Most people think of the occupants of liberal Boulder County as being kind and helpful to those less fortunate than themselves. We have a teahouse from Tibet and panhandlers do a brisk business at many street corners. We reject wars and welcome refugees. Lately the homeless seem to have worn out their welcome in the mountains.
It was a dry hot summer. Back in July some transients out of the south walked into the woods off Peak to Peak highway and left a fire burning while they were away. Only eight houses were destroyed but hundreds were evacuated, thousands were on standby to get evacuated, hundreds of firefighters, air tankers, the feds, it was a huge mess.
They arrested the transients but what you gonna do? It was just simple dumb ass stuff like most people do at one time or another.
I’ve always seen people headed up into the hills outside of Boulder. People with dogs and backpacks wearing ragged clothes and with tans burnt in from years in the weather. Even in winter they live in old mine shafts. Just up Boulder Canyon the town of Nederland legalized pot before the state did, that attracted people.
I didn’t realize it was an issue until I read a blog entry from a wildlife watching lady I follow. The woman loves her dogs and takes all kinds of pictures of them looking wistful. I skip that part and go to her game cams of bear, mountain lion, and elk. She has cams scattered around in places I often go and I like seeing the photos of critters. Anyway she posted a few weeks ago and she was way not into the homeless folks.
Homeless people have made large campsites with dozens and even more people. Lotta shit and toilet paper all over the woods and garbage. When the blogger walked through the campsite she saw people fornicating and shooting up and drinking and what not. Friends of hers have felt intimidated. People are scared to hike the trails they often hike.
I’m sympathetic to the regular citizens. My best bud spent three days fighting the fire that surrounded his son’s house. Had to hike through the woods to get there as the roads were closed. I too like hiking in woods without shit and trash and needles and mentally ill people.
But at the end of the day my hike is a diversion, I do it for recreation. Homeless people sleep rough because rents are far higher than a normal person can afford. The city of Boulder has some of the greatest wealth inequality in the state.
The blogger went back to the homeless camp area wearing a video cam and looking for trouble. She rode her mountain bike into a fishing line and was knocked off her bike so she reported it to the police claiming it was a booby trap. The police to their credit were not sympathetic, investigation showed the fish line to be for laundry.
Myself I can’t think of a better use of public lands than as a place for the homeless to live. No I don’t want to go live with them or pity them or give them money or whatever, but they are human beings, my fellow Americans. Ideally we should be providing a place for homeless to live, mental health care for those who need it and a way for them to make money other than begging.
When we have homeless people setting up tent cities on our public lands our troubles are a little more serious than shit and garbage.
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