Before
After
After
Workers from Caltrans on Monday spent the day cleaning up an extremely large homeless camp near Concord Ave. and Hwy.242 in Concord.
At least three large dumpsters were used to clean the camp, which was littered with trash and dozens of bicycles.
Thanks to Jimmy Olsen for the tip, and thanks to the anonymous Claycordian for the before and after pictures.
It’s a start.
thank you Caltrans
My thoughts exactly. It’s a pity they have to do it, but I am glad that they are.
Hmm, torn…on the one hand, great to see caltraners doing some actual work. On the other ✋🏻they could have kept just as busy slapping the bums upside the head to clean up their own pilfered mess
Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet?
good catch
Um we do work!!! We do the best we can. Our homeless is out of control. Maybe if the county helped with some little sheds like Oakland is doing then I think our homeless rate would go down. Just like it has in oakland.
@stacee
Cal trans works hard. However, if you provide more free stuff more homeless (urban campers) will migrate to Concord. Just look at the surrounding liberal cities Oakland and San Francisco. You can’t help those who only want free stuff.
If you build it, they will come…hundreds, if not thousands….
I’m sorry, Stacee, but the homeless population in Oakland has not decreased, and I would like to see where you obtained the information. I don’t think that CalTrans should be responsible for cleaning up these messes (and I feel bad for CalTrans workers for having to do this). The people who make the mess should be cleaning up the mess. But we all know that’s not going to happen.
If someone says oakland is doing something good, it’s either sarcasm or ignorance.
Darn, now they are going to have to steal new stuff.
I was just thinking “will CalTrans offer up all those stolen bikes to Concord Police so people can retrieve their stolen bikes from these homeless dregs of society?”
They will be back. It’s a never ending process
Chop-shop camps do need to be shut down, to help deter bike theft.
There are statistics out there that say 7% of people who had a bicycle stolen give up on riding. 25% of people who have had a bike stolen do keep riding, but they ride far less often. I’ve personally had a bike stolen in Concord, and in another instance had someone try to steal a wheel off another bike of mine. I’m much more careful, and get leery at anyone who gets close to my bike even if it’s double-locked.
It’s unfortunate that these bike parts probably won’t be used for riding anymore. That pile of frames and wheels is wasted potential. It would be nice if CalTrans had a team that could salvage, and clean bike parts, then auction them off or donate them to a bicycle non-profit organization.
Not homeless , just a bunch of F’n thieves and bums.
Dope heads, alcoholics , burnouts, and mental cases.
Where was the PD to check all this mess for stolen property?
It’s time to knock of the PC BS
Exactly,a pack of night time burglar drug addicts,posing as the poor homeless.Great cover.Wake up Concord.They even had a pitbull ,how can they afford to feed it?They use it at the freeway ramp when panhandling as sympathy,then spend the money they get on dope.Extremely dangerous dog that jumped up and tried to bite me in the face one tome as I walked past their pack standing at the corner of Concord Ave and 242 FWY. and it would have been something the dog would have to be ripped off of,but the scroungy girl holding the leash luckily yanked him back as his jaw snapped shut an inch away from my face.The dog is untrained and vicious.What would they have done if the dog had ripped my face off?They would run away.They are not poor or broke until they blow their money on stupid $hit.
@james The girl needs to be cleaned up and involved in a work program and if she’s unwilling to do that then she needs to be behind bars. Unfortunately the vicious dog needs to be euthanized.
They cleaned house for the homeless,now they can camp clean for at least 3-4 days.
Actually the program in Oakland is a program. You have to be working a 12 step program in order to get a tuf shed. You have to be enrolled. We hold their values $50 or more for 90 days. After that it’s gone. It’s our judgment. Why dont you people come do my job for 1 day. You won’t last. Dont you think we as Caltrans workers get tired of the repeat of homeless encampments??! We get tired of cleaning it up. They are trespassing on our property. Where would you like these people to go?? Maybe if Concord PD and surrounding agencies would do what WCPD does is have a homeless taskforce strictly for homeless. They see them trespassing their arrested. It takes all agencies and public to help. So please dont bash us Caltrans worker’s. We do the best we can!!
There is an inherent problem in thinking that the more we give them and the more we do, the less of a problem we will have. This is untrue and is a baseless assumption. Homelessness cannot be solved. These people do not want help. The best thing we can do is to let them know we will NOT tolerate it and drive them out of the city. They can go tot he crappy big cities or be shamed into taking care of themselves. That is the only thing we can do, other than to round them up and put them into work camps which will force them to stay off drugs. But, at the end of the day, the way you solve homelessness is to get rid of the homeless. The only way to get rid of them is a permanent, irreversible solution.
Are you going to pay us workers to clean up their bike parts??? That’s not my job. My job is landscape. I have 39 some odd miles of freeway to maintain with my crew.
Stacee, I think you are reading into the replies too much. Nobody bashed Caltrans. Even the guy who mentioned bikes was saying will Caltrans give the bikes to Concord PD. Chill. The situation sucks all around.
But, I am with the crowd of why give free stuff… cause it ain’t free, someone has to pay for it and the way CA is going, it’s taxpayers.
Sorry, 1 guy did bash Caltrans. But still the others offer valid points.
Hi Stacee,
I know you have a tough job, especially with the number of people trashing the state.
Is it possible to landscape our Northbound 242 off-ramp at Grant Street & Solano Way? The plants that were installed there many years ago have been destroyed by reckless/drunk drivers. Is there any chance the Acacia Redolens can be replaced?
Who would I reach out to to get the process started?
@ resident you go into Caltrans website and put a complaint in. Put as much information into the complaint and it will get sent to my yard.
BikeConcord has an operation that refurbs bikes to make them safe. This huge amount might be a challenge. I hope they get contacted.
Somehow we just keep ignoring the issue – I don’t care if they are homeless or vagrants, gypsies, tramps and thieves – the issue is that they refuse to clean up after themselves.
We blame the city, cal trans or the state when the simple matter is these scofflaws should be held accountable for their lack of attention to laws and just general courtesy.
They continue to do it because they don’t have to clean up after themselves – we need to figure out how to hold them accountable. GGGGRRRR
Waste of time they are the majority.Most are transient,drug addicts,mentally insane,etc.No punishment for anything they do against society and the law.Get prison buses round them up and boat them to Alcatraz island,many military closed and unused bases.Evaluate them and see who deserves rehabilitation.
they will be back at Safeway on willow pass with the spotter-theif team back in place.
Oh no, I hope they were notified before all of their belongings were trashed. Hopefully they were also offered shelter as well…
After proving what good tenants they are??You would think if they wanted to be left alone to camp,they would keep the place clean,but theres more to it than being homeless,they are not broke by any means, they have a cell phone,cigarettes,food and drink,and most importantly,they get their drug of choice,that and metal illness is what homelessness is,there is no way to help unless youre ready to put them in a hospital,and those were all closed as a waste of money.
Ick. Are you for real? These people (and use that term loosely) are criminals and were trespassing. That was not their stuff. They stole it all.
Give me a break! Will you offer them shelter? I am so tired of these people using mental illness, no job, etc…. for an excuse!
These people did not have mental illness until they CHOSE to rebel against the law and do illegal drugs. They CHOSE not to work because they want the free life and don’t want to be told what to do! That is the whole of it in a nut shell.
Last week, I saw a trio of homeless men with bikes near the In-N-Out on Contra Costa Blvd. One of the men was in possession of a clean, pastel purple girl’s bike. I felt so angry, seeing that. There was a shiny hologram sticker on the side, so I’m fairly certain it wasn’t shoplifted from a store. It was obviously stolen (most likely recently) from a child.
This despicable man will never face jail time or be made to pay restitution. The family of victims, however, will pay a price: the cost of a new bike (if they can afford one), the loss of innocence in having to explain to a daughter why her bike is gone, and all of them having a greater fear or distrust of society.
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Thanks for cleaning up this eyesore. Why do the homeless have to collect every piece of garbage imaginable and pile it up like it’s treasure? That’s what pisses people off the most…the sheer quantity of the mess!
It’s the Crank, wired up tight and got to do something.
@ Natalie, all bike parts are donated. Serial #’s are often ran w/o success. More often than not bikes were not registered with local pd. When that is the case they’re usually donated to the county dump.
@Darwin, good call!
@ Stacee, WHAT? Are you aware that the “residents”of the tough sheds in Oakland are suing the city because of their living conditions? Yes a judge is hearing that case..
@Gittogether, Hhmmmm
While we’re on the topic, the freeways and onramp/offramps……Republic Services Garbage trucks are responsible for a large amount of the trash that flies out of their trucks lining our freeway shoulders. It’s really ridiculous how long this has been going on.
Do they still make zyklon b?
That is not even close to being funny. The Nazi’s started by getting rid of undesirables, first it was people who was deemed mentally deficient they use other terms back then, but today we don’t, then handicapped and the gypsies and I assume you know the story, in that case you should chose your words carefully. Remember Pastor Niemuller’s quate:
“First the came for the trade unions, but I was not one of them, so I didn’t speak up, then they came for the communist, but I was not a communist so I didn’t speak up, then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I didn’t speak up, when the came for me there was no one to speak up on my behalf.”
How much was it for a double dump truck,and how much were the dump fees?And man hours?Looks like they spent about $5000 on this endevour,and they (the dopers) should be charged for the cost in civil court.
The bill likely is far more than $5,000 but I agree that the bill should be in the former resident’s names.
This SFGate article is about a $20,000 bill to clean up a homeless encampment in the Castro Valley area. Apparently the encampment was determined to be on private property with the property owners being stuck with the bill.
Keep in mind that an encampment is likely saturated with drug and bodily infected needles and other hazards. You can’t use a rake and gloves to tidy the area up.
The cost is way more than 5000 I promise caltrans has to have hazmat crew come in and inspect before the cleanup now, and those contractors get paid quite nicely, unlike the workers cleaning it up.
When you look at the Manhours, Equipment, time to sort through the pile of crap it’s going to be way more than $5,000. Unfortunately the California Taxpayers are getting stuck for the bill. I don’t have an answer to the homeless problem but I don’t think you should get a free ride for doing nothing. I know there are a lot smarter people than I working on the problem, again at Taxpayers expense. I’m sick of seeing Taxpayers money going to give aways.
Charging a homeless person, seems like a stupid idea, since I’m pretty sure if someone has no money for a shelter they have no money to pay for something like this.
I forgot about all the environmental hoo-haa.and also and Concord seems willing and happy to spend this money they make on those that drive a little too fast,and they need a grant just to do that.Seems like a city heading toward Detroit’s destiny.I’m not proud or even want to tell people I live in Concord anymore,and now it’s more so from the way the city runs the place,not the people that make it this way.If Concord allows things to happen,people will just keep doing unacceptable things,and Concord doesn’t say a word to them..They are nothing but enablers.This probable cost a happily spent”look,we’re trying to help” $50 k.
My daughter had her bike stolen and never rode again, did not want us to buy her another bike (said it would just get stolen again). All bikes need to have deeply stamped ID numbers when made and a mail in register card included with purchase.
Ya thats Marios camp hes been selling meth and heroin for years and never goes to jail. Come on CPD
I cringed to read about the dozens of bicycles. What were they doing, stealing a bike every time they went somewhere and then just dumping it where they lived? For all the demands for compassion, there’s no excuse for living by stealing other people’s stuff and living in filth.
Im embarrassed 2 say i live in Concord.
Most people are!
And it didn’t used to be this way.
What is it about these homeless folks that make them think that trashing their “camps” is ok?? I’ve tossed DOZENS of boxes of yard garbage bags into known encampment areas and yet never see improvement. I keep hoping…..
These are not before & after pictures. They are completely different scenes.
Before & after pictures must show the same unique reference point (fence, tree, etc) from the exact same angle.
The same angle is the most important part of a before & after picture as it allows the viewers to draw comparisons from the same reference point.
These are people that don’t spend one minute trying to get out of their situation,because to them,its not a situation,just another day of carefree life.Why do they need a home and address?Everything is fine being enabled by Concord and at the off ramp.They should have been arrested for vandalism,littering and environmental hazard laws.Name one reason why they shouldn’t.The bleeding hearts would have a field day is the reason.
Concord PD should set up bait bicycles everyday for a month or 2 and get a hundred or so people into the greybar motel.They can have free housing like they deserve!
They need to set up bait bikes with a $1000 bike,like they do in Vegas,so they will get put in jail for sure.
Thank you for cleaning up!!our roads are filling up with garbage everywhere you look. It’s really awful. Why do they create so much garbage????
If Concord made panhandling illegal I feel like it would fix half our problems. Almost every corner I pass there is someone with a sign asking for money. They work it like its their job and make decent money doing it. Why work and pay Bill’s when you can just take handouts and get high all day?
The homeless no longer ask for spare change but are now asking for spare dollars.
Explain to me why homeless people living in shelters can afford to have storage units filled with stuff they have acquired as a homeless person.
Our local, city, county and country’s governments are totally out of control and sucking what is left of the Californian’s who work and are honest and pay more than their fair share. So many of us are exiting the state because of this and going to other states that have law and order.
Then the Libbies, Nannies and Entitlement Crowd will really be in a pickle as they never give up any of their career politicians benefits. You can only get blood out of a turnip so far. There will be on one left to pay for the free loading that is way beyond belief. Because those of us who have worked to make a better life for ourselves are being punished. I do not believe in socialism.
Wake up & stop voting for these misworded propositions, on the ballots and use your brains to get these folks out of office and put out country back on the right track. Yes, it does take time to read through all of the literature but it will pay off. Stopped being suckered into being lazy when it comes time to vote and then blaming everyone else. We are becoming a third world country. It is our country and we are partly to blame.
Caltrans is doing a great job on the side of the freeways. They’ve cleaned up the trash and cut back all the brush they hide in. The only problem is whenever they clean out a spot they just scatter like roaches when you turn on a light. I noticed last night they are moving back in behind the selfstorage at 242 and Clayton Rd off-ramp. Clayton and WC don’t have this problem. City of Concord needs to stop doing things that attract and keep these people. If you put out food for the squirrels the squirrels come. If you don’t put out food the squirrels go away.
I seen the camps behind storage place. Unfortunately that is not Caltrans property. That would be storage place property and they would need to call local police.
Want to see them disperse in a hurry?
Threaten them with job applications.
What is the deal with meth heads and bikes? Are they able to actually resell chopped up bikes? Who buys that?
To them bike parts are a commodity,since they use them so much to facititate speed after their thefts,none of them could ever own a car,so to even suggest they could live in a dwelling is basically the same thing,they are unable and just don’t care about anything but breathing and getting high.
I realize that some homeless have mental Illness and deserve our empathy and help. But, lately, it seems that this has become a sub-culture and a lifestyle choice. How many times have you seen a homeless guy – asking for handouts – who looks to be about 25 years old and in perfect health?? Um, if I can work and I’m more than twice your age, pal…. you can too. I just saw a story on the news about a city park in LA that has become a homeless encampment. The city was trying to clean it up and the homeless were all over the news saying that they have a right to be there and they wouldn’t move. Guess who backed down …… yep, the city. Again, all of these bums that were refusing to move – appeared to be under 30, able-bodied men. No, they do not have a “right” to be there. The citizens who work and pay taxes have a RIGHT to walk that park, bring their kids to that park, or just enjoy looking at the park. I am sick of coddling lazy bums who want to lounge in a park and drink or take drugs all day. Our idiot governor just wants to keep throwing more money at them and rewarding them. NO – help those whose genuinely need help. But they need to crack down on the lazy druggies and criminals. This has gone way too far and it has got to stop.
Well put.
Say what you will about the former Soviet Union but if you were able to work, and didn’t, you were considered a parasite of the state and “re-educated” about your responsibilities as a member of the community.
When another earthquake happens in the neighborhood of the bay area, let’s see how everyone reacts
They may be the one saving your life
…. or they may be the ones looting your damaged home.
maybe their unwashed hands and mouth can give someone CPR and herpes.
What bothers me more than the stolen bicycles are the stolen dogs.
Glad to see Caltrans being active and getting some things done! Caltrans employees make a FORTUNE !!!
Oh. We make a fortune?!!! That’s funny as hell. The people who makes fortunes are the ones with the degrees. Not the worker’s. I’m under poverty. I wish I made a fortune working for caltrans.
At prevailing wage Caltrans workers and contractors are making big money
A lot of comments about stolen bikes, shopping carts, and even dogs! I admit ignorance about the dogs, but it makes some kind of sense. Dogs gotta come from somewhere…
But concerning bikes and shopping carts, the police don’t care. I understand they have to pick their battles, but I think it is a huge mistake to grant the homeless, or anybody, carte blanc to steal bikes and shopping carts. It’s not just Concord, anywhere I’ve been, stolen bikes and stolen shopping carts are paraded in front of the police with impunity. Those pieces of equipment can cost hundreds, or thousands of dollars. I think it is surreal that people can steal a shopping cart worth hundreds of dollars, fill it with garbage and push it around town until the wheels fall off and then discard it anywhere. They are usually well decorated to know exactly where they were stolen from. I understand the “compassionate use” argument. Fine. Let the welfare state or private charity provide carts that are even designed specifically for life on the streets. I honestly don’t understand how we are ok with a system where Safeway, Target, etc etc are expected to shoulder the ungodly financial cost of running a free shopping cart give away service. Is that why milk costs so damned much?
And about bikes, not only is it bad that bike theft is now just treated as background crime, like littering or jaywalking, but it is horrible for a society that desperately NEEDS people to choose cycling wherever possible. I ride a bike sometimes, but it is the NOT riding the bike that worries me most. As long as I’m ON the bike it’s probably not going to be stolen, but there are precious few places in Concord where I’m willing to lock it up and go inside and have it out of sight. It’s a difficult argument to tell people they should ride bikes more when the odds of losing one to theft is so high.
Nobody wants to use the word gypsie anymore because they somehow think its something racial,but in the old days,this would have been called a gypsie camp.It’s a life they choose,it is not forced on them as a last resort.They either grow out of it or die.
Homelessness will never be eradicated until we pay for an extensive overhaul of their mental health. There needs to be an injection developed that’s good for 30 days so we don’t have to rely on them to take their meds daily.
Once they’re mentally stable, then we can work on the homelessness problem with interview clothes, skill training, jobs, transportation, shelter, etc.