News Group) ‹› RELATED STORIES Nov 29: The Jungle: San Joses largest homeless encampment scheduled to close on Thursday Dec 5: Cleanup of the Jungle encampment continues after the eviction of the homeless Dec 4: Mercury News editorial: Jungle residents still need city, county help Jul 18: San Jose: Cops make arrests during targeted patrol of The Jungle homeless encampment Mar 20: State files water pollution complaint against San Jose for failing to clean up homeless encampments Nov 22: San Jose-Santa Clara County homeless numbers among highest in nation Documents: Homeless in the U.S., 2013 Jun 1: Inside San Joses largest homeless encampment, the Jungle SAN JOSE -- A caravan of misery lined the sidewalk along Story Road. Evicted homeless people stood beside a seemingly endless row of shopping carts filled with their meager possessions as they watched city workers descend into the Jungle Thursday and begin dismantling the countrys most infamous encampment. The homeless, some of them weeping uncontrollably, asked each other: Where will we go now? I dont know, answered Toi Larks-Scott, 37, who stood barefoot in a muddy parking lot, holding the leash of one of her two dogs. Nearby, eight carts were laden with her belongings. I dont understand this. Its not illegal to be homeless. This isnt right. It was an often heartbreaking scene as social workers, protesters and the national press gathered to witness the end of a desperate place that has come to symbolize the growing gulf between haves and have-nots in wealthy Silicon Valley -- one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. Public officials have been under enormous pressure from frustrated neighbors and regional water quality regulators to shut down the Jungle, a shantytown that stretches over 68 acres through central San Jose along the Coyote Creek. And for months, people living there had known that this day was coming as the city spent $4 million working with nonprofit partners to house as many homeless as possible. Advertisement That was the carrot. The stick arrived at 8 a.m. as bulldozers and trash compactors rolled in, and workers wearing protective white suits began breaking down camp sites and makeshift structures as well as collecting an untold amount of garbage that has been fouling the creek. Two close friends who both have health problems, Eva Martinez, 63, and Grace Hilliard, 59, tearfully discussed offers they had received for temporary shelter. They especially were upset because it appeared they were going to be separated. This is very devastating, said Hilliard who has lived on and off at the Jungle for 16 years. Martinez could barely speak. This is my home, she said quietly. Now Ill have to lay down on the street, somewhere outside. I couldnt bring out all of my stuff. The rest will end up in the Dumpsters, I guess. Its terrible. Its terrible for all of us. The Jungles population had been growing in the past year, with estimates of between 200 and 300 people living there in unsanitary conditions. But Ray Bramson, the citys homeless response manager, said there were only about 50 to 60 stragglers left by Thursday. Valentin Cortez-Oseguer leaves the homeless encampment known as "The Jungle" before construction crews clear the campsite he shared with An Phuc Valentin Cortez-Oseguer leaves the homeless encampment known as The Jungle before construction crews clear the campsite he shared with An Phuc Nguyen at The Jungle in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. Cortez-Oseguer said hes leaving with the same possessions he arrived with. (LiPo Ching/Bay Area News Group) (LiPo Ching) This site is no longer open for any individuals, Bramson said. The fact that anyone has to live in conditions like this is horrible. This shouldnt be a viable alternative for anyone. We need to make sure that people never have to live in a place like this. Bramson said the city is doing everything it can to ease the crisis: 144 people had been placed in housing, and another 55 have housing subsidy vouchers and are looking for homes through this pilot program. An additional 70 to 80 temporary shelter beds also had been arranged. Officials hope the cleanup of the Jungle will show that local government can help get the homeless into housing as well as clean up polluted creeks. The city had been trying to avoid the sight that unfolded Thursday. But the stark reality is Santa Clara County has one of the countrys most acute homeless problems. About 5,000 people are on San Jose streets on any given night. And that was the message protesters were trying deliver Thursday as they held signs like This is no solution and chanted Housing, not Dumpsters! Meanwhile, outreach workers fanned out as they encouraged the homeless campers to accept their offers of temporary shelter. Ive been crying since I got here because this is such an emotional day for everyone involved, said Jenny Niklaus, the CEO of the nonprofit HomeFirst. Ive been watching people drag their possessions through the mud, and its so sad because its all they have. Its just mortifying. I understand the city has to do this, but its so painful. Helping one man pull a cart up the steep hill from the creek was Mayor-elect Sam Liccardo. About 30 San Jose police officers were present to supervise, but Thursdays cleanup was peaceful with no reports of disturbances. Neighbors had greeted the pending cleanup with mixed emotions, relieved the city finally was clearing out the filthy, odorous and at times violent encampment, but heartsick over the plight of its inhabitants, many of whom suffer from addiction and mental illness that make it harder for them to secure housing. So, there were no cheers as the cleanup crews moved in. The citys Bramson said that while everybody had to be out of the Jungle on Thursday, workers will be cleaning up the site through Dec. 19 at a cost of between $400,000 and $500,000, which is being shared by the city and the Santa Clara Valley Water District. When completed, park rangers and San Jose police working overtime will patrol the site to prevent re-encampment, which is exactly what has happened after past cleanups. By midmorning, it was mostly a ghost town throughout the encampment, which also includes elaborate bunkers dug into the earth. An abandoned tree house had a for sale sign on it. A scared Chihuahua wandered around aimlessly, apparently looking for its owner. Nearby, a frantic man was yelling in his tent for his lost pet cat. Further down Story Road, a woman leaving the encampment wailed angrily. Somebody help me, she shouted. No one responded to her request. Follow Mark Emmons at Twitter/markedwinemmons. 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Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 07:39:25 +0000
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