Ontario Begins Evictions at Homeless "Tent City"

Monday morning, police in Ontario began evicting residents of a city-sanctioned homeless camp near Ontario International Airport. The outdoor shelter's population had grown to about 500 since it opened last year, too big for the city to handle. The "Tent City" is still there -- but now only people who once lived in Ontario are welcome. KPCC's Inland Empire reporter Steven Cuevas has the latest.

Steven Cuevas: An American flag at half staff hangs upside down in front of a black tent dubbed "Camp Purgatory." It's one of the few signs of protest at what's left of "Tent City."

Paul Chavez: Yeah, you can have the cord, too. Take everything there.
Woman: I'm holding on to it until you guys come back here. Look at me. The blue one.
Chavez: See, this is the love that everybody has. You know, taking care of each other's stuff.

Cuevas: Paul Chavez is breaking down the camp he shared with a few other people. He's giving away food, clothes, and other possessions. It's all too much to carry away. Last week, Ontario ordered people who couldn't prove ties to the city to get out – or face possible arrest.

Chavez: In a roundabout way, we established ties to the city because we go to the stores. And we pay taxes. We're not out in the street urinating in some people's lawns, or throwing trash. We had our site, everything contained here. We took care of each other.

Cuevas: Last year, Ontario set aside a few blocks of vacant land near the airport. The aim was to give people a temporary but stable alternative to living on the streets. Ontario housing director Brent Shultz admits the city failed to anticipate what would happen next.

Brent Shultz: You know, unintended consequences. It brought more people than we thought from outside the region. I mean, we've had people here from Florida, Milwaukee, Texas. Originally, we believed it was just people in the region, just surrounding cities. But, you know, it grew to even more than that. So, and we can't take on other states' homeless. We can't take on the region's homeless.

Butch Holcraft: You know, the "Golden State." And here we are!

Cuevas: Ontario native Butch Holcraft is among the hundred or so people who can stay. But he has to abide by strict new rules, including a 10 p.m. curfew. He says he understands the city's dilemma, but says it's not fair to evict people who've lived here nearly a year.

Holcraft: People move here on the promise that there's opportunity here. There ain't! There are guys all around here, ain't got a penny on a dime to get outta here. And the City of Ontario is going, "We don't care. Get to the street." You go to the street, guess what happens? They take you to jail.

Cuevas: An Ontario police spokesman says that's not true. He says anyone kicked out of "Tent City" won't be arrested just for living on the street again. Some "Tent City" residents could end up at shelters in Victorville or Barstow. Other former residents plan on marching to Pomona, hoping that city and maybe a few other others will let them pitch their tents there.