Downtown merchants walk fine line when dealing with vagrants

Nov. 17—Local business owners say they'd like see changes amid the rise of vagrants who are loitering and engaging in illegal activities in downtown Tahlequah.

The topic of Tahlequah's vagrancy problems is nothing new for those who work and live here. Police Chief Nate King appears to have his hands tied, but that's not stopping him from being proactive.

He's expressed his thoughts on how he believes the increase in criminal activity is linked to the rise in vagrancy. City officials authorized King to have paid overtime shifts for officers, as they were patrolling the parks and trails more last year.

King said Tahlequah's demographic on homelessness and vagrancy has changed drastically over the past six years.

Officers used "focus shifts" to comb through the trails and city parks, places that have seen significant drug crime. Officers were on bikes and foot patrol in more of the downtown corridor in 2021. TPD is too short-staffed at the moment for officers to patrol on bikes, though. However, King said they will resume bike patrols in the downtown area shortly.

Mayor Sue Catron has had many conversations regarding vagrancy and individuals loitering in the public parks and on the sidewalks. She said many people are of the same opinion: Don't feed the vagrants, and they'll go away.

"It is often not the vagrants who are hungry and at the Day Center. Instead, it's those who are without shelter because of a lack of resources, or who have mental health issues. It's the individuals in town who still have a house, but can't afford to pay the rent and to be able to buy food, too," Catron said.

Catron wonders whether the city would drive more individuals into homelessness if they stopped feeding those people.

"Do we increase the desperation level and cause some to turn to theft to feed their families? Cause and effect; there are no simple answers," she said.

Those discussions aren't simple, since the issue is complex, according to Catron. She said many vagrants do have places to sleep at night.

"Our public parks are public. Anyone can be in the parks, but they can't sleep in them [according to] city ordinances," Catron said.

Catron said King and his officers spend a great deal of time ensuring that no one is living in the parks.

"Our officers interact with individuals and arrest those who are publicly intoxicated or who have committed crimes," Catron said.

Paceline Cyclery owner David Rogers said King explained to him that it's not illegal for someone to be in the parks, even for hours at a time.

"He said, 'You and your wife can go read a book and sit out there all day long and I can't really run you off unless you're sleeping in the park overnight,'" Rogers said. "I never really thought of it that way, and he said people want him to run them off."

Angie Workman Cook, of Workman's, said she doesn't believe her business is affected as much as those farther south on the downtown corridor, but she's witnessed a fair share of people digging in the dumpster, hanging around the backside of the store, taking boxes to create makeshift shelters, or bathing using the run-off rain from the building.

She said she's spoken with King and his officers, and she knows their hands are tied.

"The reality is, even though they are considered vagrants, they are still individuals and have the right to be here and hanging out in the parks, just as long as they aren't panhandling or causing problems," she said.

Kelon Carter, of Vivid Salon and Boutique, noticed a young man hanging around the back of his business last month. He was telling the man he needed to leave when he noticed he was holding a concealed object. The man turned out to have a machete in his possession, and Carter quickly approached him and strongly advised him to leave the property.

Carter went back into the salon, then walked next door to Felts Shoes and gave Drew Felts a heads' up.

"We try to look out for one another, for sure," he said. "We don't have a lot of trouble from the homeless or vagrants, but I think the trash cans and dumpsters are a resource for them, so on occasion, I have contact with someone in the alley."

In November 2020, TPD partnered with Cornerstone Fellowship with an initiative called "Home for the Holidays," when they provided transportation for those in need.

King said they are still implementing that initiative, and it can be done year-round.

The Daily Press called Randall Haynes, shelter manager at Osiyo Tahlequah Men's Shelter, for more information on the rules and regulations there. Haynes was heard advising the man who answered the phone to tell the reporter he wasn't there. However, no call was returned by Haynes before press time.