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This Garbage Mountain Made Of Nightmares Is What A Homeless Camp Looks Like When Its FINALLY Dragged Out From Under A Bridge And The PD Puts The Smackdown

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It’s Friday! The sun is up, the birds are chirping and the Merrimack River is a gorgeous, flowing sight to behold!

Ok, not really, but it is looking better these days now that Mayor Rivera FINALLY decided to overhaul tent city under the Casey street bridge in Lawrence.  

(Even though it’s been a huge issue for years and has never been fully addressed until just a few months before election time.. Convenient, no?)

Whatever. I’m just glad they’re making an effort to get that place under control because there’s been a whole lot of shady business going on over there.

*Big shoutout to Tommy Duggan at The Valley Patriot! He was pretty much responsible for getting this whole project going!*

It’s not a secret that the homeless population has grown like wildfire and there are tent cities all over Massachusetts. Lowell overhauled their camp over at Beaver Brook in 2013 and Brockton followed suit last Summer. Unfortunately most of the people living in the Brockton camp hiked down to Fall River and set up shop but that’s usually the way it goes. Just use your imagination and envision what kind of knock-off, throw-down fiesta those guys are having all joined together in one big BedRiver mashup!

I’m joking. That sounds terrible.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not a cold hearted turtle bitch when it comes to the homeless population and we all know that nobody ever dreams of living under a bridge someday. I drive all over the Merrimack Valley for work every single day see pan-handlers on 114, 28, 110 and all along Merrimack Street. I’m pretty good at offering a smile and a bottle of water or a buck here and there if I haven’t squandered my change on mainlining excess amounts of Dunkin Donuts.

But what people don’t see is what goes on behind the scenes at these camps. Unless you’re living there or bringing supplies, you don’t venture under the bridges in Lawrence. Nope.

Here’s what you don’t see (until the city comes to haul everything away):

 

We have 5 gallon drums!

We have full sized mattresses!

We’ve got foot stools and slabs of particle board!

We have soggy old blankets and storage bins!

There are makeshift bunkbeds! (MORE ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!)

Yoga mats and pallets!

A gently worn sectional end piece from Bobs Furniture!

Car seats! Clothes! Children’s toys!

There’s even a leftover Christmas tree and ornaments!

And there’s enough black trashbags to recreate Missy Elliot’s signature outfit from her                                  “I cant stand the rain” music video.

But at least they kept the PBR beer can, infant play mat and dish soap.

The longer I look at these photos the more irritated I get. I was really hoping not to come off as a horrible human being but there’s no way anyone in their right mind can look at this MOUNTAIN of trash and not be irate.

First things first: Massachusetts is the ONLY state with a right to shelter law. That means that our state guarantees emergency shelter to those who qualify.

You qualify for housing relief if:

You are a Massachusetts resident, have a child under 21, meet the income standard, have a child in danger of a health/safety risk, haven’t had an at-fault eviction (that’s a gray area for me. Free pass) or are fleeing domestic violence. Is it going to be a luxury stay at the Ritz-Carlton? No, but at least your baby wont be rolling around in dirt, trash, broken glass and cigarette butts. There is NO reason for a child to be in that environment. Period.

My other issue is this: If you would rather live outside than at a shelter or have no desire to seek help in obtaining long term housing then for Christ’s sake clean up your shit! There is no excuse for this amount of filth to pile up. If you’re heading out for the day then take a bag of garbage and throw it in a trashcan for fucks sake. You know why it doesn’t get picked up? Because no one cares. Listen, if you want to have your own yard and fill it up with garbage and faux-leather furniture like a 978 gypsy then by all means, go for it. But don’t set up shop on property that isn’t yours and then pollute the ground and THE RIVER around you.

You know, the river that Rocky Morrison and his crew at the Clean River Project have worked so tirelessly to clean up for the past 12 years? They just announced this morning that the Mayor has joined their coalition and they will begin removing waste today so maybe stop using it like your personal garbage disposal.

On top of the massive trash overhaul, the Lawrence Police Department has set up shop with a 24/7 surveillance point at the bridge and they’re coming down hard on anyone trying to bring stuff in.

Along with the fuzz-mobile you have to check in if you’re bringing food and other goods can ONLY go to the shelters after registering with the city.

There are plenty of places within the city limits that have a TON to offer and a lot of people have gone off the deep end with the idea that the city is punishing the homeless community. Come on. The same items will be available for free like always been BUT this method ensures that people become motivated to get of their asses and physically obtain the items themselves. All non perishable items being donated from now on will require drop off to one of the local facilities in town.

It’s not a secret that the areas around the bridge are ripe with prostitution, crime and drug use and if you beg to differ, please take a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. Time to shut that shit down.

Oh, and the police are actively seeking the arrest of “FAT FREDDY” so if you see him call the LPD!

Fat Freddy (A.K.A. Freddy Miguel Santiago) is a grade A dumpster dragon. He’s well known in the city and within the tent community for being a sloppy, violent scumbucket who charges the homeless population $$ in order to “let them” stay under the bridge and assaults or rapes those who don’t have the funds.

I’m 10000% sure that Freddy Santiago isn’t his real name because after digging into his family members it seems as though none of their names are legit either. That’s ok with me because I like Fat Freddie better anyway. He’s here illegally from the Dominican Republic after being deported and skipping back over the border. He’s from East Boston but has ties to Methuen and Lawrence as well as family living in NY and Florida.

Look at that rotund, rancid, honey-baked ham with feet and a flat brim. Jesus.

If he put a black Tshirt on I would only be able to decipher him from the massive pile of trash on the curb because the trash would smell better.

Alright so anyway, while it seems like sunshine and rainbows to help 24/7 all it’s doing is exacerbating the issue at hand. If we can get these guys in the door of the places that are actually there to help them then there’s no harm in maintaining boundaries and cracking down on the street lifestyle that’s come to be expected and tolerated. It’s not only unacceptable but it’s a health hazard that neither side should be exposed to (especially the one’s who aren’t making the mess and funding the cleanup with tax dollars.)

There are still needles everywhere. You cant hike down a trail, walk your dog or visit a beach with your kids without finding at least one and it’s friggin ridiculous. Party’s over!

Here is the full list of food pantries, shelters and other programs available nearby in case anyone needs resources!

The Shine Program: MV Elder Services

The Greater Lawrence Community Action Council: Providing employment, training, fuel assistance and WIC benefits

Groundwork Lawrence: Providing local food, employment training, community garden, youth services and employment opportunities.

CorUnum: Serving breakfast daily from 6-8 a.m. and dinner from 6:30-8:30 7 days a week

Rotating local food pantries: Website with contact information

The Salvation Army: Locations vary

The Lazarus House: Meals, clothing, housing and work training

Food for the world: Food pantry, nutritional education and work training

Blanket Me: A North Andover based non-profit for those unable or unwilling to find shelter.

Bread & Roses: Local soup kitchen serving food M-T & Saturdays from 5-7 p.m.

Horizons Children- Providing housing assistance, trauma mitigation, early childhood centers, playspace programs and family partnership programs/advocacy.

The Daybreak Shelter: Substance abuse education/treatment, recovery services, mental health counseling, shelter, assistance applying for health care, womens recovery housing and residential treatment for youth and young adults.

13 Comment(s)
  • September 1, 2017 at 12:19 am

    Great website you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any
    message boards that cover the same topics discussed here?
    I’d really love to be a part of community where I
    can get opinions from other experienced people that
    share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
    Kudos!

  • Mr. Hanky
    August 31, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    The dirt under the rugs.

  • anonyymous
    August 6, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    “If you would rather live outside than at a shelter or have no desire to seek help in obtaining long term housing then for Christ’s sake clean up your shit! There is no excuse for this amount of filth to pile up. ”

    here in worcester, it’s a f***ing hot mess: one overcrowded run by those faghags at SMOC; three shelters for chudstuffers with baby daddies who like to use them as punching bags; halfway houses up the wahoo…

    But this? Lawrence will never clean up the dump.

  • Abe
    August 4, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    Lawrence Lowell Brockton cleaning up. Worcester is tearing down classic iconic churches to put up soon to be vacant apartments and allowing bums and filth to surround them. Makes sense.

  • itsjustme
    Itsjustme
    August 4, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    My husband used to volunteer at a soup kitchen in MA once a week on his lunch break and the stories he told me were horrible. They were the the most ungrateful, miserable, rude group of people. Many couldn’t speak English unless they were insulting the volunteers over something.
    The last straw for him was the Monday after Thanksgiving and they were serving something with turkey in it because they had leftovers from Thanksgiving. I can’t remember now what it was, soup, or some casserole, and most of the them complained, several took their tray and walked immediately to the trash and threw it away. All of the workers were volunteers, who also had jobs, and used their lunch breaks to go help these greedy people. My husband was so pissed he has only gone back a few times since that day.

  • Stunt Penis
    August 4, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    a lot of these people are drug addicts, have no family (or no family willing to take them in because they’re junkies) and have no support structure.

    I knew someone who was homeless for a while. She was addicted to various shit and was on suboxone, and ended up living out of her car for a month. Fortunately, she had a car to live in (even if it was a 15 year old toyota). If she didn’t, she would have ended up under a bridge. But, she couldn’t get (or hold down) a job, had no savings, and basically was one step away from living under a bridge. She did try to go to DTA and other social services in MA, but they were completely useless to her.

    All that said, I do not know what the solution is. I hate to have a cold heart, because many of us could easily end up under a bridge, if we because sick, lost our job and our house, etc. But, on the other hand, many of these people made their own bed, so to speak, so now they should live in it. How do you tell the difference? Not sure, which is why I’ll never run for office, because I know I sure do not have the answers.

    • Elaine
      August 6, 2017 at 1:38 pm

      Nice comment well said hun

  • The Executioner
    August 4, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Screw that. Deport Fat Freddy’s ass again. This time dismember his legs so he can’t skip back over the border so easily.

  • August 4, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    • Sonny's Mom
      August 4, 2017 at 5:26 pm

      Dramatik: Very well made short film, thank you for posting it. And I get what you’re saying: the people need help. But on the inside, many of them are of two minds about it. They are, in a way, still little kids inside. They don’t believe in themselves. They may show a different face to you, for the camera, but the hurt child inside can’t just grow up overnight. It’s common to hear “the government should do something.” Guess what: government policy CAUSED this. (See my response to “Fed Up”.) The bridge people are not fully ready to go back into society. They accept individual acts of kindness because it allows them to survive without challenging them to change their fundamental attitude. Until they are willing to seek help and accept support to live a different way of life– and not give up when things get difficult– we can pour all the government funding, spare change (and soup! 🙂 we want on the problem. But nothing will change permanently for them until the motivation is there to commit to walk the walk back into “straight” society. It’s an example of “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” So what’s the solution? Program + individual mentoring, maybe? Nothing has worked for the past 40 years and we need to find new ways to address this.

  • Fed Up
    August 4, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    Liberals believe we should continue to let everyone in the world live here if they want. This is what we get, more homeless. Mental illness is on the rise. One reason is the stress of being homeless. So the liberal answer is let more poor people in our country.

    • Sonny's Mom
      August 4, 2017 at 4:00 pm

      All this started back in the 1970s with the “radical psychiatry” movement (“the mentally ill simply have a different perspective, just as valid as yours and mine”) and the closing of the state mental hospitals “as a cost-cutting measure”. Brought to you courtesy of Generation Woodstock.

      • TJB
        Captain Pissbottle
        August 4, 2017 at 7:05 pm

        Exactly. Mental hospitals played a very important role in helping those who are not able to care for themselves. I hope the workers who are picking this mess up are wearing protective clothing and are up to date with immunizations. Besides being a filthy stinking mess; I imagine there are needles, blood, other human fluids that can transmit diseases all over this place.

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