Homeless people were found living in dangerously constructed riverside caves in California, and the trash-filled homes were outfitted with furniture and other supplies, which were removed by police and volunteers over the weekend. .
The 20-foot-deep underground excavation site is tucked away along the Tuolumne River in Modesto and is accessed by a makeshift staircase carved into the side of a hill.
“This particular area is plagued by vagrants and illegal camps, and concerns are raised by the fact that these camps were actually caves dug into the riverbank,” the Modesto Police Department said. stated in a statement.
Police say 7,600 pounds of trash, the equivalent of two truckloads and a trailer, was removed during the cleanup of the residence.
Photo taken from inside one of the caves CBS13 There's a table, a wooden box filled with essentials, and even some shelves with food and condiments. Another room has chairs and other belongings in a trash can.
“We had a hard time understanding how they put so much stuff there, considering how hard it was to get it up the hill and out,” said the group Operation 9-2-99. said volunteer Chris Guptill. Exit.
Tracy Rojas, who lives near the underground encampment, told CBS 13 it would be “devastating” if the cave collapsed.
She said some of the caves appeared to be fully stocked with bedding, as well as drugs and other contraband.
“You can see hooks on the wall with bottles and things hanging,” Rojas said. “I think we need to put more emphasis on homeless people. We see that they are in a desperate situation.”
Guptill said eight caves were removed during the cleanup, but he assumes residents will return because he has evicted them before.
Police said they continue to work with local services to get homeless people out of the caves and into suitable housing.
Residents of a cave camp on city property were told they would be removed before police and volunteers could move in.
“It's already been proven that people will dig these up, so I don't think burying them with any kind of material will work,” Guptill said after the last cleanup at the same site in November 2022.
Local authorities are concerned that erosion and flooding pose a danger to the camp's residents.
