City of Dallas has new safety measures for cleaning up, removing homeless camps
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The City of Dallas is taking a new approach to security at homeless encampment sweeps. They say it's an effort to improve communication and ensure safety, but activists worry it could have the opposite effect.
When Dallas employees have to clean up or remove a homeless encampment, they know they may be met with resistance - from residents and activists. A new safety plan now lists three tiers of security levels for that situation. For example, if activists are expected, Dallas police will be on standby. A high likelihood of possible arrests triggers notification to the mayor and city council.
An encampment on Coombs St. is the reason for the changes. A scheduled cleaning on July 22 turned controversial when activists showed up with weapons.
Julia Paramo with Sunrise Movement Dallas was there that day. She said she worries that the new plan is too heavy-handed.
"It just sounds like a very aggressive approach," Paramo said. "And it's been very concerning for the people I work with and myself to see, especially for the residents at these camps who already live in fear."
Chief David Pughes, the interim city marshal, said that as they expand their outreach to unsheltered populations, this was a way to outline each department's responsibilities.
"We're just there to try to keep everybody calm and maintain the peace and really provide a sense of security for everyone involved," he said. "All we can do is, when we arrive there, is just assure them that our role is simply to keep the peace."
Marci Jackson with the Office of Homeless Solutions said in some places - like Coombs St. - they'll give residents the tools to clean rather than remove the encampment. But she said communication - such as notices and meeting - and outreach are still her top priorities.
"We have an obligation to those that are homeless to service them. That is an obligation that we have as a city. We choose to do that with compassion," she said.