DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- The city of Dallas is taking a new approach to security when it comes to raiding homeless camps. They say it's an attempt to improve communications and provide security, but campaigners fear it will have the opposite effect.
When Dallas workers need to clean up or remove a homeless camp, they know they can face opposition from residents and activists alike. A new security plan now lists three levels of security for this situation. For example, if activists are expected, the Dallas police will be ready. A high probability of possible arrests triggers a report to the mayor and city council.
A camp on Coombs Street is the reason for the changes. A purge planned for July 22 became controversial when activists showed up with guns.
Julia Paramo from Sunrise Movement Dallas was there that day. He said he was concerned the new plan might be overly complicated.
"It seems like a very aggressive approach," Paramo said. "And that was very worrying for the people I work with and for myself, especially the residents of these camps who are already living in fear."
Chief David Pughes, the city's acting sheriff, said expanding their reach into vulnerable populations is one way to define each department's responsibilities.
"We're just here to try to keep everyone calm and peaceful and to really make everyone involved feel safe," he said. "All we can do once we get there is reassure them that our role is simply to keep the peace."
Marci Jackson of the Office of Homeless Solutions said that in some places, like Coombs Street, they will give residents the tools to clean up rather than remove the stock. But he said communication, like announcements and meetings, and public relations remain his top priorities.
"We have a duty to help the homeless. That's an obligation we have as a city. We choose to do this with compassion," he said.
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