Take note of my comments below, a blind society is creating its own slums in an effort to protect itself.
4-27-2008 Florida:
Darlene and Michael Downs might sound like a lot of struggling couples.
He is chronically ill; she doesn't work so she can take care of him. And now they're faced with losing their home -- a four-room place where they hang their wedding photos and snapshots of the grandkids and snuggle up before their 27-inch color TV.
Except home in this case is a shanty in the woods off John Young Parkway. And the Downses, like their neighbors amid these vine-covered oaks, have just gotten notice that they're about to be evicted.
"We're not bothering anybody," Michael Downs said. "And the doctors told me I can't take no more stress."
These days, even the woods are no haven for the homeless.
Orlando police officers, who first handed out trespass warnings in mid-April, said the crackdown stems from a nearby neighborhood group that "bombarded" police with complaints about registered sex offenders living in the woods.
"There were probably two or three out there, but even one is too many," Orlando police Lt. Robert Anzueto said. "There's no way to regulate them if they're in the woods. . . . And there is trash and debris all over the place. If I were a neighbor, I would be concerned."
Owners of the land -- a local investment group and an Ohio-based bank -- say their hands are tied. Orlando's code-enforcement office sent them notice about three weeks ago that they needed to clean up the property or face stiff fines.
--It is natural for people to have trash from normal living, and the difference here is, there is no trash pickup service where this group could place the trash for pickup. A blind society!--
"There's also a potential liability issue from people living on the property," said Steven Bechtel, a local attorney for Key Bank in Cleveland. There are no plans at this point to develop the property.
Darlene and Michael Downs admit they're not as neat as they were before Michael got sick. But they're not sex offenders, either. She is a 54-year-old former dog groomer who has a daughter and grandchildren in Delaware. He is a 60-year-old Vietnam veteran who lost his way after his two infant sons were killed in a car crash some 30 years ago. He met Darlene in the woods, where she has lived for nearly seven years.
He built her a home, such as it is, out of scrap wood and tarps and remnants of carpet. They have a generator, a pair of TV sets, a radio and a kitchen. Once, they had a nice front porch with wooden planters out front -- complete with geraniums that Darlene nestled in the soil -- but a bad storm knocked that down. They still have a sanctuary in the back -- a small bench before a trio of crosses. Each cross marks the grave of a dog they lost in recent years.
"We can't leave our babies," Darlene said.
The police say there are several camps and at least 60 homeless people in these woods, which flank John Young Parkway between W.D. Judge Road and West Princeton Street. Some of the people have lived here nearly 20 years, surviving on disability checks, military pensions or odd jobs. There are few rules outside of respecting others' privacy.
The Downses' place is marked by a gate to a path through the trees. But some of the campsites are well-hidden.
The Downses' closest neighbor is Sheryl Miller, a tidy 53-year-old woman who lives with her 28-year-old son. You won't find her place unless you know where to look.
"We have an agreement that we'll take care of each other," Miller said of her son, who works at the flea market on occasion to make money. Her place is a complex of tents, a stone fire ring, a bathroom and a shower.
For six years she has lived here, at the end of a winding path amid a heavy canopy of oaks. She is bright and well-spoken and spends much of her time cleaning, organizing and fetching water. She has read all of the 1,000 books she keeps in a tent at least once.
"I could understand if they were going to develop the property," she said. "I wouldn't have a problem with that. But they're not. You can't hear me, you can't see me, and all I want to do is sit here and drink my coffee and read my books. One guy -- he's been living here 18 years."
The Downses have a friend who will help them move to another camp, though what they've built will have to stay behind. But Miller and her son have no transportation, no money and no plans to move.
The initial trespass notice said people here would have 10 days to leave or they would face arrest. But last week, at the urging of homeless-outreach workers, police agreed to give the people more time to find other shelter.
"We've got a number of homeless veterans -- who have been homeless for 10 or 12 years -- we've got folks with mental illness who need treatment . . . We have folks with developmental disabilities," said Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network. "There's a retired New York City police officer who lives out here. There are a lot of folks here who represent the failure of our system."
The retired officer, Richard Colligan, is 67 now. He wears thick glasses but seems healthy. When he talks about leaving his home of 11 years, the words start to stick in his throat and his eyes fill with tears.
"I've done nothing wrong," he said, though he knows he is trespassing. "I'm happy out here."
Some of the people already have accepted transitional housing, and a few have been reunited with family in other cities.
But for Colligan and the Millers and the Downses, there is no place like home in the woods.
"We'll find another spot," Michael Downs said. "God only knows how long before we get thrown out of there, too." ..more.. by Kate Santich can be reached at 407-420-5503 or ksantich@orlandosentinel.com.
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