Where did the homeless people go?

BY TRISH STACHELSKI

The beagle used to bay along the railroad tracks.  I knew she was up there hunting rabbits without her owner.  At that time, the park seemed borderless.  People jogged in the gravel along the tracks and walked their dogs off leash. Huge trees and massive bushes provided privacy and cover for camps of homeless people en route to the Mississippi gorge.  On Saturday mornings, the campers enjoyed the baseball games and soccer tournaments. I remember their wild cheering  and booing at the players.  I kept a wide berth as I walked my dog so  as not to become a target of their taunts.

The new slick bike/walk trail follows alongside the tracks. The oak and maple replacement trees are too young yet to offer any shade when the sun heats up the black tar surface of the trail. A  protective chain link fence separates the tracks from the bike trail,  and there are lights and emergency call centers at various points. An  ambitious undertaking, the trail provides a unique connection between the city lakes and the famous river. In addition, it offers commuters a serious alternative to driving a car or using public transportation.  I wonder if the trail still serves as a highway for homeless people headed down to the river?

I have a similar question about the Stone Arch Bridge grain  elevators that once were a gathering place for many homeless people. So many that a charity drove a chuck wagon there once a day offering people a warm meal. It was a large space with lots of possibilities. People en route to other places stopped by, others called it home. So where have the people gone who lived in the abandoned grain elevators that now serve as a high class/shabby chic event center for the new Guthrie?

Concerts in the preserved grain elevators can be heard from the bridge and people from all over the world romp on the artificially green grass.  I love that the city has preserved these public spaces and made them safe and usable.  But a question lingers, where are the people who used to live there?