City Council discusses the 'homeless problem' in Athens

Jun. 29—"Athens, Alabama, has got a homeless problem. That's what we've got," Athens City Council President Harold Wales said Monday. Residents of Whitfield Colony Subdivision came together at the Athens City Council Monday to express their concerns with the growing number of homeless camps near their homes.

"To me, it seems like common sense to think that if I go on another's land and I have no claim to that land and the owner of that land doesn't want me to be there, that I would need to leave. But, that's not true. Individuals are being permitted to do this right here in the city of Athens," neighborhood spokesperson Randy Oliver said. "This is an implosion of order and it is happening right under the noses of this body of officials."

Oliver voiced frustration for the lack of urgency regarding the homeless trespassing and occupying property within the city and questioned what had been done to address drug use or identify possible sex offenders within the increasing number of homeless camps.

In August 2020, the council passed an ordinance making it clear the city and city department heads in charge of city properties can make any parts of properties off limits to the public, and updating which activities are prohibited at recreational properties owned by the city.

The city's attorney, Shane Black, spoke to the News Courier in 2020 about the ordinance and issues the city was dealing with at its Public Works building. He said, "There are folks that are getting in there and staying there. They are sometimes referred to as homeless, and they may or may not be. There have been incidents involving folks on the trail and people staying there."

Oliver said of the ordinance, "Let me tell you, there are persons camping, using and/or occupying various private properties that are not suited for such use. The problem did not go away. It came to private land owners."

"One of those encampments exist on private land behind Whitfield Colony. The city has been told that the occupants have not been authorized. No trespassing signs were put up in conspicuous locations and the campers tore down the signs, tossed them aside and remained undeterred," he added.

Oliver described the camps as "hazmat level of ruins" and was extremely critical of the response, or lack there of, by city leaders resulting in "emboldened campers."

"My voice in this message is not the demonization of vagrants who, in the flesh, are in some sort of crisis whether it financial, mental, physical and/or spiritual. And ... have chosen to live in a wooded land that they do not own rather than I.D. themselves and literally walk into a rescue mission. A shelter, with no shortage of people who would take them there," Oliver said.

Council President Harold Wales said in response to Oliver, "I have seen on my TV screen at night when I watch the news, all that's goin g on in Seattle, San Francisco and all over. It's ruining those cities and I am sure, if you could talk to those people, they would say, 'It starts out as a small group and it grows and it grows and it grows.' That's exactly what's going to happen here."

Homeless camps near the residential area of Whitfield Colony are what was upsetting to Wales and he said he didn't have the resources to help those living in the camps.

"I can tell you what is not going to help, and that's carrying them clothes, money, food and things to move. I've visited these sites. Folks, if you haven't been out there, please take my word. There's grills out there. There's shopping carts out there. There's bicycles galore. There's cellphones. There is stench everywhere. There is clothes all over the ground. There's food particles and the flies swarm everywhere out there," Wales said. "I want them to get well and ask for help. I don't know if Athens has the resources to help them."

"What I think has got to happen, there's got to be a plan put together by the mayor, his staff, the law enforcement, the churches and the city council for sure. We've got to come up with a plan to stop this because if we don't, pretty soon, they are going to be all over this city," he said.

Wales asked Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson to address the council and the public on law enforcement's perspective of Athens' growing homeless population. He said that he wants to help everybody, but there is a difference between helping and enabling people.

"We are dealing people who are down on their luck. We are dealing with people with drug issues. We are dealing people with mental health and we are dealing with people with alcohol problems. In some cases, multiple sides of it all. For years, I have talked about mental health and where we're not with mental health in the great state of Alabama. I go back to that continuously. It is not the answer to everything. We have a pretty good system working in Limestone County. We have a great support of our mental Health Department with everything they have going. They are trying to address issues but it takes people on the other end that want help and a lot of times, they don't want help," Johnson said.

Until recently, one of the largest homeless encampments was located in the wooded private property just off of U.S. Hwy 72 west of I-65. After going through the required legal hurdles and with the cooperation of the property owners, the removal of the homeless at the location took place.

"Somebody with the property owner has to take responsibility to help follow through with this. It's not like we can do a task force and just rush in and start removing people without the legal due process with dealing with that," Mayor Ronnie Marks said.

Wales asked why, if there was a "no trespassing" sign posted on the properties, could law enforcement not be able to have those violating the signs arrested. Johnson explained that in one of the cases, the police department was unable to identify who posted the signs, but officers did go and check for warrants and sex offenders.

"If you have a problem, call us and let us come out and address it right then. If you see something you are worried about, call us right then," Johnson said.

According to Athens Limestone Ministerial Alliance Convenor Lee Michael, a plan was presented to the city council four years ago and nothing was done.

"We had an ALMA Homeless Committee and told you it wasn't going to get better. Nobody cared and (a citizen here) clapping didn't care because it wasn't in his backyard. Now that it's in their backyard, you want to do something immediately? We've had a plan," he said.

Michael also claimed that two years ago, Downtown Rescue Mission offered to buy a building but that the city did not want that.

"I know them by name and I am sure Chief Johnson knows them by name. It's a problem, but we have had solutions but the city did not want it," Michael said. "We can't fix it. We need the city's help, the community's help and the churches' help."

Wales concluded the discussion by saying, "We're going to have to have a city law, it looks like. We can do that, we can do that. We have to make it illegal for people to camp out in the woods in these residential neighborhoods or anywhere else here in the city. That's just wrong. We cannot have that and the sooner we act, the sooner we will eliminate this problem."