San Jose Homeless Encampment Cleared Out: Caltrans

SAN JOSE, CA — Caltrans' two-week-long homeless encampment cleanup project in San Jose under the overpass connecting Interstate Highways 280, 680 and U.S. Highway 101 is coming to a close, but the agency's responsibilities are ongoing, a spokeswoman said.

"We reached 98 percent completion on Monday," Caltrans spokeswoman RocQuel Johnson said. "People could try to cut the fence and come back into the area, however, so our efforts are always going to be going on."

In the wake of the 2 acres of Caltrans-owned land being closed off and cleared out that they were residing on, the homeless population of Felipe Avenue has moved just feet away and are now camping on the sidewalk,
according to advocate Pastor Scott Wagers.

Wagers, who has more than 25 years of experience as a homeless advocate in the area and organized a protest of the cleanup when it started on Feb. 5, said that all trash had been cleaned out and trees had been cut in
the area that the homeless had been inhabiting.

Though the area itself has been chemically treated, groomed and protected with a fence, the homeless have moved their tents and belongings to right in front of the fence.

Wagers described the scene as "something similar to Calcutta."

"It's not a very productive move for the city to move them just feet from where they were," Wagers said. "They've moved maybe 25 or 30 feet out, but they're still here."

Wagers said that he wouldn't be surprised if Johnson was right about the homeless who were evicted trying to move back onto the property.

"They will probably go back around by the freeway to get in," Wagers said. "The general public doesn't understand that they will go to extreme lengths to try to find somewhere hidden away; they aren't going to
just lay down and die. That's human nature."

Wagers estimated about 30 to 50 homeless people still remain on the block after Caltrans posted several eviction notices in the area over the span of a month.

According to Johnson, a normal notification of eviction is granted 72 hours beforehand.

Johnson said last week that the agency estimated it would take at least a week to clean up trash and provide security measures for the strip of land.

Since that estimate, the only remaining task to finish up is the removal of wood that was illegally dumped onto the property, she said.

Wagers confirmed around 1:30 p.m. today that Caltrans had multiple workers, an earthmover and at least one dump truck helping to move logs out.

California Highway Patrol officers were present today as well.

Caltrans crews started their efforts near the end of the property closest to the Story Road freeway exit off Highway 101 and are now deeper toward the area where the Highway 680 to Highway 101 loop begins and where most of the homeless people were located.

By Bay City News Service

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