Another slum community has been discovered in central California, where homeless people live in caves dug into riverbanks.
Residents of Riverbank, California say efforts to clean up a homeless encampment on the banks of the Stanislaus River are failing. The city is located about 16 miles north of Modesto, and a similar situation made national headlines after homeless people were found living in caves along the Tuolumne River.
“As soon as they're kicked out, the night they're kicked out, they start digging right away,” Riverbank resident Eddie Eagleton said in an interview with KOVR. “No one seems to be able to slow or stop them.”
Eagleton, who frequently fishes the Stanislaus River, said he has seen homeless people living in caves dug into the bank beneath Highways 108 and 120.
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On January 23, 2024, homeless people were discovered living in a cave like the one pictured here along the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California. (Modesto Police Department)
“It's pretty amazing what 15 to 20 people can do in one or two nights,” Eagleton told a local news station. “We had a generator there, so we had power and water pumps.”
City officials have warned that the encampment is polluting the area and causing erosion along the river, and are working to clean up the area. But those who have made this home never leave.
“This is a very high priority. First of all, it's pollution. If that river happens to rise quickly, it's a danger to ourselves and others,” Riverside Mayor Richard O'Brien told KOVR.
The mayor said the city continues to seek solutions that do not violate anyone's rights and also protect the environment and public health.
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Volunteers from Operation 2-9-99 and the Modesto Police Department participated in a joint cleanup along the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California on January 23, 2024. Homeless people had set up an encampment near the river there, and a similar encampment was discovered on the riverbank about 10 miles north. (Modesto Police Department)
“According to the court, they have a right to live on public land. The Supreme Court is going to recognize that, so we'll see what happens there,” O'Brien said.
Complaints about the homeless situation on the riverbank continue to emerge after the discovery of at least eight caves where homeless people lived near Modesto.
Officials say Operation 9-2-99 volunteers and the Tuolumne River Trust worked with the Modesto Police Department to clear the cave and remove approximately 7,600 pounds of trash from the area over the weekend.
“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.” modesto police department said in a statement.
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Tarps and trash from homeless people encamped along the Tuolumne River on January 23, 2024 in Modesto, California. About a day later, more homeless shacks were discovered along the Stanislaus River in the nearby town of Riverbank, California. (Modesto Police Department)
Police added that the removed debris filled two truckloads and a trailer.
A KOVR cameraman sent to explore Modesto Cave reported finding bedding, belongings, food, items placed on a makeshift mantel, drugs, and weapons inside.
Tracy Rojas, a Modesto resident who lives near the cave, said it's dangerous for people to set up homes underground.
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“If one of these collapsed, it would be catastrophic,” she told KOVR. “This is all going to fall and fall into the water.”
Authorities have since set up temporary barricades to prevent people from entering the cave.
