AMARILLO, TEXAS -- You've probably seen or heard about them -- the "tent cities" that have popped up in Amarillo. But as of this week, they're being asked to leave.
Some of the more well-known tent cities include the one near Faith City Mission and the smaller, more recent, tent city in the median between Fillmore and Pierce streets. Those gatherings are located on what officials say is property of the Texas Department of Transportation. Just this week, TxDOT asked the City of Amarillo and the Amarillo Police Department for help in clearing out those properties for public health and safety concerns.
"What they've asked us to do is make contact with the people out there and ask them to pick up their property and move out of the area," explained Sgt. Brent Barbee with the Amarillo Police Department. "We've had officers out there talking to these people, we've had officers handing out flyers with information on how to seek assistance or services."
Amarillo citizen, Ray Heredia, is one of those tent city dwellers and he contacted Pronews 7 about the note. It read: "You are trespassing. You need to leave as soon as possible. If you have any questions contact Amarillo Police Department, 378-3038. Ask for Sgt. Barbee."
Ray said it wasn't fair that the City or TxDOT was making them leave and he felt more comfortable in a tent.
"It's not fair, because if you go to the Salvation Army or the mission, you've got people in there that's got mental problems, physical problems and they're libel to go off on you," he said. "Living in a tent, you don't have anybody to bother you, you've got more privacy, you're not bothering anybody. You're just trying to get by."
Sgt. Barbee said APD hoped for voluntary compliance from the tent city residents but if the situation did not change, officers would take more drastic measures.
"If it becomes necessary and people refuse to leave the area, out of the concerns from TxDOT and their directions, we can use an arrest remedy," added Sgt. Barbee.
Whether it's voluntary, or through force, Ray said he doesn't know what he'll do if they make him leave.
"Maybe I can find another place where I can hide myself and they won't bother me because I really don't want to stay at the Salvation Army or the mission," he said.
The Amarillo City Commission is also voting on a similar issue Tuesday, June 5. This will be their second read and vote to pass the new ordinance that will prohibit people from camping on government property. Commissioner Ellen Robertson Green said this ordinance had nothing to do with the presence of the tent cities and was being discussed long before TxDOT and APD began clearing out the dwellers.
"Many protestors were choosing to camp out on government property for many, many weeks at a time," she said. "We wanted to make sure that government property was the property of all people, that everyone could come in and out of City Hall, that everyone could get to the Potter County Court House, and there weren't protestors camping out and hurting everyone's access to their government property."
Nonetheless, Ray felt not enough was being done to help the homeless in Amarillo.
"If they don't want us sleeping out here in a field," he asked, "why don't they take us to their backyard and let us sleep there?"
