Passenger Trains > Rohnert Park clears nuisance homeless area adjacent to SMART

Crews from the City of Rohnert Park were working on Thursday, clearing out overgrown bushes and
detritus/debris left behind when the area was cleared of homeless who were "living" in the
concealed space between the bushes and a cyclone fence bordering SMART commuter rail property. 
The live railroad is immediately behind that fence, which has holes cut into it, allowing access to the
right-of-way by trespassers.

Among the recent spate of fatal train-person collisions, four of them occurred within a half mile of
this location, which is across the street from a Walmart store which is also frequented by transients
in motor homes and trailers.  The Walmart parking lot is the most frequent scene of police activity in the
city.

Plans to clear out the homeless encampment here were already being implemented before the recent
train vs. trespasser fatalities but the cleanup activity has now been hastened. 

1.  A Rohnert Park Public Works employee, working in preparation for heavy equipment which will
clear out excess shrubbery and the assorted mess.

2.  Scooping up the material to be cleared.

3.  Dumping it into a truck for removal to the county landfill (the active railroad is visible on the right
side of this photo).

A SMART employee a few hundred yards away was watching the activity from the location
called "Wilfred" on the employee timetable.

 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/19 21:37 by GenePoon.

---

---

---

It's good to see real action being taken by the city.

It is certainly more than is being done by the blithering, arm-waving politicians in the
area, who have mostly been taking action by moving their mouths. 

A clueless Rohnert Park City Council member has suggested that trains be
slowed down. An even more moronic suggestion was made by a Sonoma County
Supervisor, who wants the trains shut down for a few days to "give the community
some time to reset."

Most of the deaths have been suicides, leading to suggestions that the deaths are
symptomatic of a societal mental or behavioral health problem.  Four of the five suicides
along the SMART tracks since the commencement of train service have been white males
in their 60s.  What the railroad is supposed to do about that issue remains unsaid.  Nor
does anybody have any constructive suggestion as to how to handle a meth-head who
belligerently challenges an approaching train at a railroad crossing.

Oakland is cleaning a similar type of encampment that has spawned attacks, drug use and vermin.

Love seeing the dump truck hauling it all away.  These people are serious TRASH MAKERS.

We need to re-open state mental hospitals to house many of these people, so they don't commit suicide by train.

In West Palm Beach, FL, the mayor is using anoying kids music played 24/7 to get those sleeping in front of a community center to move. Seems to have worked so far. 

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> We need to re-open state mental hospitals to house
> many of these people, so they don't commit suicide
> by train.

Agreed, but the principal reason state mental institutions were emptied (and the inmates let loose to cause the resulting explosion in homelessness) was various anti-tax revolts and the resulting refusal of state governments to keep paying for the huge costs of the facilities.  Salaries, benefits, pensions, infrastructure, utility coats, medications, etc. were becoming more expensive than the voters and state legislatures were willing to continue to fund. 

Hence the dumping of seriously ill people, incapable of assimilation into society, and all the resulting messes.  At the time, there was much jabber about the mentally ill being released because they could be better treated as outpatients while they happily returned to a more normal life in the general public.  And that's what it was: jabber, disingenuous BS designed to sugarcoat the shutdowns.

The nation swapped one costly mess for another.

Art House
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/19 08:10 by aehouse.

aehouse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > We need to re-open state mental hospitals to
> house
> > many of these people, so they don't commit
> suicide
> > by train.
>
> Agreed, but the principal reason state mental
> institutions were emptied (and the inmates let
> loose to cause the resulting explosion in
> homelessness) was various anti-tax revolts and the
> resulting refusal of state governments to keep
> paying for the huge costs of the facilities. 
> Salaries, benefits, pensions, infrastructure,
> utility coats, medications, etc. were becoming
> more expensive than the voters and state
> legislatures were willing to continue to fund. 
>
> Hence the dumping of seriously ill people,
> incapable of assimilation into society, and all
> the resulting messes.  At the time, there was
> much jabber about the mentally ill being released
> because they could be better treated as
> outpatients while they happily returned to a more
> normal life in the general public.  And that's
> what it was: jabber, disingenuous BS designed to
> sugarcoat the shutdowns.
>
> The nation swapped one costly mess for another.
>
> Art House
>  
I guess the voters got tired of the "fat cats" in government and decided to de-fund. Heard it all, "cut the fat first" before any more taxes. The fat, got cut, along with the clothes, shoes, skin and bones. Big surprise,  Ya really do get what ya pay for. 

Good they are doing this. It's a small piece in stopping the overall civil decline.

If lots more isn't done, in 20 years the US will look and function like Brazil.

This is not "solving the homeless problem". This is just moving the problem to some else's neighborhood. 

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

Yeah it just gets moved around--the camps. There was one north of Berkeley, CA within the UP ROW. That was cleared and everyone moved to the Berkeley Amtrak station. All the benches and large parts of the platform turned to camp. 

The trash issue is no joke. Short local trail off an old SP ROW in my area takes walkers out to Bayshore. Beautiful little trail. Couple of people started living there full time and the trash is just incredible not to mention you can't really go down there without feeling like an intruder. The camps are directly adjacent to the trail, you pass them two feet away. 

I have observed occupants of one camp using cell phones. 
Maybe calling another camp to check up on activities? 

When I was GM of the CCT it was a Weekly job for myself the manager of track and the track crew to clear the homeless camps from the ROW with no help from the City of Stockton, San Joaquin County was a big help. But it was just pushing them somewhere  else ands then the city and Caltrans would do a clean up and be right back on the ROW, at one point the local paper did a story on the Homeless and they interview some of them who though I was the most heartless SOB for making them leave RR property.
We would fill a 10 yard dump truck each week ands we had to train out employees on safety around needles and hazwaste and we always suited them up indouble tyvek suits , respirators and of course double gloves with the inside pair being cut proof Kevlar.

This whole state is going down hill and many downtowns and public spaces are now worse than a third world country( Woops I guess that not PC to call it Thrid world)  All we are are platitudes from our elected officials with no action. Wow slow down the trains or give them a rest , what a joke but then most of the bayarea elected officials have no clue how to run a business , how trains operate and take no responsibility for trespassers. Quite zones are not what they thought and local LEO’s have there hands tied by the courts as to what they can do with the homeless and there crap.

OK Rant over, every have a safe weekend  

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good they are doing this. It's a small piece in
> stopping the overall civil decline.
>
> If lots more isn't done, in 20 years the US will
> look and function like Brazil.

Why Brazil?

DFWJIM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Duna Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Good they are doing this. It's a small piece in
> > stopping the overall civil decline.
> >
> > If lots more isn't done, in 20 years the US
> will
> > look and function like Brazil.
>
> Why Brazil?




If you can't already see it happening, I don't know what to tell you.

Rode Metrolink (LA) from LAUS to N Pomona last year. I counted over 50 vagrants visible from the south side of the train in approx 30 miles. Including one pissing on the side of a container 20 ft from the track. Others could have been dead, passed on the sidewalks mid-day...

Overall, Moscow is much nicer/cleaner/safer than LA, especially if using public transit.

Etc.

UNTIL BOTH political parties commit to spending money on America's current citizens for the treatment of mental health and substance abuse problems, America's homeless problems will only increase........

66

Have you noticed, no matter how poor folks are, somehow they can afford a cell phone? 

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

CP8888 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have observed occupants of one camp using cell
> phones. 
> Maybe calling another camp to check up on
> activities? 

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have you noticed, no matter how poor folks are,
> somehow they can afford a cell phone? 
>
> Victor A. Baird
> http://www.erstwhilepublications.com
>
> CP8888 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I have observed occupants of one camp using
> cell
> > phones. 
> > Maybe calling another camp to check up on
> > activities? 

Guess you haven't seen the low cost cell service for low income people. Cell phones are today's equivalent to a land line telephone of 20 years ago.
There are more cell phones then land lines these days.

PHall Wrote:

>
> Guess you haven't seen the low cost cell service
> for low income people. Cell phones are today's
> equivalent to a land line telephone of 20 years
> ago.
> There are more cell phones then land lines these
> days.




Aka Obamaphone.

Drug addicts, alcoholics, and street criminals hafta have a phone, how else that gonna call for delivery and play some games?

Plus, they are entitled to have other people pay for it.

Duna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
>
> >
> > Guess you haven't seen the low cost cell
> service
> > for low income people. Cell phones are today's
> > equivalent to a land line telephone of 20 years
> > ago.
> > There are more cell phones then land lines
> these
> > days.
>
>
>
>
> Aka Obamaphone.
>
> Drug addicts, alcoholics, and street criminals
> hafta have a phone, how else that gonna call for
> delivery and play some games?
>
> Plus, they are entitled to have other people pay
> for it.

You don't think it has anything to do with having a job that allows you to afford a phone but not a place to live? Pretty common along the west coast. Hell, one of my oldest friends is an electrical engineer and can't afford to buy a house in much of Sonoma County. 

Yes, I guess I'm poor, I have a prepaid cell phone for emgerencies and conveniece with my relatives, closest friends and neighbors. The phone cost about $20 and I get about three months or 60 minutes of time for about $30. If I didn't have a business (on the internet) and an alarm system I'd drop the land line.  But I get unlmited long distance. I don't find cell phone service very reliable. I was just in an area the other day that had NO coverage. That, and often poor reception doesn't impress me. We aren't there yet.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com
> PHall Wrote:
>> >
> > Guess you haven't seen the low cost cell
> service
> > for low income people. Cell phones are today's
> > equivalent to a land line telephone of 20 years
> > ago.
> > There are more cell phones then land lines
> these
> > days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/19 18:30 by wabash2800.