BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Central Park in downtown Bakersfield has long been a haven for homeless, some of whom were displaced from the 2004 tearing down of International Square in Old Town Kern.

Now Central Park is being fenced off in preparation for the construction of a new downtown federal courthouse.

Some of Bakersfield’s homeless will have to find other gathering grounds.

Images: Homeless Displaced From Central Park

In May 2007 after the budget was approved, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, local leaders and residents sent letters of support for the courthouse to the Judicial Conference Committee.

McCarthy wrote on Sept. 18 after the approval of the courthouse by the Judicial Conference Committee: “I commend the Judicial Conference for recognizing our strong local need for a courthouse. Our voices were heard, and today’s decision represents a long-awaited win for Bakersfield. With approval, we are given the opportunity to finally get a federal courthouse building downtown.”

As a local fence company and city workers began to fence off Central Park on Thursday, groups of people could still be seen camping in an area long-used as a gathering grounds for Bakersfield homeless. One homeless man named Andy could be seen sprawled on blankets. Nearby, an assortment of items lay gathered around a tree, including a bicycle, buggy, suitcase, spare wheels, chair and other miscellaneous items.

Before 4 p.m. the entire park’s outer edge was planted with fence posts. Workers sat in vehicles at 5 p.m., possibly waiting to put up fencing.

Across the street from the park, police officers ran a neighborhood watch training program.

Shantell Waldo of the Community Action Partnership of Kern, which borders Central Park, spoke to Nick Belardes of ABC23. She said that although she still does a lot of outreach in the park, the CAPK stopped most of its night outreach because it’s too dangerous. “The people we really did outreach for abandoned the park. It got too violent.”

Waldo said that people who moved into the park area were the “hardcore mentally ill and drug-addicted homeless.”

Expressing discontent because the park was being fenced off Thursday, and concerned about the city’s lack of addressing of severe homeless issues, Waldo said, “Where else are they going to go? As opposed to addressing the problem of mentally ill and drug addiction on the streets, the city decides to tear down parks. It’s going to come to a head sometime.”

Waldo said that although there are programs like the homeless shelter, she has talked to homeless people and understands why they prefer to sometimes congregate in parks. “Stuff gets stolen at the shelter,” she said. “And it’s sometimes dangerous.”

She said that although there are a lot of alcohol and drug programs along with the homeless shelter, there used to be a downtown day program for homeless mentally ill. “But that was shut down. There’s nothing for these people to do during the day. The problem is so overwhelming. And it’s not funded.”

Waldo said she and others regularly picked up needles found on park grounds and cleaned up the area. She said she still does some HIV outreach in the park and has also distributed bleach kits for IV drug users to have safer injections, which prevents the spread of HIV and other diseases.

In 2003, Bakersfield Legal Assistance represented a group of homeless people who lost a court battle to postpone the closing of International Square in Old Town Kern.

The city terminated its lease on the property, which was given back to Union Pacific Railroad, and then demolished in 2004. Supporters of International Square said the park provided shade and comfort to homeless people for 33 years.

The city said cost and crime was the driving force in closing International Square.

Waldo claimed she had photos of the bulldozing of International Square. “You could see the homeless just standing there,” she said.

A 2004 article claimed that homeless still lived in the area including abandoned buildings.