Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Neighborhoods Homeless living along downtown ledge cleared out early this morning
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 8:37 AM
- Joeff Davis
- NOWHERE TO GO Michael, who has been homeless for 10 years, returned to the ledge to find his belongings being packed up by sanitation workers. He recovered his sleeping bag before it was tossed. He doesn't know where he'll go next.
The 5 a.m. joint effort between the city, the United Way of Metro Atlanta, and the Georgia Building Authority at downtown's Georgia Plaza Park was necessary because the encampment had become a "public health" issue, said Col. Mark McDonough, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which led the effort.
Since late-October, as many as 50 men and women have congregated and camped along the ledge within view of the Fulton County Courthouse and City Hall just one block from the Gold Dome. The number of people who'd flocked to the area because of its proximity to resource providers and visibility had grown so large it'd even earned a nickname from local homeless advocates: "the ledge people."
"These are our most disadvantaged citizens that we have," said Col. Mark McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which oversaw the effort. "We wanted to try and address this in a systematic compassionate way and help. We weren't going to just come in here without solutions and move people out. Trying to get these folks the assistance they need is the right thing."
He added: "The Georgia Building Authority" — the state agency which maintains the state-owned park between Washington and Central avenues — "has had to a have a feces patrol. It's really become a clean-up issue for everyone's health and safety. We're trying to do what's best with these folks and the general citizenry as a whole."
When CL arrived at the plaza this morning shortly after 5 a.m., an estimated 40 men and women were picking up their blankets, bags, and clothes off the ledge and directed toward the Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, a nearby nonprofit service provider for the homeless, where United Way of Metro Atlanta workers planned to offer assistance to people who wanted to move into supportive housing. State police oversaw the effort. According to McDonough, the removal was conducted before sunrise so crews could work without worrying about heavy pedestrian activity and traffic.
Many men and women left behind rain-soaked blankets, sleeping bags, cardboard, and other items, which a clean-up crew quickly collected in oversized bags and tossed into four waiting pick-up trucks.
For the last several weeks, the city, state, and homeless resource providers including the United Way and COAC, have discussed how to deal with the homeless situation around the park. But those same resource providers who must now do the heavy lifting of finding people a place to stay said they were only told yesterday afternoon that the removal would take place this morning. Was that enough time to prepare?
"No," said Kimberly Parker, outreach director at the COAC. "We'd been told we had a couple of weeks because we had a meeting last week with officials from around. And the agreement was we'd meet again after we'd partnered together and figured out some type of solution. Then we got word late yesterday afternoon that this would take place this morning."
Said Phil Hunter, the United Way's director of homelessness, who stresses that the agency takes no position on the city or state's response but simply wants to help the men and women living on the ledge: "In some of the meetings there was mention that there'd be more time made available. Privy to this right here happening, we knew this was a possibility. But there was talk of more time."
Hunter, who was also informed yesterday afternoon of the removal effort, said his team was prepared, he said, because United Way has increased its activities in the area over the last several weeks. They've already placed 35 people who once slept along the ledge into supportive housing. He said there's not enough space available for everyone removed today, but that partner agencies would also offer help.
"Hopefully we will help another 10 to 12 people today," he said.
Some of the homeless who'd lived along the ledge, including David, whom CL first interviewed when rumors of a removal effort were first floated in mid-November, said the homeless were told on Monday that they'd be given all day Wednesday to clear out. By 5:45 this morning, however, nearly all items left on the ledge had been removed.
"We knew it was coming to an end," Dave told us as he carried his belongings toward the outreach center and fighting back tears. "But we don't have anywhere to go."
We're still working on tying up some loose ends on the story and will update when we hear more. Here are more photos of the removal effort from CL Photographer Joeff Davis.
- Joeff Davis
- THE LEDGE Homeless men and women since late October have slept on a wide granite ledge within view of City Hall, the Fulton County Courthouse, and the Gold Dome
- Joeff Davis
- CLEAN UP Sanitation workers bagged up homeless men and women's uncollected belongings in oversized bags
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Comments (41)
Showing 1-41 of 41
Nothing like walking into work in the morning and having to step over various forms of human excrement before you've had your first cup o Joe. The problem simply became unbearable and the plaza has been locked for awhile. Surely the only reason this was done is because the general assembly is in session. Things will be back to normal come summer.
like
dislikewhere will the democrats voter organizations in atlanta go to find their voters now? get those MLK buses and the bologna sammiches ready for a longer haul! LOL!
The homeless advocates I spoke to a few months ago agreed something had to be done. But you undo all the careful planning if you decide "let's go ahead and do this in 12 hours instead of two weeks."
Also, if they'd have fixed (and not locked at night) the public bathroom a block away, excrement wouldn't have been such a problem.
Great report, Thomas. Any word from City of Atlanta 'homeless czar' Kristin Wilson on this issue?
In the November 2011 CL article, Chuck Bowen reports that "there is not enough shelter space in the city right now to accommodate everyone who needs to be off the streets." The use of the ledge is evidence of that. I'd be interested to know if Wilson has any programs planned for increasing the accommodations for homeless.
For another story about police seizing possessions, please search for "New police weapon against homeless" on homeless forums. This story will not be covered by the media. A Masters degree will not protect you from those in power determined to take away your rights. Bill Anderson soxin8@hotmail.com
What evidence is it that these people are "disadvantaged?" It could very well be that they had lots of advantages, but prefer to drink and do drugs. Or, that they rejected opportunities for assistance. No proof either way is provided, just a PC term that is made to make you feel like your being non-homeless is a lottery win.
@Brian Reynolds & Tammy:
You sound like fine, upstanding Christian citizens. Am I right?
I ain't Christian. I'm just tired of bums crapping all over the place and stinking up the library that I pay taxes to use. Screw religion, I just want them GONE.
Darin,
Wilson was on hand in an observational role. I wasn't able to speak with her because I was trying to first chat with police, who were leading the effort, and people who had been removed.
Well, then you're not a hypocrite. At least you can say that for yourself.
All our views are similar in that we all want something to be done about this... A Christian lifestyle says you care for and assist in helping those in need. You can't help all of them and many choose not to benefit from your efforts anyway. You can only do so much.
It is funny though, as is every year, that during GA's "GA" the priority is to clean downtown streets, and then tell how they only allow ATLiens to walk through bowl movements during the latter part of the year...LOL! Watch your steps in bout 3 months...LMAO
Inciteful comment about General Assembly. VERY disturbing that COAC and UWay reps misinformed about timing, which, is, hey, kinda sorta important. Mental illness and addiction are not choices. If there was room at COA shelter, or if these folks could follow the simple rules required to stay there or at Gateway, they wouldn't be on the ledge to begin with. The "move on" police approach hasn't worked for 30+ years, and was condemned in George W. Bush's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. And to Tammy, who I hope for your sake is young and vibrantly healthy and hasn't yet had life experiences to learn that "the Ledge" can happen to friends and relatives and, yes, you, too: don't ever hope for the weakest among us to just be gone. That's how Hitler got started.
The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is like 2 blocks away, has a night shelter during the winter. I wonder if any of those folks have tried going there.
As a newish resident of Downtown, I can only imagine that these unfortunate people will make their way over to the intersection of Peachtree and Trinity, or under the overpasses near Windsor St., or any of the many other places the homeless gather in this city. It is sad, it is depressing and my heart goes out to them. But I visit a lot of other cities on a regular basis -- Chicago, NYC, Washington... and I never see the masses of homeless living on the street that I see here in Atlanta. Perhaps it is just that they stand out more here because our downtown is not as crowded with visitors, workers and residents, but even so -- it seems to me that the city does very little to help get them off of the street.
@ Midtowner -
"I never see the masses of homeless living on the street that I see here in Atlanta."
The reason for this is because those cities you mentioned do a great job at strategically developing their cities so that they're cities are dense enough to prevent this kind of thing. Dense cities = more residents. More residents = more revenue. More revenue = more funds for police, and other services that prevent this kind of thing. More residents also = more indirect security of a city, which deters any camping out, defecating, etc. in public places.
There are two major catalysts in Atlanta that influence a lot of this city's problems. First, is the style/pattern of development. Nothing happens in a central and organic manner. The city is developed to be a cluster of relatively low-density development, scattered across a pretty broad swath of land, punctuated by a lot of massive, master planned communities, huge shopping centers, and other "oversupply" type of developments. On top of that, the vast majority of Atlanta's development is 1-3 stories tall, which is a really poor use of the available space.
Second is the necessity for auto transportation that this type of development requires - and conversely the difficulty it presents to the development of a meaningful and efficient public transportation service.
Start by developing in a proper way, allowing for the best and most efficient utilization of urban spaces, which will gradually allow the city to ween itself of it's dependence on cars and make MARTA a more viable system (which could hopefully expand it's urban routes), and you'll see a lot of problems like this disappear.
@AtlantaAdvocate: That is why I said "Perhaps it is just that they stand out more here because our downtown is not as crowded with visitors, workers and residents," in my post. I agree with you completely.
@Brian Reynolds, what's wrong with homeless people voting? Rush loves to spew about Democrats combing alleyways for bums to vote but 1) none of the dittoheads have ever shown it to be true and 2) if they're legally registered to vote they have as much right to exercise their voting right as you do. When our nation was first formed there was a great debate over whether or not voting should be restricted to land owners. The gentry lost and the people won. If you have proof of voter fraud then it is your duty as a citizen to report what you know to the Secretary of State's office. But if you just have a desire to disenfranchised those legally entitled to vote, sorry it doesn't work that way. You can hop on the next flight to the banana republic of your choosing to find your nirvana but here in the United States the right to vote actually means something.
"NOWHERE TO GO Michael, who has been homeless for 10 years, returned to the ledge to find his belongings being packed up by sanitation workers. He recovered his sleeping bag before it was tossed. He doesn't know where he'll go next."
Sounds like he had 10 years to figure it out....and he'll probably make the next 10 the same. Me I'd go live in the mountains off the land, eat wild food and take care of myself.
This is directed solely to Brian Reynolds...That could be one of the most absurd/ignorant statements I have ever read. I am a republican of sorts and can say that it is people like you and Rush that have destroyed the good in our party. Thank you.
These people deserve better from us all. We hold our breaths, close our eyes and hope that it goes away. Such a sad indictment of the US today. Why not address the core problem as to why they are there than the minute issue of the smell from the camp? Just some thoughts.
The City of Atlanta makes up about 9% of the metro's population and downtown makes up about 1% of the city's population but for some reason this part of the city is suppose to provide almost 100% of the support to the homeless of the region. Why is this? Helping the homeless is about more than just money and as long as downtown is seen as a place where the homeless can be dumped and forgotten, things will never get better. If you're an advocate for the homeless then you need to open a shelter in your neighborhood or let them live on your property. But don't insult the homeless and everyone else pretending you care each time when the .09% that have been forced to support almost all of the region's homeless tries to move the homeless into help instead of enabling the continuation of their plight. Sometimes I wonder if some of these self proclaimed activists have a homeless fetish because they sure as hell don't seem concerned with actually helping the homeless become not homeless.
Why don't they just bust in and burn up the rest of Mechanicsville south of the capital? They've already burnt up half the the neighborhood. Some of these people can be helped, the rest are on drugs. I know because I've met them.
i've passed that block several times in the past six months and wondered why the hell people were allowed to live and store their trash on a public bench. this action was past due.
As a former NYC employee working in the Emergency Assistance units for the Homeless I can say NYC does a lot better in caring for the homeless. Georgia is a republican state with no state and local funds for the needy. That's the reason why so many have gone north when they are in need.
Any one of you misanthropic types who are spewing ignorance and inhumanity toward the homeless could easily become homeless yourself. Homelessness is a societal problem evolving from an inequitable economic structure and it's dismaying some of the aggressive attitudes toward the homeless seen here in these comments. Those of you who are spouting such cruel diatribes toward the homeless should be deeply ashamed. You are self-loathing. The first step toward evolving empathy and compassion toward others is to take a good long look at yourself in the mirror to see what it is you hate so much about yourself, and work to change it.
Oh, and the United Way and COAC are full of it. Band-aid "solutions" to problems that can only be fixed by adjusting the economic structure that is so weighted toward the elite.
Sure, they are doing SOMETHING which is better than NOTHING but they cannot tout themselves as the saviors. People are homeless due to economics. Plain and simple.
As far as the public health claims, they are also a crock. Where is the concern for health when the homeless are out of view? No one cares about the homeless and their health when they are swept from view and hidden under bridges, etc. If there was such a public health concern, they would have placed porta-potties for the homeless to use.
i think clockwise cat just volunteered to clean port-a-potties that have been designated for use by homeless populations. i salute you!
I think wesleywhatwhat just volunteered to be homeless for a year to see what it's really like to have to live in your own filth because a narcissistic society does not DEMAND a more equitable economy.
Honestly, the misanthropes really do rear their ugly heads when homeless topics come up.
One day you may very well lose your job and lose your home and then I bet you'll be singing an entirely different tune.
No other country in the western world is as cruel towards the homeless as the United States. Everyone else in the developed world understands it's a societal problem that is only fixed by fixing the economic system.
Everyone who spouts inhumanity toward the homeless is a bigotted self-loather.
self loather? lol. nope. if anyone here hates a lot about themselves, i'm guessing it's you, based on your posts.
i'm just waiting for a talker to become a doer. your port-a-potty idea is an interesting one. step up and make it happen.
posting before i browse the comments, bet it's a bunch of hateful shit from horrible fart sniffing suburbanites
eh, not so bad. mildly impressed
"Start by developing in a proper way, allowing for the best and most efficient utilization of urban spaces, which will gradually allow the city to ween itself of it's dependence on cars and make MARTA a more viable system (which could hopefully expand it's urban routes), and you'll see a lot of problems like this disappear."
wean <-- not ween. ween is a band
and that's not going to happen any time soon. the are significant political and environmental obstacles blocking any sort of substantive positive redevelopment from ever occuring in atlanta
if the real estate community comes around, maybe. but you've still got a majority of the metro composed of barely literate forest dwellers who are convinced that mass transit is a socialist plot to destroy america
let's see how TSPLOST goes and work from there. maybe atlanta can be a real city in a few decades
Waiting for reporter to "tie up loose ends" and update. Was Phil able to help the 10 - 12? What happened to the other 30 or so? Were they taken/referred to Peachtree/Pine? Did the Gateway, just a couple of blocks away, assist?
Nancy,
I'm still waiting for confirmed statistics from the United Way, but according to an update sent yesterday by the director of Central Outreach and Advocacy Center:
"The United Way caseworkers who had been assisting the folks on the ledge returned to Central OAC and continued their work. They were able to place some in transitional housing and others with mental or addictive diseases in treatment facilities. Staff and volunteers at Central OAC provided services for those who needed our assistance. Central OAC remained open until late this afternoon and continued to provide assistance and services."
In total, according to the email, 50 people who'd regularly occupied the ledge were "housed or sheltered." I'm working on several different articles but hope to update soon.
@ mechanicsville ~ There is no money to "just bust in and burn up the rest" and I assume rebuild on the void. Atlanta has grown exponentially since the 70's at a rate that NO American region could have endured without critical growing pains. I agree MARTA is heavily underutilized because it is not as effective as it should be, and our population here takes up more space than most because back in the 70's and 80's they WERE building for what they thought was future growth; you don't just knock down a two story building for a skyscraper because there is worry that the population MAY double in 15 years, that's insane. The problems will not go away but hopefully we continue our efforts like this and "Boulevard in 2012", because the majority of educated citizens know we can't just ship our problems to some other "sunny place". We have to be more optimistic and involved in neighborhood functions to see viable results instead of thinking these options are a half-empty glass of milk that doesn't matter if it's spilled because it's a waste of time. That is disappointing to hear we can't even manage the timing properly between the providers and city being that this action was not thrown together yesterday. This is our city, our problem and hopefully our year to help our homeless more than before.
It seems to me that it would be cheaper to bring in Porta-Potties than to evict and patrol the ledge. Besides, what about the First Amendment right to peaceful assembly?
To simply ignore the efforts that were underway involving the city, United Way, the two host churches of Central Night Shelter, and others seemed callous in the extreme. At the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Father Henry's homily the Sunday after this event took place reminded us all that we have a responsibility to speak up and have our voices heard. We speak for the homeless by the presence of Central Night Shelter as we have for 32 years.
The Central Night Shelter would like to invite you to join us for a Candlelight Prayer Vigil in front of the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 MLK Ave, on Saturday February 11th from 8pm to 8am Sunday (or any portion of the hours in between) as we stand in thoughtful, prayerful solidarity with our homeless brothers and sisters. We ask that you bring a candle and blankets or sleeping bags to keep warm.
We invite you to join us in worship the next morning at either The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception or Central Presbyterian Church. Prayers and Reflections on poverty, homelessness, and social justice will be offered throughout the night. Additional information can be found at : http://www.facebook.com/events/2420…
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