Residents of Abbotsford tent encampment challenge 'violent' reputation

People living in an Abbotsford tent encampment are disputing the labelling of their camp as "violent."

About a dozen or so people who are homeless have been living at the Lonzo Park and Ride off Sumas Way for several years, pitching tents and parking trailers on the lot.

Abbotsford police have called the camp "the most violent in the city," and the mayor says it's been challenging dealing with growing safety concerns for those in and around the area.

But people living in the camp say the label is unfair.

"People see a mess ... and then all of a sudden everybody here is just tagged as that we're dirty; we're criminals and addicts," said Kat Lyons, who's been living at the camp for the last two weeks. "That's just not the case." 

She says she hasn't come across any violence at the camp other than theft. Every person she's met, she says, has been "super nice" to her and her partner. It's a stark departure from her interactions with police, whom she says "harass us."

Since moving in, Lyons says she's tried to help clean up the mess at the encampment — dumping garbage left behind and putting up potted plants.

A truck driver, Lyons stopped working to take care of her partner after he was involved in a car accident and suffered a brain injury.

When a relative gave them a trailer, Lyons says they chose to move in after seeing the skyrocketing cost of rent.

Heightened fears

Paul Shearer, 78, has lived in his RV parked at the edge of the lot for about four months after losing his job as a dairy farmworker.

He says he doesn't feel the camp is violent, but there has been theft and rampant drug use.

"They're all spaced out," he said.

While talking to employment agencies, he says he's told he shouldn't be living in such an unsafe environment.

Comments like that, in addition to officials labelling the camp, have heightened his fears even though he says he hasn't experienced violence.

He says several of his neighbours have tried to reassure him he won't be bothered.

"I'm not causing any trouble, so they don't care," he said. "I don't know how true it is because it could change overnight."

'We're not all that bad'

In the corner of the lot, three young women sit under a blue tarp on folding chairs. Trish says the people at the camp are the only family she has left.

She says her siblings introduced her to hard drugs at the age of nine. She wishes the public didn't judge her and others for their circumstances.

"We're not all that bad," she said. "We're not violent, and people need to stop looking at it like we are."

The axes and machetes being pulled out by police are tools for survival, like chopping wood to stay warm, she says.

"Everyone of us, even you guys, are one paycheque away from being right here."

Mayor and police chief respond

Abbotsford's mayor, Ross Siemens, stands by the description of the camp as violent. He says it's "accurate" based on police reports and what citizens in the area have told him.

Abbotsford police say, since 2015, violent crime rates in the immediate area have quadrupled.

Firefighters will no longer go into the camp without a police escort.

During an interview with CBC News, Siemens arrived with police Chief Mike Serr in tow.

"There's a number of major challenges, and it's been allowed to fester and grow, which I find quite frustrating," said Siemens.

The park and ride, which was built for a transit hub that never materialized, falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation.

He says the city has been pushing the province to take action, but it's been challenging because the issues span homelessness, addiction and mental health.

"It's not that people aren't trying, but when you have people living in these situations, it can't happen fast enough."

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says the province is aware of the issues at the encampments in the area and notes it's not safe.

But he said he won't be moving people out without support, including offering rent supplements, shelter or supportive housing spaces where available.

"Our approach is ensuring that when people need to be moved for safety reasons ... that there's other housing available for them," Kahlon said.

He says the government is working on a transition plan until long-term housing is ready.

In the meantime, he says there are plans to temporarily relocate a nearby shelter to the park and ride to free up space for more modular homes.