‘Some of them say they aren’t coming back’: Area along Main Street had become de facto storage area for overnight campers
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
In the chill, weak sunlight of early morning Monday, around a dozen people moved steadily through their daily process of taking down tents and packing away belongings on the patch of lawn behind the city police station that serves as the city of Ashland’s dusk-to-dawn sleeping area, a designated area where it’s OK to sleep overnight.
But Monday, Aug. 26, marked the end of the city’s allowing the stashing of possessions moved off the lawn and onto a strip of lawn near East Main Street. Overnight guests were preparing to alter their routine or leave the area altogether.
Yukon Smith has been homeless for around 10 years. A welder by trade, he’s been staying at the city of Ashland’s dusk-to-dawn camping area, also known as the night lawn, off and on for around a year, he said.
He has three illegal camping tickets and said he was cited with all three at the city’s designated camping area.
One was for failing to pack up fast enough while staying on the night lawn area behind Ashland City Council Chamber at 1175 E. Main St. The other two tickets were for possessions left on what he and others referred to as the “front lawn,” or a narrow median strip of grass between the parking lot and the street. Smith said he’s aware of people calling in complaints about the appearance of homeless people’s possessions piled up in the area.
“What did they think was going to happen? We have to move our stuff two times a day,” he said.
Overnight camps can only be set up on the night lawn between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. Those who fail to remove their possessions can receive tickets for illegal camping. Many of those staying on the lawn had been moving their things to the front lawn to wait for the hour when they can return to where they will sleep.
Alex Reid volunteers with Southern Oregon Housing for All. For the last few months, volunteers from the group have served breakfast and coffee every morning at 7 a.m. to help guests get up and move their possessions on time and avoid tickets. Reid said many guests are disabled but, while volunteers offered to help clear off the front lawn, guests predominately helped each other.
“They’ve formed a good community. I watch them all the time, I see them offering support and encouragement to each other,” she said.
The closure of the front lawn will require guests to carry all their possessions during the day. Some have said they already spend time in the library looking for jobs and will simply bring all their things with them. Others intend to spend time in Ashland parks, Reid said. Some told her they won’t be coming back.
“Some of ’em said they would go camp in the woods. Which isn’t very good, they have fires to try to cook,” she said.
Salvatory Juliano Chicavich said he recently had hernia surgery and is “missing 2 inches out of my hip,” and would find the loss of the front lawn to store his things challenging.
“I’m disabled, look at that, I got to get all that in my cart and on my back,” he said, pointing at a walker with a pile of possessions on it.
Chichavich echoed a sentiment common on the night lawn that they are intentionally criminalized by police eager to give them a record. Using himself as an example, he stated he accidentally became a felon last year.
“You know the arsonist on the Greenway? You’re looking at’im,” he said.
He stated the police report said he ignited with intent but officers misunderstood his statement; the incident was accidental, he said. Walking through the Greenway delirious with heatstroke, he didn’t realize embers from his cigarette had fallen into packages of clothing piled up on his walker. When he smelled smoke, he tried to walk away from the fire only to realize he was pushing it ahead of him. He lost control of the cart, a burning box fell into the nearby grass and, afraid of the fire, he hid in blackberry bushes by the creek until “the dogs sniffed me out.”
Chichavish also shared that he has untreated mental health problems and has been on the night lawn or in Medford variously over the last four years. He said he prefers living in Ashland because it’s “10 times” safer.
In Medford he said he frequently witnessed the sale of methamphetamine, was subject to violence such as stabbing or rocks thrown at him and found as many as eight bodies in locations such as behind the Fred Meyer store.
Reid said when she asks guests if they would want to go to Medford where more services are available, they often state they prefer Ashland.
Smith said it takes him around an hour to pack up his camp, depending on the weather. If it’s too cold, his fingers become less dexterous, slowing him down. He talked while methodically packing up two carts hooked up to one another and a bike. He admitted it was precarious to drive this little caravan.
Before closing off the front lawn entirely, the city instituted a rule of nothing in the area above 30 inches, he said, taking out a tape measure. Adjusting it to 30 inches, he sat down beside it to show it wasn’t enough room for his tall frame to sit upright.
“No dignity. They want us face down in the mud. … Citizens know there’s a problem with homelessness, they just don’t want to see it. As much money as has been spent in Southern Oregon, whether it’s ACCESS or OHRA (Opportunities for Housing, Resources & Assistance) there’s still this many homeless people?” he said.
Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara stated in an email that night lawn guests were given notice the area would be closed the Wednesday prior and signs were posted in the area Thursday.
“Everyone has been compliant, and no personal belongings were left behind. Some of us from the police department, alongside some people from the night lawn, just finished cleaning up some garbage items that had been left behind, and the area is all clear for the time being,” he wrote in the email.
O’Meara also confirmed the department has received numerous complaints about the appearance of the front lawn and that Ashland Parks & Recreation would be responsible for the rehabilitation project.
Inquiries to APRC asking for information on the cost to rehabilitate the lawn received no response. A message to City Manager Sabrina Cotta asking for comment and information on the city’s decision to close the area also went unanswered.
Asked what he would want housed Ashland residents to understand about life on the night lawn, Smith almost smiled.
“I used to have a sign that said, ‘Lacking empathy or compassion? Try our brand new homeless exchange program. First week’s free, promise not to kill your house plants.’ … I think they should live like we do,” he said. “I think before cops can even ticket us, they should live like we do with as much money as we have — 30 days in winter, 30 in summer.”
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].
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