For the past several years, Wayne (pictured above) and his shopping cart have taken up residence at various spots around the 900 block of Orange. For some time, he resided on the sidewalk in front of Rite Aid; later, he moved to a spot in front of Avenue Liquor. Currently, he’s living on the corner of Ninth Street and D Avenue, just behind Von’s parking lot.
While of course he does have a last name, Wayne asked that he only be identified by his first name. “That’s how people know me,” he said.
He’s 58 years old and has been homeless for twenty years. He has spent the past three and half years in Coronado. His last residence was a room in Santa Cruz. A sign painter by trade, Wayne also worked as a garage door installer.
His life started to unravel after he broke his ankle in a hang-gliding accident. Despite having several surgical procedures on the affected ankle, he still has trouble walking.
In addition to his lingering ankle trouble, Wayne has also suffered dozens of other injuries living on the streets. His injuries have included a broken collarbone, cracked ribs, and a punctured lung. He also suffers from diabetes and depression.
While he currently lacks an abode, he is not without resources. He receives Social Security Disability payments as well as Medi-Cal. He has both a bank account and a postal box. He even has a cell phone.
For his part, Wayne believes he has a right to live on the street. He has even become a spokesperson for the ten or so other homeless people in Coronado. And recently, he launched a campaign to run for office a help-the-homeless-platform.
Many local residents see Wayne, and others like him, as colorful characters that do no harm and are far more in need of our charity than our scorn. Coronado’s Floyd Ross likens it to “the biblical story of the Good Samaritan and Christ’s admonitions to reach out and help our neighbors.”
Others take a less charitable view and have been complaining to the police.
“People are concerned about [homeless] people storing their property and lodging on our streets and walkways,” said Commander Mike Lawton of the Coronado Police Department. “We’re aware of the problem, are are trying to take a realistic, humanistic approach to solving it.”
For example, when an officer collects property that has been left on the street, they take to the police station where it can be retrieved. At the same time officers are urging homeless people find a place to store it when they are going to be away for extended time, such as during a doctor’s appointment.
Similarly, when a homeless person is found sleeping on the street between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., the police try to find a bed at a shelter, and will even offer to drive them to the shelter. If available shelter space cannot be found, though, they leave the person be. “We recognize the person’s right to sleep.” Lawson said. However, if shelter space is available, and “they refuse to go to the shelter, the police issue a citation.”
Wayne has received six such citations. However, he claims these actions constitute harassment and are unconstitutional. “I know my rights,” he said.
The National Coalition for the Homeless supports an individual’s right to sleep, as well. According to the NCH, some courts have ruled that arresting a person for sleeping in the street “violates that person’s Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment if the person has nowhere else to go.”
“Instead of criminalizing homelessness,” the organization urges “city governments, business groups, and law enforcement officials [to] work with homeless people, providers, and advocates for solutions to prevent and end homelessness.”
Coronado Police are striving to do just that. They have reached out to the local business and faith communities for storage and shelter, but so far their request has not been successful.
“Only one local businessman stepped forward to offer storage space,” Lawton said. Unfortunately, “the deal fell through because the space wasn’t convenient.”
Some local churches do offer food to homeless residents. The Southern Baptist Church holds a potluck every month, to which “all, including the homeless, are welcome,” Pastor John Roamer said. Much of the food is donated by local business. “Alexander’s Pizza, Panera Bread and Boney’s Bay Side Market send us their leftovers.”
Sacred Heart Catholic Church feeds homeless people who stop by with food saved from their “Hands Across the Bridge” program. Most of the non-perishable canned goods collected from parishioners for the program are sent to San Diego, but the church “keeps some of the food in their pantry” for local people, Father Michael Murphy said.
Those efforts are appreciated; Wayne has nothing but high praise for Sacred Heart. “Those people never judge; they give to everybody, no questions asked.” He also says that he gets along with local merchants, though Rite Aid did ask him to move. “They didn’t want me sleeping on their bench,” said Wayne.
This summer, though, his relationship with the Coronado Police has devolved into a battle of wills. As the complaints police receive have mounted, the police stepped up their enforcement, resulting in the citations for sleeping outside. For now, Wayne’s case has been turned over to the District Attorney’s Office; the proceedings will start in August. Commander Lawton, meanwhile, is confident that the court will “establish that our policy [with regard to the city’s homeless] is legal.”
Beyond humanely enforcing these city vagrancy laws, the police do try to connect homeless people to programs and services to help with immediate needs and, eventually, to find a place to live. In fact, many of the homeless in Coronado have the resources these programs offer. Many, like Wayne, receive Social Security so they can pay for their own food. “They also have medical and dental insurance,” Lawton noted.
What they don’t have is a place to live. With the high value of property on the island and in the greater San Diego area, though, there is little the police or the city can do.
“Housing is a tough nut to crack,” Pastor Roamer said. Both he and Father Murphy mentioned Father Joe’s Village, a San Diego area homeless service provider and shelter. It’s option the homeless often refuse. Wayne says it’s because shelters aren’t safe. “The last time I was there, all my stuff was stolen,” he said.
Roamer suggests that people living on the streets often have substance abuse and mental health problem. And in some cases, “they don’t want to stay at the shelters because they can’t follow the [shelter] rules,” he said.
The police cannot offer shelter, not even a cell. The Coronado station only has holding cells, and the county, except in rare circumstances, won’t jail homeless people. And while the police would love it if someone stepped forward with a place for the homeless to sleep and store their things, it’s not likely to happen.
Calling the police with questions or concerns about the homeless population in Coronado also helps with their enforcement of the issue. “It shows the community cares,” Lawton said. Even when there is a clear legal justification, the police need the public’s help in prosecuting vagrancy violations to show it is a concern to the community, not just an action by an overzealous police officer.
“This is a community problem, and we would love for the community to partner with us in solving it,” Lawton said.
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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