Wheeling Councilman Dave Palmer referred to the homeless encampments removed as “criminal camps” during the Council’s regular meeting this past Tuesday.
Friday afternoon on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY), Palmer reinforced his reference because of the 239 criminal reports that were revealed last week by Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger. According to the records, assaults, thefts, vandalism, and B&Es have been documented. The clearings were requested three weeks prior to when the removals took place.
“I’d like to distinguish a little bit between the homeless camps and what I call ‘criminal camps,’” Palmer said. “We removed criminal ‘camps.’ There has been a lot of crime reported in those area where the camps were removed. There was not only vandalism, but an extreme amount of theft,” Palmer said. “There was a lot of theft from the Swank (Construction) workers. I’m sympathetic to the homeless, but that was a situation that needed addressed.
“When did it become our responsibility to allow people to trespass, to allow people to litter? Why is it OK to look away from people doing illegal drugs and creating other criminal activity? It’s actually our responsibility to stop those kinds of things,” the councilman said. “So, I think the ACLU really needs to look at what we’re doing. Those folks had notice, and our city manager worked with Project Hope to make sure the information was delivered.”
Future Tolerance?
There remains a plethora of homeless encampments within the city of Wheeling, and most still are visible along W.Va. Route 2 and Interstate 70. First responders have responded to most of the areas because of fires and assaults, and caregivers have visited, as well.
“I think this is the tip of the iceberg, and we need to continue to try to do the best we can as we move forward,” Palmer said. “I’m not suggesting that we bulldoze all of the camps, but if there is criminal activity, then we need to curb that. We need to take care of our taxpaying citizens and make sure they are safe when they are on the walking trail or fishing off the creek bank.
“I’d hate to see people fishing where some people are dumping human waste or whatever litter,” he said. “We need to take care of those things. What do we do about the homeless people? I’m not sure, but I do know that all levels of government all the way to the top need to address our country’s mental health issue.”
The city of Wheeling is home of non-profit organizations that assist the homeless, including Project Hope, the Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center, the Greater Wheeling Soup Kitchen, Youth Services System, and the Wheeling Homeless Coalition. Those agencies are busy, but Palmer fears some choosing to live in the encampments are doing so with criminal intent.
“I have spoken to some of the officers who have to go into some of these camps, and they’ve had people that were smoking meth right on front of them because they were oblivious to the fact the police were even there,” Palmer reported. “I don’t think, if someone went through all of these camps, that they would find the majority of people who are homeless are that way because they are down on their luck.
“We have a lot of great organizations in this city that can offer help to the homeless, and I know that’s what they try to do every day, but there are also some people living in those camps who do not want help. They want to continue to litter, and they want to create criminal activity,” he said. “I think we need to put a stop to it.”
Disturbing
One site was rigged to hurt someone. Boards with rusty nails were there. Were these protection against other homeless as the occupants claimed, or were the booby traps intended for law enforcement?
It doesn’t matter to Councilman Palmer.
“The fact that one of the camps was booby trapped was extremely disturbing to me,” he said. “To think that a city employee or anyone else could get hurt from something like that in of these areas? That cannot be tolerated.
“I am sympathetic, but in this situation, the criminals have crossed the line,” he explained. “So, we need to enforce the laws the best ways we can while also trying to figure out some kind of solution. And again, I don’t know what that is right now, but this is a problem that has gotten out of hand, and we have to do the best we can to get a handle on it.”
Since he pronounced “criminal camps” during Tuesday’s council meeting, Palmer has been subjected to criticism for being unfeeling toward the city’s homeless population. As a retired member of the Wheeling Fire Department, he has encountered a countless number of unfortunate situations.
“I know some people took the reference as me being unsympathetic, and that’s not true. I also I am the first person who will tell you that not all of the camps are criminal camps,” Palmer said. “But the ones that were removed? Those were criminal camps, and if needs to continue, and I hope it does.”
