The campout Saturday, March 15th into Sunday March 16th was peaceful and without arrests.
��� County security guards made their sympathy for the campout obvious by the respectful manner in which they treated us.
��� One guard expressed his gratitude that we were there..."I worked at 519 for a year and a half..there needs to be more shelter and more housing."
��� Several men currently experiencing homelessness stopped by to talk about their experiences and their lives: One man is attending community college and homeless, another is trying to earn enough money to find an apartment and staying at 519, another man talked of sleeping under bridge overpasses due to being tired of no room in the shelters and/or the uncomfortable conditions in the shelters. Several others also stopped by to talk, share their stories or inquire about why we were there.
��� When asked, all of them said that it meant a great deal to them to know there were housed folks willing to take this sort of action to make their situation more public. "It means a hell of a lot to us. To know that you care, that there are people out there who do more than talk."
��� As the documentary about this issue continues to be filmed, we will be focusing on Mike Opat (he did not accept our invitation to the campout). Commissioner Opat has been asked to do a filmed interview. So far, there has been no response.
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��� Margaret Hastings
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