Nearly two months after a judge lifted a ban on clearing homeless encampments, the city of San Bernardino has started to remove tents and enclosures from Perris Hill Park.
Conditions at the park have been criticized for years due to the number of encampments and trash. Earlier this month, a man was found dead with stab wounds and dog bite marks.
During a two-day encampment cleanup on November 14 and 15, staff notified unhoused people at the 64-acre park on Highland Avenue that they needed to leave for health and safety reasons.
Mayor Helen Tran says over 200 people were living at the park. While the cleanup took just two days, she noted it required weeks of coordination and planning with community partners to properly support homeless individuals.
“Families and children and businesses were impacted in a negative way, and that creates unhealthy situations in our community,” said Tran in a phone interview with KVCR.
City housing staff, police, public works officials, animal services personnel and park rangers worked together to help campers sort belongings for transport and storage. The Salvation Army and San Bernardino City Unified School District were also on hand to assist.
A settlement between the city and the ACLU of Southern California prohibits San Bernardino from destroying property for 90 days and mandates accommodations for people with disabilities. During the cleanup, city officials provided shuttle services and other assistance for those with disabilities or special needs.
“The biggest thing that we have to realize is that if we're seeing folks who are suffering in the street, we have to find ways to get them resources,” said Tran. “And on the enforcement side, we have to make sure that we have parks and corridors and city businesses that are safe and thriving."
Tran says now the city can focus on making the park safe for the public. She confirmed more cleanups are planned for other large parks in the city.
“We’re able to take appropriate immediate steps to address the conditions of our parks.”
The City has announced that much of Perris Hill Park will be closed for approximately two weeks, between Saturday, November 16 and Monday, December 1 for additional cleanup, landscaping, maintenance and repairs.
