In search of safety

Homeless say UA property needs enforcement

Compassion is a vital component in the way every community should respond to the people whose circumstances or choices have put them among the homeless.

But compassion doesn’t mean giving the homeless a pass on behaviors that threaten or actually cause harm to others.

University of Arkansas Police Director Steve Gahagans and other law enforcement officials the other day discussed the university’s situation on part of about 50 acres of undeveloped land in south Fayetteville. The property is close to organizations, such as 7 Hills Homeless Center, that attempt to assist the homeless, making it an attractive location for the folks who need a place to set up overnight camps.

But just like the — what, homeful? — residents of the area, our homeless population isn’t a one-type-fitsall group. There are those passing through and those trying to make a go of it locally. There are those who don’t want to impose on people and others who will take selfish advantage of any situation. There are those who mean no harm and those whose behaviors represent an occasional threat to those nearby.

They say the three keys to recognizing real estate’s value is location, location, location. The university property’s location is prime within the tent-living community. People in need will naturally want to congregate where services are available and where their living situation has a good chance of avoiding detection or, at least, disruption. The university is, in effect, an absentee and passive landlord. We’d guess UA officials would prefer the property not become a homeless encampment but they no doubt are sensitive to creating any bad publicity that might come from cracking down on squatters.

Perhaps surprisingly to some, expressions of concern are coming from people who are themselves homeless, according to UA police. Lt. Ben Valesco told a gathering of university campus law enforcement administrators at a Rogers event that some of the chronically homeless people call and ask that the UA “get rid of the individuals out there selling and using methamphetamine, the ones that are breaking into their stuff and their property. They say they don’t feel safe sleeping at night.”

It doesn’t matter whether one lays his head down on $200 sheets or on a makeshift pillow on the ground, everyone yearns to feel safe. The homeless can never fully do that because they’re constantly exposed, but even if “safe” isn’t in the cards, “safer” will do.

Valesco said the UAPD has decided “we’re going to go in and remove the violent offenders.” Gahagans’ comments reflect what sounds like a certain discomfort with the enforcement effort, with talk of visiting with “stakeholders” to see if they’re “OK with this.”

That’s nice, but it shouldn’t matter. Compassion dictates the university gain better control of its property and provides a strong defense against homeless drug dealers or people who endanger others. Compassion has to focus on protecting those who are just trying to get through a rough time in their lives but who do not turn to violence or drug trafficking.

Everyone ought to be OK with that. Gahagans said enforcement on the south Fayetteville property concerned him also because of UAPD staffing. He explained any enforcement on that property that requires three officers can leave just one officer to patrol the main campus. That was surprising. UA officials including Gahagans devoted considerable effort to showing the UAPD had campus security fully under control as they tried to stop legislation to allow state-permitted civilians to carry concealed handguns on campus. And now a homeless encampment is too much to handle?

The reality is the university owns the property and has a responsibility to the community — including our homeless neighbors — to get the situation under control.

A UA official said there have been efforts to sell the property, but unless some enforcement happens over the long term, whoever buys it would acquire the problem and face it with less legal authority than the University of Arkansas has. A private property owner might not have the same public relations sensitivities as the UA, but they also would lack a police force.

The University of Arkansas acquired the properties some years ago as a potential location for expansion of its nearby research and technology park, but those plans have been shelved. A nonprofit group developing a nearby “microshelter” camp as a facility to put people back on a track toward housing has been in discussions about acquiring a portion of the UA property, but no deal has so far been reached.

If ServeNWA was able to acquire it and make the land part of its project, what would be one of its first moves? To rid the land of the troublemakers, the folks who are making life among the homeless harder than it has to be. That effort’s organizers know violence and drug activity are counter to all efforts to render assistance to those searching for a way to improve their lives. A standard of behavior is a must.

The UA can ill afford to let the situation on its property continue to simmer. An effective response doesn’t have to be devoid of compassion, but it needs to be targeted toward helping the people who are vulnerable, not passively empowering the ones who prey on others.