Above Photo: Police, city employees and activists gather at the opening of a homeless camp under a portion of I-45 on Dallas on Friday, July 22, 2022. A planned sweep for the site that morning was delayed. Liesbeth Powers / Staff Photographer.
Over 40 People Came To Stop The Sweep In South Dallas Under Interstate 45.
Dallas, Texas – Over 40 people delayed the sweeping of a South Dallas homeless encampment on Friday morning, blocking off the camp with their bodies and cars. Some were armed with rifles.
“We’re just trying to move people, trying to minimize any risk coming up,” said Jonathan Guadian, who was unarmed and frequently volunteers to help residents of the camp.
City staff, which included city marshals, homeless solutions and code compliance, stood at the camp’s edge negotiating with residents and activists before deciding they’d give them more time to move people’s belongings.
“We’re here just in peace, we’re not going to use force…it’s never the intent to harm,” said Clifton Knight, a chief deputy with the Dallas Marshal’s Office.
Residents had two small campfires burning at the camp that morning, where over 20 tents sit along the public sidewalks of Coombs Street, under the shade of Interstate 45. Several sit next to overgrown train tracks behind a chain link fence.
People there say they were given a written notice over a week ago that the city would clean the area but thought they just needed to move items and trash from the street, not their tents from the sidewalks.
“Notices were given out to the Coombs area by OHS in partnership with Code that the entire area would be cleaned Friday, July 22, 2022. The notice explicitly states to remove all belongings for cleanings,” said city spokesperson Jennifer Brown over email.
“We all have the same goal and that is to combat homelessness in Dallas with urgency, care, and compassion,” she said.
Long-time camp resident Will Brown took the lead in speaking with city staff, explaining that they didn’t know they needed to move everything they had.
“Moving the stuff is the issue, you can’t just put it in a basket and move it down the street,” he said, adding that many people there are incapable of moving things on their own because they’re elderly or disabled. “The city is doing the most easy thing for them to do, which is the most difficult thing for us to do.”
Randy “Cowboy” Briscoe sat with his small dog Beano at his feet while the discussions continued. Briscoe has kidney failure and is on dialysis, he said, and is unable to walk because his feet are too swollen.
He sleeps outside of his tent, where he stores his kidney medicine, clothes, blankets, dog food for Beano and other belongings. He has an appointment in two weeks to potentially get housing through the local nonprofit Metro Relief, he said, which could be jeopardized if he has to move and the group can’t find him.
“I’m getting too old for this stuff. I can’t do this no more,” he said while support groups started packing up his things in black bags to move. “I’m ready to have a life of my own and not be watched over by code compliance.”
Jennifer Brown, the city spokesperson, said homeless solutions has been providing services to people at the camp at least twice a week, helping them apply for state IDs, clear tickets at community court, apply for housing and connecting veterans with Veteran Affairs. At least two people from the camp have received housing recently, she said.
They transported two of the residents to a shelter before the cleaning was scheduled, and reconnected someone with their family, she added.
Once city vehicles vacated the area, all hands were on deck to get the sidewalks cleared. The residents were told they had until noon.
Cars blocking entry to the camp were moved to the center of it, where people quickened their pace bagging up residents’ belongings and packing them into trunks. Volunteers carried tents out of the shade of the interstate to place them around the corner, some in the sun. They focused on helping the elderly and disabled first.
More than five organizations were on site, including mutual aid organizations Say It With Your Chest and Dallas Liberation Movement, which have been servicing several camps in South Dallas for over a year.
The city has swept the other camps they service and this is the last one standing, said volunteer Isaiah Mercado.
“The cleanings are conducted as necessary,” said Jennifer Brown, adding that the Coombs Street cleaning was scheduled “for the purpose of eliminating the life, health, and safety hazards present at the locations.”
A camp is not officially decommissioned when it is cleaned, city officials said, meaning the city will not enforce whether people continue living there.
Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club was also present. Members of the club carried rifles and wore black masks and goggles.
For some people at Coombs Street, this was the second time they were moving this week.
Sonja Jones-Adams had been staying at a camp between Parnell and Gould Streets that was cleared by the city on Monday. Support groups helped her move all of her things to Coombs Street last weekend.
“After being outside for seven years, it’s just commonplace now,” she said, adding that she doesn’t currently have the documents, like an ID, to apply for housing.
Cedric Hubbard just barely got his belongings out of the Parnell Gould camp before the clearing and moved to a different camp under I-45. He was passing by Coombs Street when he saw the commotion.
He’s tired of the sweeps but is staying optimistic, he said.
“It sucks when you gotta move from one place to another place to another place…but I’m gonna keep on smiling,” he said.
By noon most of the work was done with only a few tents remaining and scattered black bags to be packed and moved. The city hadn’t shown up yet and decided to postpone the cleaning to a later date, said Brown.
Former camp resident Mike Jones arrived there later in the morning. Jones is staying in an apartment now, renting it together with a roommate.
“I’m here to help because these are my friends,” he said while sweeping trash into a waste bin.