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Were Homeless Asked To Leave Central Park?

Police Deny They Are Asking Homeless To Leave Area

POSTED: 10:26 am PDT October 19, 2007
UPDATED: 5:14 pm PDT October 19, 2007

Although a few homeless remained Friday at Central Park, some have been ticketed, others possibly asked to leave and at least two were arrested by Bakersfield Police.

Slideshow: Were Homeless Asked To Leave Central Park?

Related Story: Homeless Displaced From Central Park

Near the 21st Street side of Central Park, two men were seen by ABC23 sitting on a park picnic table when a police vehicle approached. Officers were seen talking to the men, pouring one of their drinks into a grassy area, and eventually cuffing the men.

Bakersfield police said the two men, Rodney Woodbury and his brother, Terry Woodbury, were both arrested on outstanding warrants. One of the men said to police he was homeless, while the other gave an address.

Video: Two Men Arrested At Central Park

On the other side of the park one homeless man slept on a bench right inside poles set up for chain-link fencing set along 19th Street. A group of homeless woke him and warned about police officers in the park handing out citations and asking homeless to leave.

One of the men in the group, Tommy Rowland, said he received nine citations from Bakersfield Police and that he just wanted a place to be cooled off in the summer. He received another citation early Friday morning and waved the ticket at ABC23’s Nick Belardes.

Rowland’s citation had been marked as a misdemeanor, while Rowland said it was for being in Central Park.

He said one of his citations was because officers thought he was drunk and he has a speech impediment.

Video: Man Speaks Out About Citation At Central Park

Another homeless man said he thought people in the park didn’t deserve tickets and that he and others were leaving the park after being asked to by police officers.

Some homeless still remained in Central Park as of Friday morning. Bakersfield Police said they aren’t asking any of the homeless to leave the area.

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.

Homeless are still seen in the park, but may have to leave once the fence is completed.

A homeless woman spoke to Jay Jones and Nick Belardes of ABC23. She was upset the federal courthouse was going into the park and said, "What about the animals? What's going to happen to the ducks? What's going to happen to the foxes? Why couldn't they put the courthouse in the empty lot across the street?"


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