Citing the need for public spaces to be accessible, clean and free from needles, human feces and urine, along with safety and security concerns, city officials posted signs Tuesday ordering homeless who had begun gathering since the last sweep in August to leave the area.

For close to two years now, various pop-up, makeshift encampments have been erected by as many as 20 or more unhoused individuals just in Brooklyn Square while hundreds more were camping in other areas of the city. The encampments compelled Mayor Kim Ecklund to declare a state of emergency on July 25. On Aug. 19, city officials carried out the first sweep of the area in the Riverwalk area, Ransom Alley and other locations.

“Where do they expect us to go,” said Rodney “Ruddy” White on Wednesday.

The Post-Journal talked to White on Aug. 19, when he asked the same question. At the time, White was in the process of applying for assistance for housing with county officials. When White was asked about the progress he has made since that time, he replied, “I missed an appointment, so they sanctioned me.”

By CHRISTOPHER BLAKESLEE cblakeslee@post-journal.com For the second time in close to 55 days, city officials have cleared the Riverwalk and downtown train viaduct area near Brooklyn Square. Citing the need for public spaces to be accessible, clean and free from needles, human feces and urine, along with safety and security concerns, city officials posted signs Tuesday ordering homeless who had begun gathering since the last sweep in August to leave the area. For close to two years now, various pop-up, makeshift encampments have been erected by as many as 20 or more unhoused individuals just in Brooklyn Square while hundreds more were camping in other areas of the city. The encampments compelled Mayor Kim Ecklund to declare a state of emergency on July 25. On Aug. 19, city officials carried out the first sweep of the area in the Riverwalk area, Ransom Alley and other locations. “Where do they expect us to go,” said Rodney “Ruddy” White on Wednesday. The Post-Journal talked to White on Aug. 19, when he asked the same question. At the time, White was in the process of applying for assistance for housing with county officials. When White was asked about the progress he has made since that time, he replied, “I missed an appointment, so they sanctioned me.” The makeshift encampments along the Riverwalk weren’t so makeshift this time around. “They mounted a basketball hoop on a tree about six or seven feet up,” said one city sanitation worker. “They also have a metal fire pit, right in the middle of the sidewalk - they cooked crawfish and sausages. …they’re eating better than me. None of the city’s official notifications which were posted along the Riverwalk and train viaduct were anywhere to be found Wednesday. Sources told The Post-Journal the homeless had used the yard stakes and signs to start their cooking fire. Locally, Salamanca and the Seneca Nation are removing illegal encampments. In Buffalo, officials cleared a downtown encampment and encouraged individuals to volunteer at shelters rather than providing resources that might inadvertently perpetuate the issue. The City of Olean has endorsed a resolution to form a homelessness task force. There have been meetings in recent weeks to begin solving the homeless conundrum, one hosted by Chautauqua Opportunities and another led by the Jamestown Justice Coalition and Jamestown YWCA. New Code Blue shelters are coming, according to city officials, but a solution to the issue of what to do with homeless who aren’t taking part in emergency housing is yet to be announced. “At Chautauqua County’s Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting the homeless population in Jamestown, and all of Chautauqua County,” Carmelo Hernandez, county mental hygiene and social services director, earlier this summer. “We are actively seeking to facilitate new developments and initiatives to address the ongoing needs of our homeless community,”he said. “Our goal is to ensure that emergency housing is accessible throughout the year, thanks to the collaborative efforts of our department and our dedicated partners.” Ecklund has publicly stated in the past “we must act with compassion and provide services and programs for those not wanting to live like this. However, I, and the City Council, have an obligation to protect the citizens of the city.” “I guess it's time to find a new home,” said Charlie Tremblay a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. When Tremblay was asked how he got to Jamestown, he responded “The wind blew me south, so. …I went with the flow, sort of.” After he packed his personal items in a backpack, he cinched the straps tightly around his arms, feigned a salute, and started walking east down the riverwalk.

The makeshift encampments along the Riverwalk weren’t so makeshift this time around.

“They mounted a basketball hoop on a tree about six or seven feet up,” said one city sanitation worker. “They also have a metal fire pit, right in the middle of the sidewalk – they cooked crawfish and sausages. …they’re eating better than me.

None of the city’s official notifications which were posted along the Riverwalk and train viaduct were anywhere to be found Wednesday. Sources told The Post-Journal the homeless had used the yard stakes and signs to start their cooking fire.

Locally, Salamanca and the Seneca Nation are removing illegal encampments. In Buffalo, officials cleared a downtown encampment and encouraged individuals to volunteer at shelters rather than providing resources that might inadvertently perpetuate the issue. The City of Olean has endorsed a resolution to form a homelessness task force.

There have been meetings in recent weeks to begin solving the homeless conundrum, one hosted by Chautauqua Opportunities and another led by the Jamestown Justice Coalition and Jamestown YWCA. New Code Blue shelters are coming, according to city officials, but a solution to the issue of what to do with homeless who aren’t taking part in emergency housing is yet to be announced.

“At Chautauqua County’s Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting the homeless population in Jamestown, and all of Chautauqua County,” Carmelo Hernandez, county mental hygiene and social services director, earlier this summer. “We are actively seeking to facilitate new developments and initiatives to address the ongoing needs of our homeless community,”he said. “Our goal is to ensure that emergency housing is accessible throughout the year, thanks to the collaborative efforts of our department and our dedicated partners.”

Ecklund has publicly stated in the past “we must act with compassion and provide services and programs for those not wanting to live like this. However, I, and the City Council, have an obligation to protect the citizens of the city.”

“I guess it’s time to find a new home,” said Charlie Tremblay a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

When Tremblay was asked how he got to Jamestown, he responded “The wind blew me south, so. …I went with the flow, sort of.”

After he packed his personal items in a backpack, he cinched the straps tightly around his arms, feigned a salute, and started walking east down the riverwalk.