Dane County’s Homeless Issues Committee met with members of the community Tuesday to review the city and county’s past actions in relocating members of Occupy Madison from Lake View Hill County Park to Token Creek Park earlier this month.
Homelessness advocates and members of Occupy Madison, which over time have received attention for developing into somewhat of a homeless community, criticized Dane County officials for what they saw as unnecessary force used in evicting them from the park Nov. 7.
Community members criticized Land and Water Resource Director Kevin Connors and the county Parks Department for what they considered forcible removal of individuals’ belongings.
Sue Pastor, a community member present at the meeting, said she saw inconsistencies between Connors’ allegations that individuals had left their belongings unattended to explain why they were taken.
“Why couldn’t people have packed up their own stuff?” Pastor asked. “It conveys an attitude of mistrust … I don’t want to live in a county that operates that way.”
Occupy Madison members said they were concerned that Token Creek’s remoteness, being 10 miles north of the city, made it difficult for some to get to jobs and services downtown and have suggested relocating to Lake Farm Park on Lake Waubesa. But Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said there was no alternative county park available for use that was closer to bus lines.
Connors said the Lake Farm Park site was unsuitable for Occupy Madison because its heavy use for winter recreation, security costs, and the frequent private rental of the Lussier Family Heritage Center conflicted with the needs of the Occupy encampment.
