Aberdeen restricts visitors, plans to shut down homeless camp

Aberdeen city officials started regulating who can enter the city’s riverfront homeless camp.

Although it’s not a spot sanctioned by the city, it’s an area the homeless community has lived in for decades.

Mayor Erik Larson said things have to change to keep people safe.

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“This isn’t a sanctioned homeless camp,” said Larson. “It’s an industrial piece of property. It’s not suitable for habitation. It’s pretty dangerous because of the railway that separates the property from downtown.”

Earlier this year, a woman lost her legs when she was hit by a train as she was trying to get to the camp.

"My sister lost her legs, she was simply trying to cross to get back over here and stay the night,” said Leon Obi, who lives in the camp.

Since then, the city purchased the land, fenced it off and put up no trespassing signs. The city also began restricting who can go beyond the gates.

“There were people going down there for bad reasons that were creating issues,” said Larson. “It’s not a camp facility, it’s just a vacant piece of property.”

The new rules created hurdles for people like April Obi who has family living inside the camp.

“You have rules, you have to do this, you have to do that, and now the visitors have rules, the visitors have to get permission to come down here,” she said.

Visitors have to fill out an application they can obtain at City Hall. The application must be approved by the city’s Public Works Department.

“Is that person disabled? Is there a limitation on them leaving the site? Because, obviously, the best scenario would be that individual leaves the property to visit with their cousin rather than their cousin come to the property,” said Larson.

Obi said she refuses to fill out the paperwork, but still visits the camp multiple times each week. She said her cousin’s fiancee has seizures and needs firewood to keep warm.

“I bring firewood and I did get a message from the mayor saying that I wasn’t allowed down here, if there was any kind of Native American ceremony, that I need to submit an application,” she said. “It’s my right to come down here and make sure no one dies down here.”

People who live on the property must prove they resided on the land before the city purchased the property. They also need to justify why they need to live there.

Cox Media Group