SLO County safe parking site bans visitors after reports of drugs and partying
Some residents of the Oklahoma Avenue safe parking site are upset about a new policy that bars visitors from entering the premises.
But others say the change is needed to prevent people who don’t live at the site from coming there to party and use drugs.
Effective June 1, visitors to the property — commonly referred to as the Kansas Avenue safe parking site — cannot pass the gate, which San Luis Obispo County Homeless Services Division Manager Joe Dzvonik said was requested by some longtime site residents.
Though the site has security present 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Dzvonik said some residents recently reported several incidents of drug use by visitors onsite, which may be the result of the relatively open visitor policy.
Flyers were posted at the entrance and distributed to residents last week, informing them of the policy change.
“We understand the frustrations of some of the participants of the Oklahoma parking operation regarding the new visitor policy,” Dzvonik said in a statement. “While we have compassion for their concerns, it’s is our job to weigh the concerns of all participants onsite with their health and safety, and the ‘open-door’ policy was simply not doing that.”
However, some residents said they feel the changes are a step too far and limit their personal freedoms onsite.
“For the most part, I haven’t seen disrespectful visitors coming here,” resident Sebastian Salazar told The Tribune. “They’re trying to say our visitors are causing problems — it’s the people that come in that aren’t supposed to be here.”
Site residents unhappy with changes
Carol Perez, a longtime resident, said this policy change has already caused issues for her.
Perez’s work shifts in Pismo Beach take place between 1 a.m. and 3 p.m. When she used a company vehicle to get to and from the site to drop off her cleaning supplies at her parking space, she wasn’t allowed to drive in because the vehicle was not registered at the site.
“(The guard) wanted me to literally find a cart to be able to carry everything from there to here because he wasn’t going to let me in,” Perez said. “It makes no sense whatsoever.”
Several residents said they believe the county tightened the policy to make the site less appealing to residents, as a means of getting them to leave without having to follow through on connecting them to housing.
In February, the county announced it would wind down operations at the parking site over the course of the year. At the time, then-County Administrator Wade Horton said the county would work to find housing for existing residents, during which time no residents would be kicked out.
“We’re waiting till they say, ‘Hey, you’ve gotta go now,’” resident Dave Richford said.
Dzvonik said that although he understands why not all residents approve of the change, it’s intended to make others feel more secure.
Residents reported unknown visitors were entering the site at night and occupying deserted trailers, where they used drugs and partied, often irritating residents with loud music, Dzvonik said.
Dzvonik also said the residents who opposed the visitor policy change did not speak for the entirety of the site.
“When (residents) were talking to me, it seemed like it was so urgent that I just had to quickly say, ‘You know what, starting tomorrow or the next day, we’re just going to notify everybody, they can’t have people coming in the site to visit them anymore,’” Dzvonik said.
Police presence at parking site causes tensions
According to some residents, since the policy change and reports of drug use, there has been a police presence onsite some nights, leading to stops and searches of residents who have been there for years.
One resident who did not feel comfortable providing her name due to fear of retaliation said she and her boyfriend were stopped by sheriff’s deputies while using the restroom.
The resident said she suffers from disabilities that affect her mobility. After her boyfriend drove her across the site, sheriff’s deputies stopped their vehicle from leaving where it was idling near the restroom.
Deputies then “interrogated” the resident and her boyfriend for around 45 minutes, she said, and asked to search the vehicle without giving any reason for either the search or detainment.
Deputies also handcuffed her boyfriend during part of the stop, she said.
Though her registration was expired, the resident said she felt the stop was unjustified, as neither she or her boyfriend are on probation or parole or have active warrants.
She also said the officer offered to let them go if they could provide the identity of residents using or distributing drugs.
“He said, ‘Give me one name and I’ll let you go,’” the resident said.
The resident said she believes the recent increase in police activity at the parking site is due to the recent murder charge filed against Brandi Turner, a former Oklahoma Avenue resident who allegedly sold fentanyl to a Templeton man who later overdosed and died behind the old County Animal Services building in October.
Dzvonik said he is unaware of any incident of a resident being handcuffed, though because the parking site is county property, officers have always been permitted to enter when they feel it is necessary.
“As we have done from the beginning, the county is continually talking to all participants with the goal of best serving the needs of all on site and will adjust as deemed necessary,” Dzvonik said in a statement. “The site, however, will not be a gathering spot for drug use, parties or any other activities that hinder the efforts of those who are sincerely trying to get by and improve their living situations.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2023 at 9:00 AM.
