Salem-area homeless told to move from Wallace Marine Park area

Homeless people in the woods near Salem's Wallace Marine Park may face trespassing charges and could have their belongings taken if they don't leave voluntarily by May 6, a move advocates say could spur protests from the homeless.

The eviction is a joint effort between RiverBend Materials, which has a sand and gravel operation on the property, and Be Bold Street Ministries, a group that does homeless outreach.

Signs posted in April state personal property has to be removed before next week or it will be taken by the landowner and its designated agent between May 7 and May 10. The signs also state the land is private property and subject to criminal trespass law.

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The Salem Police Department also posted notices for camps at Wallace Marine Park where homeless people were beginning to return to spots once April floodwaters receded, according to a City of Salem email shared with the Statesman Journal.

Those signs were posted on April 17, with cleanups beginning on April 22. "No additional postings have transpired since those referenced," stated the email from Jennifer Kellar, parks and recreation services manager.

City officials didn't immediately say how many people, if any, were removed from the park land.

KC Klosterman, government relations director for CRH, the parent company of RiverBend Materials, said the camp area north of Wallace Marine Park has become dangerous, with company officials worrying about theft, vandalism and safety.

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"We are an active sand and gravel site with large equipment and steep slopes while mining," Klosterman said. There have been "several incidents" of theft, he said, though he declined to go into detail. Equipment has also been damaged, he said.

Nonetheless, Klosterman called stories of homelessness "heartbreaking."

The company didn't post notices earlier because before a recent review, "our people felt that most campers, if not all, were not on the property we lease," he said. A "review just prior to the flood found that some were likely on the property."

At least an estimated 85 people were believed to be in the area's camps, according to Art Scaglione, a volunteer who has for several years aided the homeless. But it's unclear who, exactly, will need to leave.

The area is a patchwork of privately owned and city-controlled property. What's more, not all of the homeless people are on the sand and gravel operation property, according to Klosterman.

Scaglione said some homeless are "refusing to leave" and "have nowhere to go." 

"They have been out there for years and really don't want to go downtown," he said. "Some are talking about demonstrations, others about chaining themselves to trees."

Government officials in the past have posted similar warnings at homeless camps before they sweep the encampments. Police are usually present when the cleanups take place.

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For example, officials cleared a homeless camp under the Marion Street Bridge in January and another under a Highway 22 bridge by Costco Wholesale in early 2018.

Andrea Smith, one of the people in the camps earlier this week, said she wasn't surprised the signs were being posted as other Salem-area camps closed and homeless people flooded into the area.

"I do appreciate the things I have," Smith said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to have property and have so many people, you know, invade your personal space like that."

Jonathan Bach has been a business and City Hall reporter with the Statesman Journal since 2016. To support his work, Subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Contact him by email at jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow him on Twitter @jonathanmbach.