Aug. 1—ESPAÑOLA — City police on Thursday morning issued criminal trespass warnings to people living in a homeless encampment along the banks of the Rio Grande in Española.
The warnings marked the first move by law enforcement after city officials’ most recent threat to close and clear out the camp. Officials posted a “notice of closure” Wednesday alerting residents the encampment, established in February on city land off Fairview Drive by City Manager Eric Lujan, would close at noon.
A previous warning to clear out came Monday, following previous threats in April and June.
Carol Draper, 60, and her son Scott, two of a few dozen residents of the camp, each received a “criminal trespass warning” Thursday, along with many other campers, Draper said.
The written warnings, signed by Lujan, state, “I hereby give notice to the individual identified above that my consent or permission for him/her to enter or remain upon the land identified above is now and forever withdrawn.”
Lujan established the encampment after several dozen people were forced off an unsanctioned camp on Ohkay Owingeh land nearby.
A city crew cut and cleared out trees from the encampment Thursday morning, including those next to Draper’s site that she said had provided some shade on her tent.
Police involvement in clearing the encampment is a shift from Chief Mizel Garcia’s comments in recent months that officers would not play a role in forcing anyone from the property.
Many of the people living at the camp had signed liability contracts provided by city officials upon moving onto the site in February.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
