Local Homeless Are Looking Forward To A New School Year.
“We call it the migration.”
Walter Williams, 56, of Jackson Park, can’t wait for the return to school this fall for hundreds of local children.
“I want them to enjoy the summer. But I will be glad when they’re back in school, and a bit of peace and quiet returns to the park.”
A resident of Jackson Park since he lost his wife, family, house, and job to a crack-cocaine habit in 1998. Williams is used to the annual invasion. “We call it the migration. “
But he says since COVID, the park has been a different place. “Used to be, the kids came in the summer. They’d get here about ten in the morning and head home about seven. But since COVID, the parents were home all the time, they’d bring the kids to the park twice a day. The teens have always stayed a bit later, but now it’s past midnight. “
“We can’t get anything done.” Complains Walter. One of about seventeen homeless people who live full-time at the park.
“Sometimes one of the kids finds something of ours. A pack of smokes, an old phone, or a watch. One of the kids took my socks last week. They were drying in a tree. The little ones think it’s treasure and the big ones think they are being clever. I’ve found myself throwing dog shit at a ten-year-old so he’d put down my porno mag.”
“I’ve found myself throwing dog shit at a ten-year old so he’d put down my porno mag.”
Some of the park’s longtime residents have moved on. “Daisy, she was here when I came. She’s gone. Went to the bushes behind Target. Sid said he was going to try down by the train yard. There’s an encampment just under the bridge.” Explained Walter, one of the park’s longest residents.
Local parents have formed a group to encourage the park’s homeless to move on. “I wouldn’t call it a group; some of them just come down here and wreck our tents. Snap the poles, swear at us. I’ve been spat on. But this is still my home. “ Walter looks forlornly at the damaged tent he sleeps in as he spoke.
Walter hopes that things will calm down this fall. “The parents are back at work, the kids are all back in school. So I hope with the cold weather and busy lives of families, things can get back to normal. We’ll be able to leave our belongings in our tents down in the bush, and when we get back at night, they’re still here. “
“Some afternoons, I want to sit on my bench with a beer and watch the ducks on the pond. But I haven’t been able to do that since God knows when. “
Walter and the others aren’t bitter about the changes. But with so few options for the homeless and cuts in funding to the city’s homeless programs, they know that Jackson Park is, for them, the best real estate in the city. New housing in the area has also led to an increase in park use.
“Once upon a day, we’d be in the wooded area behind the hill. A few of us liked the thicket at the far end of the park. But since that was cleared to make way for a farmers’ market and with the increase of joggers, things are getting tight here.”
“Some of the people who sell at the farmers’ market aren’t even from the county. Pricks” The former banker continued
“The new splash pad and adventure playground have been a success. A number of the park’s residents have said it’s done a good job of keeping kids in one area, even if it’s only temporary. “ Explained Frank Dennon, a former taxi driver and friend of Walter’s. Frank moved into the park after opioid abuse left him unable to work.
Walter and his friend Frank stand on the hill watching a group of teens making Tik-Toks on the bandstand. The two gray-haired men pass a can of beer as the teenagers dance and film each other. “Hey, film this!” Shouts Frank as he pulls his penis out and starts to roll his hips.
Meteorologists predict a cold winter this year, with the splash pad scheduled to be closed for the season the day after Labour Day. It may be that Walter gets his wish for a little while, at least.
