TULSA, Okla. — On May 15, city workers removed up to 40 homeless encampments across a square mile along Riverside near 91st Street.
Crews were accompanied by both Tulsa police and outreach specialists from GRAND Mental Health.
“GRAND Mental Health was honored to support Tulsa Police Department today in respectfully addressing unhoused Oklahomans settled in the encampment at 81st and Riverside. GRAND’s Street Outreach teams joined TPD and local service providers, visiting every single camp within the encampment, informing individuals of the clearing, and working with those being displaced to connect them with mental health services and secure safe accommodations elsewhere.”
"The situation is not tenable," TPD Captain Matt Arnold said. "It's not safe for people to live in these conditions."
- Previous coverage>>> Tulsa neighbors frustrated by no answers about nearby homeless camp
A GRAND spokesperson and Capt. Arnold both confirmed to 2 News all people living in the camps were contacted before May 15 and are being connected to local shelters and housing providers.
"I think everybody in the city would share that goal too," Capt. Arnold added. "We want these individuals that are part of our community to have positive outcomes and not live on the street, and we all see driving down the road how prevalent that is now, and that's something that's going to take the entire community working together to solve that problem, and it's one of the city's priorities under the new mayor's administration."
In the meantime, clothes, wheels, tarps, and a lot of shopping carts are lining a stretch of the River Spirit Scenic Trail next to the Arkansas River while cleanup is planned to continue on May 16.
WATCH: Major homeless encampment cleared out
Capt. Arnold said the operation is an environmental priority as well.
"This area is commonly known as the Eagle Preserve because it used to have nesting eagles that lived in here," he said. "That's not the case anymore simply because the human interaction with the homeless population has driven them all away."
"TPD's work was part of its enforcement efforts in the area and was not a part of the formalized decommissioning process the City is working to roll out. TPD routinely conducts similar enforcement efforts in other areas of town as part of their efforts to curb criminal activity. City leaders are working to formalize that encampment decommissioning process, and details will be shared when more information comes available."
The encampment operation is also taking place next to property owned by Muscogee Nation and River Spirit Casino, a spokesperson didn't want to comment to 2 News about the work.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
