Lodi continues to deal with homeless issues

With the Lodi City Council scheduled to vote on authorizing City Manager Steve Schwabauer to hire a consulting firm to create a grant application for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program, Lodians are still experiencing problems related to homelessness.

At approximately 7:45 a.m. Saturday, Cathi DeGroot, deputy director of the Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department and a member of the Lodi-Tokay Rotary Club, arrived at the American Legion Hall on Washington Street to help set up for Oktoberfest.

Realizing she was early, DeGroot drove down Lawrence Avenue to Chapman Field, where she knew that several transients had set up tents.

“I really wanted to document how many tents we had up against the field for an official report, so I took pictures with my city-issued cell phone,” DeGroot said.

DeGroot said a few of the transients noticed and began yelling at her, with one man reportedly charging directly at her car while screaming profanities.

“I got pretty nervous about whether he was going to stop or whether he was going to get violent with me,” DeGroot said.

Although she was unharmed, DeGroot said the man chased her car as she drove west on Lawrence Avenue toward Stockton Street, before she filed a report with the Lodi Police Department at approximately 8:10 a.m.

“I know the police contacted him, but I don’t know if they issued him a citation or anything, DeGroot said. “I ended up moving on to my volunteer assignment preparing for Oktoberfest.”

Jeff Hood, director of the Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, said that a hypodermic needle was found in the outfield grass during a game at the softball complex last week.

“The game was stopped, and the players searched the field to make sure there weren’t any more needles in the area,” Hood said.

The parks department has also had issues with dumpster diving, Hood said, at a single dumpster that serves all of the parks in the area.

“We’re going to have to move it to a different location,” Hood said. “It’s just too much of a hassle to put trash in the dumpster, only to have to pick it all up again when (the homeless) go dumpster diving.”

Hood also said that a container of hypodermic needles intended for disposal was reportedly taken from a park maintenance worker’s cart by a homeless person. After breaking open the container, Hood said the homeless person reportedly took a single needle before throwing the container —and the rest of the needles — over a fence into a field.

Hood will meet with the Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission on Nov. 6 to discuss potential solutions, he said, and on Monday signs were posted near the encampment saying that tents are not allowed in the city’s parks according to a recently-passed ordinance.

“That area is park property, so we’re working with Lodi police to make sure that city laws are followed,” Hood said.

City Manager Steve Schwabauer said he has also been made aware of homeless-related issues in the area.

“I’ve seen photos of people taking drugs, and I know there’s been a fair amount of vandalism in that area,” Schwabauer said.

Schwabauer has also heard complaints of used needles being thrown into the softball field, he said, as well as complaints of homeless people interrupting softball games.

“They walk right into the middle of the games, sometimes, and demand that the players give them stuff in exchange for leaving,” Schwabauer said. “We’re taking it seriously, and we’re going to do what we can to make sure that area remains a safe place for people to play ball.”