Chinatown sweeps, one month later

It’s been one month since the massive cleanup in Chinatown, the largest homeless encampment in the city of Salinas. It was a drastic measure. With the help of Salinas police and security guards, cleaning crews wearing hazmat suits blocked off one street at a time, and dismantled shelters, threw away trash and hosed down the area.

Chinatown was once home to some 300 people, now it’s just a fraction of that. Chinatown’s population had been growing steadily, and with that, city officials said it became a hotbed for criminal activity. They also said public safety was at risk, because of dirty needles and human waste left in the streets.

“After all these years, you see what it came to, it’s sad because this is somebody’s home, at least it was my home,” longtime Chinatown resident Sarah Davis said. “At least I’d like to think I was safe here. I don’t feel safe walking down the street no more.”

Residents say there are still patrols to make sure people are abiding by the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. ordinance. Many have left Chinatown, but not Salinas.

“It’s like whack a mole, pound down the little gophers and they’ll pop up somewhere else and I think that’s basically what’s happening,” said Chinatown resident Van Gresham.

Other encampments have popped up around Salinas. One of the larger ones is off Highway 101 and North Main Street. Others are City Hall, the John Street Exit of Highway 101 and the outskirts of town.

“I think people are probably moving out into maybe county property and also the further reaches and the less accessible places,” Gresham said.

Dorothy’s Place along with other service providers offer services to homeless people. They say they’ve been busy since the sweeps.

“I think some people are just new to the situation of experiencing homelessness and I think others are just more willing to utilize our services or they are now interested in our services,” said Julyanna Pacheco, manager of Dorothy’s Drop-In Center Program.

But for some, it’s not enough. They’d like to see the city play a larger role. City leaders say it is keeping the warming shelter open longer and is working with developers to provide more low income and homeless housing.

Officials say they won’t let Chinatown get this bad again. Earlier in April, Salinas police installed more security cameras in the area to deter crime and catch any criminal activity.