Last week I learned of, and blogged about, Fort Worth's Shanty Town of Homeless People.
The Fort Worth Shanty Town had existed for over two years, becoming a town with about 50 dwellings. The Shanty Town was visible from Interstate 30, that being the freeway that runs from Arlington, with Arlington being where the Super Bowl will be played in a couple weeks, and Fort Worth, where no Super Bowl will likely ever be played.
Even though Fort Worth is the envy of the entire nation.
When I wrote about it, I had not actually seen Fort Worth's Shanty Town with my own eyes. So I asked for directions to it from one of my fellow Eyes on Texas, known as YSD. YSD told me to drive down Bomar Street and before I got to Lancaster and the homeless shelter zone I would see the Fort Worth Shanty Town.
However, on Saturday, all I saw was one tent and some sort of ramshackle structure, where I thought I should be seeing the Shanty Town.
I turned from Lancaster on to Riverside, thinking I'd then see the Shanty Town, but I saw nothing, except what I believe may be the World's Biggest Outhouse Graveyard.
Clearly viewable, from I-30, are 100s of Outhouses, just to the west of where I had expected to find Fort Worth's Shanty Town.
Still no luck. But I did stop to take some pictures of the Outhouse Graveyard.
Most of the Outhouses are labeled "Texas Toilet.." But one had the special label of "CAN DOO DFW."
Yesterday I told YSD of my inability to locate Fort Worth's Shanty Town. So, YSD took off to check it out and reported back that it was just as I saw on both Saturday and Sunday.
Fort Worth's Shanty Town is gone.
All that remains is one tent and one ramshackle structure. With no Homeless People to be seen.
Now, how did this happen? Last week the local supposed newspaper of record, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, reported that the city code people were taking issue with the Shanty Town. Some of the Homeless People claimed they'd been given 10 days to get out of there.
City officials claimed no evacuation order had been given.
So, where did the Shanty Town and its residents go?
Where is the mother with the baby in a stroller? Where is the pregnant lady?
How was the Shanty Town so quickly de-Hoovervilled?
And does the City of Fort Worth really think a little Shanty Town of tents was more embarrassing than having what must be the World's Largest Graveyard of Outhouses so prominently displayed?
It is all very perplexing.
UPDATE: cd0103 has informed me that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram did have an article regarding the disappearance of Fort Worth's Shanty Town. Apparently I arrived on Saturday after the removal had taken place.
6 comments:
Here is FWST article about Shanty town
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/01/15/2771884/church-volunteers-help-clear-away.html
Perhaps everyone is visiting Fort Worth's City Homeless Program Director, Otis Thornton.
Local churches cleared out the Shanty Town? What was the catalyst that caused such sudden action after 2 years? Was it the upcoming Super Bowl with the city officials believing this made Fort Worth look bad? Do the homeless get to move back after the Super Bowl? What if the churches did not do this, what would have happened?
There are a few notable instances where the chief of code enforcement department did not appear to be completely honest, a basic standard of conduct expected from someone with so much power to affect people's lives.
First, he portrayed his department's involvement as a shocking discovery...after about TWO whole years of common knowledge by their cohorts the police. And citizens working near there or driving by the shanty town which was visible from I-30 and Beach St. Is he serious?
Second, chief Bennett played dumb when he referred to "the private property owner did not know about this and has not allowed it to be used this way". As one commenter had pointed out in your initial post, who are the mysterious property owner? Why have they not taken care of their property. ..neglecting. it for so long and without any problem from the city, apparently not even for not mowing their grass, a code violation that could cost several hundred dollars.
Lo and behold, the owner is XTO, now a part of the world's most powerful energy corporation ExxonMobil, whose size dwarfs big shot Chesapeake. Which leads to the next instance of insufficient honesty.
Fourth, chief Bennett belied his disingenuity to the public when he took it as his official duty to end all those violations. We regular little property owners would have been held personally responsible for all these violations on our property. But apparently not multi-billion dollar Mega corporation like ExxonMobil, though.
Fifth, the overwhelming show of government power was intended to sweep these unwanted people away...ASAP and not some phoney ten day grace period as he and Otis had represented. The order to make these unwanted people disappear must have come from the highest sources, who took great care not to disclose the name of the violator....the property owner themselves who are responsible for the proper use and security of their land. Not the taxpayers in the form of a small troop of code and police officers.
How much did we pay all these city officials to clean up a very wealthy corporation? Who initiated and authorized this blatant misuse of limited taxpayer funds to create a Potemkin village.
Is councilwoman Hicks still on her European soire?
What other misrepresentations did chief Bennett make? Maybe his baseless statement to the FW Weekly in its feature story exactly one year ago that there was a heavy push to spruce up appearances on Carter Avenue due to construction of new streets and sidewalks in 2008-09 in trying to justify their unusual interest in Steve D's property and their subsequent raid on his home.
There was no such emphasis that our neighborhood was ever aware of. If Steve D. were to take legal action, Mr. Bennett will have lots of 'splaining to do. Not much credibility or equality from him and his crew.
I love the contrast in imagery and priorities that you pointed out, Mr. Durango (or is it Mr. Texas?) A sea of crappy port-o-potties is deemed an acceptible local scenery but not a small band of down on their luck citizens (many from bad choices, to be sure) and their fairly inconspicuous camp, where cowboys in the 1800's probably pitched their tents while waiting for the cattle to beefen up before driving the herd to the stock market just a few miles down the hill along the Trinity River.
Now the modern FW gas robberbarons are using tax payer funded government forces to herd their own citizens off that same cliff.
This church and outreach ministers saw the people as more than "the homeless" and "code violators " (i.e. misdemeanor-level CRIMINALS). They probably stepped in to help those people their Master calls "the least of these my brethren" because they were practicing what they preach, so to speak. Only fitting that they did this three weeks after they commemorated the "greatest gift" of all, who came in the form of a baby with parents desparate for shelter...even among the cattle and other beasts of burden.
For us citizens, the burden of witnessing the beastly conduct by our officials and government against "we the people" over and over is getting tiring. On the heart and the mind.
Good job with the sea of outhouses there, Mr. Durango, Powerful symbolism and an effective slap in the face for any wrong doer with a brain.
I wish "Green with Envy" Mayor Moncrief had the capacity to be a bit embarrassed at times.
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