Bloomington clears residents out of homeless camps adjacent to Switchyard Park

Laura Lane, The Herald-Times

Dozens of residents in established homeless encampments along the edge of Bloomington's Switchyard Park have moved on after city officials announced the camps would be cleared out May 1.

Wednesday morning, piles of debris, discarded and rain-soaked items, hundreds of bicycle parts, abandoned lean-tos and just a few residents were all that remained in the string of camps along the B-Line Trail where people have lived, mostly out of sight, the past few years.

When Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson took office in January, she said city officials would clear the camps because of safety and other concerns. She was present at a Jan. 4 camp clearing on the near west side, helping residents move personal items.

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Thomson said people experiencing homelessness being forced out of encampments will be treated with compassion and dignity.

For several weeks, Bloomington Police Department resource officers, social workers and others from agencies serving the homeless have been visiting the Switchyard Park-area camps to offer help and resources and make sure residents knew what was coming.

Hundreds of bicycle parts were strewn around a camp in Switchyard Park cleared by the city of Bloomington on Wednesday.
Hundreds of bicycle parts were strewn around a camp in Switchyard Park cleared by the city of Bloomington on Wednesday.

Most had already moved on when police arrived Wednesday morning. Several people remained, continuing to pack up their stuff.

A woman named Mary, rings on every finger and a stuffed dog sticking out the top of her Indiana University backpack, was among the last to leave. She wasn't keen on being in the newspaper and wouldn't say how old she is. She has an apartment where she stays when receiving treatment for cancer but prefers living outside at the camp.

Mary's homestead in Switchyard Park. Mary was one of the people the city of Bloomington asked to move on May 1.
Mary's homestead in Switchyard Park. Mary was one of the people the city of Bloomington asked to move on May 1.

She's been there more than a year in a shanty made from tarps strung together.

"I've been out here awhile packing things up," she said mid-morning Wednesday. Officers would allow her to stay on the premises, she said, as long as she kept working to clear the area.

She placed items into bags and loaded them onto a Kroger grocery cart, one of the smaller ones with a basket beneath. A wheel was broken so moving it toward the paved park path wasn't easy. "I'm about to have a heart attack," she said, allowing a woman to help push the cart.

Mary heads back to the area in Switchyard Park where she had been living for more than a year. She has an apartment but preferred to stay outdoors, she said.
Mary heads back to the area in Switchyard Park where she had been living for more than a year. She has an apartment but preferred to stay outdoors, she said.

With no one else around, the camp was quiet. Mary stood next to a living room shrine of sorts around a tree featuring metal shelves, thick twisted limbs, a gray New Balance tennis shoe and a coffee mug with a picture of Beethoven on the side.

In the mud on the ground nearby were an "Amityville Horror" CD from Half Price Books, a water-logged copy of Dominic Erdozain's "One Nation Under Guns" and a pair of hiking boots. Nearby, a framed, shattered full-length mirror leaned against an oak tree reflected back distorted images like the ones seen in carnival fun house mirrors.

Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington clears residents out of homeless camps in Switchyard Park

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