Shocking footage has exposed the scene in an Austin park filled with liquor bottles, needles, Narcan and junk ‘as far as the eye can see,’ as a homeless encampment continues to grow.
The videos were of the West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt were posted on Monday by activist Jamie Hammonds, who reports from the Texas capital on the X page @DocumentingATX.
‘Another Greenbelt destroyed here in Austin… nothing but trash and junk as far as you can see… this is absolutely horrible,’ Hammonds said, adding that the encampment was at least the size of a football field, and you could smell it ‘even before you enter the greenbelt.’
He continued: ‘This is another beautiful Austin Greenbelt that will never be the same. This is infuriating… It’s just been destroyed. It’s going to be interesting to see if the city can actually clean this.’
A cleanup of the park is reportedly underway, but it could take months.
Back in April police found stolen high-powered military weapons and ammunition in the encampment. Just days ago, a fire broke out in a nearby encampment.
It comes after more than 70 encampment inhabitants were moved by the city government to the Southbridge shelter last month, as part of the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative, as reported by Fox News.
The city has said it closes the homeless encampments that pose ‘the highest public health and safety risks.’
Hammonds claimed he saw a squirrel eating plastic at the Greenbelt, and noted the area looked ‘as bad if not worse’ than Violet Crown Trail, which has also been overtaken by a homeless encampment.
He previously pointed the blame at Austin’s Democratic leaders, arguing that policies have driven people from the city’s streets into recreational areas.
Hammonds said that areas such as the Violet Crown Trail made city residents feel as though that they lived in a bustling city. The trail is a 30-mile long hiking and cycling area that was established in 2006.
In April, Austin resident Isabella Ricks said she was attacked in broad daylight while jogging on the trail. She escaped unharmed but said she wouldn’t returning to the trail.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12509445/Austin-homeless-encampment-park.html
