CATOOSA, Okla. - Residents say the city's problem with homeless people in a particular area had gotten out of control until police stepped in.
Tommy Hicks lives near the area where the bridge sits at the corner of North 193rd East Avenue and I-44.
“We’ve got a lot of problems with homeless people over here sitting on the corner, and they trash the place.”
Since Tommy can remember the people that appear to be homeless sleep, eat and live underneath the bridge.
“People go in the casino, they got money, they’re handing it to these homeless people.”
Recently, the situation got so bad Catoosa Police had to get involved.
Lt. Wimberley said they got a call about someone throwing rocks at cars from underneath the bridge. But when police arrived, officers couldn't ignore the mess or the smell.
“They see this day in and day out over here and they get tired of it. They’re just tired of it.”
Police called the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Catoosa Fire Department to clean the place up.
But it was a short time after that for the first time Tommy saw something that brought a smile to his face.
“They don’t pick up after themselves, they’ll just leave it over there. And this guy was over there picking it up.”
He turned his car around to make sure he saw it right, and had to get out.
“I don’t usually give to homeless people, I just don’t do it. But that day he kind of touched my heart.”
Hicks gave the man all the cash in his wallet, but didn't realize at the time the man give him something far more valuable.
A new perspective.
“Don’t judge everybody based by what you see.”
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