Saturday rally planned to protest Lakewood's response to homelessness

Juan Carlos Castillo
Asbury Park Press

LAKEWOOD – Community members plan to hold a rally at noon Saturday to protest the township's decision to cut down all of the Town Square shade trees, a move designed to deter homeless people from spending time there.

Local charity Destiny’s Bridge organized the rally.

Steven Brigham, Destiny’s Bridge director, said that since last summer homeless people here have been complaining more than usual about the township antagonizing them.

“The township is being adversarial toward the homeless, and it’s cruel and it’s unjust, and we want to stand up on behalf of the homeless,” Brigham said.

Last month, when the trees were cut, Mayor Ray Coles said that the decision was made after a recommendation from the Police Department Quality of Life Unit in response to numerous complaints from residents and township employees.

“They (homeless people) were harassing people, defecating between the cars, and residents were complaining,” he said, adding that the township wants to make the area a place that is inviting for families.

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So far this year, Lakewood police have responded to several dozen incidents or complaints about homeless people at the Town Square. That includes eight disorderly conduct incidents; eight altercations, with two of them involving injuries; five involving alcohol consumption; one for harassment; and 15 first aid responses for intoxication, heart attacks and other medical conditions.

This week, the township removed the tables and benches from the area around Third Street.

Coles said that “the whole square is getting a facelift. Some of those tables were cracked-up. Some of them had graffiti on them. I was talking to Phil Roux, our public works director, earlier this week, and he’s finalizing the plans, ordering the plants so we get everything replanted and hopefully have everything looking nice for everybody in town by the fall.”

In a previous interview with the Asbury Park Press, Brigham argued that cutting down trees is not a solution to the area's homeless problem.

“If they create a shelter, they create some accommodations for homeless people, (then) they didn’t have to worry about that. It’s extremely extreme to cut down the trees. That’s not the answer,” he said.

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The rally will run from noon until 1:30 p.m. and area community leaders will be joining, Brigham said.

“Enough is enough with these people being moved from pole to pole without representation,” said the Rev. Kevin Nunn of Asbury Park, a longtime advocate for the homeless population.

Juan Carlos Castillo is a reporter covering everything Lakewood. He delves into politics, social issues and human-interest stories. Reach out to him at JcCastillo@gannett.com