreach team to Marty’s Valley Inn. They will be provided rooms for up to 28 days and access to support services in an ef
fort to help them become self-sufficient and housed.
While it was unclear when and how the enforcement would happen, encampment resident Matthew Bushell said he was prepared to move out Tuesday morning.
“We’ve known it was coming,” said Bushell, 42. “They’ve given us ample time to understand exactly what they were going to do, and the police have been 100 percent honest with what was going to happen.”
Bushell said he had no problem leaving behind his $25 tent and moving on.
“They get gross,” he said. “It’s gotten its use.”
People at the site were given cardboard boxes to place their belongings in and take to the motel. Other items were placed in tall bins that were taken to the Police Department’s evidence facility for storage. Items left behind, such as Bushell’s tent, were thrown away.
Several people at the encampment said they were happy to accept a motel room and applauded the city and police for running the operation smoothly.
McGough, however, said he was frustrated that he couldn’t get a straight answer when asking when the enforcement would happen.
“All they had to do was explain things and it would have been much easier,” he said. “What’s the problem with disclosure?”
When asked when the city would enforce the anticamping law and offer vouchers, City Manager Deanna Lorson responded to The San Diego UnionTribune with an email Monday that read: “We are providing the occupants with outreach and plenty of time to accept services before we move to the next step.”
Interfaith Community Services homeless outreach workers assisted Oceanside police officers with the operation. Ann Mades of Interfaith said specifics of Tuesday’s efforts were not announced in advance because the city was targeting people staying at the South Oceanside Boulevard encampment, and an early announcement might have attracted other homeless individuals who wanted motel vouchers.
Homeless advocate Michael McConnell, who was at the site Tuesday morning, was critical of the operation and said the city was more motivated to get rid of a highly visible encampment rather than getting vulnerable people off the street.
“This is more like a military raid than a homeless outreach event,” he said. “A team of six or seven professional outreach people working over a week or two could have accomplished this in a more efficient way without introducing trauma. This is just the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. Showing up in secret is exactly the opposite of the transparency we need.”
More than two dozen police officers, including two who were positioned on motorcycles in the middle of the street, were on the site. People at the encampment appeared to be cooperating, and by midday there had been no arrests of people who were refusing to leave the site.
Oceanside City Councilman Christopher Rodriguez, who had supported a motel voucher program and a new tent ordinance, on Monday said he had received calls from residents wondering why the city had not yet removed the tents following last week’s vote. While he expected enforcement to happen soon, he said the city should use compassion in its approach, especially in light of protests that happened in Los Angeles last month when police cracked down on a large encampment at Echo Park Lake.
Even without clear information that an outreach would happen Tuesday morning, several homeless advocates were on South Oceanside Boulevard to monitor the event. One man who said he came from Riverside took pictures of the operation with a small drone flying over the street.
Koran Fields of the Black Panther Party of San Diego was among the people who came to watch.
“We just want to make sure the people out here who are facing these sorts of suppressions are being treated fairly,” he said. “They’re vulnerable, and if there’s no one out here to keep eyes on the situation, there can be intimidation.”
Sunny Street Outreach, En Mi Palma and North County for Racial Justice were among the groups present.
At the motel, representatives from the McAlister Institute met with people to tell them about recovery programs and other services that would be available to them.
Oceanside Housing Management Analyst Salvador Roman said the motel was undergoing renovations, and 30 rooms were available. Many people were doubling up in rooms, so the number of people who would be taken off the street could be nearly twice that.
People would be evaluated after two weeks and could stay for up to 28 days, after which they could be moved into transitional housing for another 30 to 90 days.
Several residents were settling in comfortably that afternoon.
“They’re being so nice to us,” said Michael Vorgang. “It could be worse.”
“It’s nicer having a bed instead of a cot,” said his roommate Sean Kelley, who also said police and others helping them had been extremely positive and polite that morning.
“I think it went very smoothly,” said Steve Gentsche. “Everyone thought the police were going to come in and toss the place. I’m so grateful I got out of there.”