Silver Lake camps cleared with limited options for occupants

Nov. 16—ROCHESTER — Eugene Decker scrambled Thursday morning to cleanup several campsites in Silver Lake Park.

"I'm going to get it done if they let me," he said, shortly before 9 a.m.

By 11 a.m., Rochester park crews had removed the bulk of abandoned sites, and Decker was gathering up his property with the hope of being allowed to move it.

He was among more than a dozen people who had been living in the park along the southern edge of the lake, near an open site where the city has gathered snow in past years.

Among them was a 57-year-old man who was

found dead in his tent last month.

As someone who grew up in the region and lived in Rochester for the past two decades, Decker said he was frustrated that some of the campsites were simply abandoned or left in a mess after the city posted a 48-hour notice that they would be cleared Thursday morning.

He discovered the notice after spending two weeks in jail due to a missed court appearance and said he spent most of Wednesday gathering what he could and cleaning up campsites that had been in place for weeks.

The Rochester Police Department reported that Thursday's action was complaint driven, largely due to an increased awareness after leaves dropped from surrounding trees and revealed the six campsites.

The sites were the latest to be cleared, with Police Chief Jim Franklin reporting that 106 sites had been cleared by the city this year.

Decker, who said he's working to find a bed in a treatment center, didn't want to abandon the site without putting in some effort to reduce the burden for parks crews.

"It's not their job," he said as staff began arriving with a garbage truck and other equipment.

Collin Johnson expressed similar frustration as he gathered a variety of his belongings, which included office furniture he'd collected.

He said he typically tries to keep his camp tidy but in the six weeks he was at the Silver Lake site other people joined him and some areas quickly became cluttered.

"This is not my usual camp," said the Rochester resident who lost a restaurant job during the COVID pandemic and has been homeless since being evicted in 2021.

He said members of Olmsted County's Housing Stability Team and other groups had visited the campsites since the city posted the notice to move, but he's largely avoided them since available services are limited and the Rochester Community Warming Center has been full in recent months.

Rudy Naul, senior shelter program manager for Catholic Charities, which operates the warming center, said an average of five to six people are turned away nightly, with a recent high of 11 needing to find other shelter.

Additionally, the Dorothy Day Hospitality House was notified this month that it had been violating state lodging rules and had to scale back its available beads from 23 to 20.

Olmsted County Communications Specialist Rachel Wick said work is being done with the nonprofit to find a way to restore the lost capacity.

Dan Fifield, co-founder of The Landing MN, which visits camps and operates a day center for people experiencing homelessness, said it leaves the community short of needed services, which in turn creates new challenges for people experiencing homelessness.

"It causes more trauma to the folks who are trying to exist," he said of clearing campsites without having needed shelter space available. "The mental trauma that is involved with homelessness is far more extensive than most people realize."

He said fears related to daily survival are exacerbated when there are limited community resources.

Rochester Police Department Patrolman James Ratelle said the lack of local options and a community desire to address camps have the city straddling a fine line between public safety and addressing homelessness.

"We are not able to find housing for these guys, so what do we do?" the member of the RPD Community Action Team said as he provided support for the parks staff tasked with clearing the campsites.

Capt. Jeff Stilwell of Rochester Police Department's Community Services Division said the same thing on Nov. 6, when he discussed the possibility of strengthening the city's ban on park camping to make it a misdemeanor.

The Rochester City Council voted to move in that direction

but has not approved a resolution at this point.

While some people worry the change will lead to criminalizing homelessness, Stilwell said the intent is to look for other options, which could include providing a hotel voucher or access to a treatment bed.

Ratelle said limitations add to the struggle.

"I wish there were better solutions for these guys," he said.

Without a better option, Johnson said he's planning to seek a new space to camp, preferably without a crowd.

"I never know where until I start moving," he said.