Homeless encampment along L.A. River broken up

A homeless encampment along the Los Angeles River near Imperial Highway was broken up Monday, forcing about 20 people to move from the area.

Officials from South Gate and Lynwood, which share authority over the site with other public and private entities, said the camp had become a health and safety concern, with residents defecating in bushes and lighting fires to keep warm.

“This is such an unsanitary situation,” said David Torres, field operations manager for the South Gate Department of Public Works. “Human waste in piles, an infestation of rats … and cooking in the same area.”

The camp’s residents said some of them had been living in the same spot for five years and had no place to go.

Vanessa Chambers, 47, said she had spent about 10 years in a van but could not afford to pay the registration fees. So she sold the vehicle and bought a tent.

“We were like family,” she said as she surveyed the empty stretch of scrubland where her tent was pitched for more than a year. “It makes me want to cry.”

With insufficient shelter beds to accommodate the more than 48,000 people who are homeless on any given day in Los Angeles County, such encampments have long posed a dilemma for municipalities. The shooting deaths of three men and two women two years ago at another encampment along the Santa Fe Avenue offramp of the 405 Freeway raised concern about crime at the sites.

Officials acted Monday after receiving complaints from cyclists who felt unsafe using a bike path that runs along the Los Angeles River, said South Gate spokeswoman Nellie Cobos. She said the city became aware of the campsite two or three months ago.

Twice last week, notices were distributed warning camp residents to be out by 8 a.m. Monday. Handouts provided information about shelters, substance abuse programs, food banks and financial assistance.

Camp dwellers said they had been told to leave once before and nothing happened, so few took any notice. But by 7 a.m., the loaders and dump trucks were there, they said. They were allowed to pack their belongings before city work crews began dismantling the camp.

By midday, between 50 and 60 tons of debris had been removed, said Torres, who estimated there was a similar amount still to clear.

Steve Orndoff held up an umbrella to shelter his girlfriend, Judy Clark, from the sun as they waited for friends to bring a van to put their belongings into storage. Bags of clothing and shoes, a couple of bicycles and a portable toilet were piled nearby.

Clark, 61, said she used to work as a physical therapist but was laid off. Orndoff’s commercial driving license was suspended when he failed to pay a ticket. When the bills became too much three years ago, they moved into the encampment.

“We called it West West Riverside Gated Community,” Clark said, chuckling.

But as the camp grew in size, she said, it attracted people who would steal metal from a nearby Caltrans yard to recycle. And drug use became a problem. They said they had no regrets about leaving.

Orndoff, 51, said he had recently gotten his license back and that the eviction would motivate him to pursue work. Clark was looking forward to a bubble bath at a motel where they planned to stay overnight.

“I’m done with camping,” she said.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Times photographer Al Seib contributed to this report.