GARDEN GROVE : Belongings Given Back to Homeless

The belongings of about a dozen homeless people were returned to them Wednesday, five days after police confiscated the items at Pioneer Park.

Police say the possessions, which included piles of clothes, some suitcases, an ice chest and a lawn mower, were found unattended on May 31 when officers inspected the park after its 11 p.m. closing.

“There were items that had been abandoned and were taken from the park for safekeeping until we could locate the owners,” Lt. William J. Dalton said. “No property was taken from anyone. There was no one in the park at the time. Had there been, there would have been no reason to take it.”

While many of the homeless admit they have long had the habit of leaving belongings at the park when they seek shelter for the night, they said police are well aware of the practice and gave them no prior warning that their things would be taken. Several said police officers came to the park several days before the incident and took photographs of them with their belongings.

“When they came here and took our pictures, I knew something was going on, but I had no idea they were planning on stealing our personal belongings,” said a 32-year-old man who refused to give his name.

No one in the Police Department was available to explain why police were taking pictures.

“If the police were going to do this, they should have warned these people,” said Mardi Reynolds, a Garden Grove resident who brings food to the needy at the park every Thursday.

Reynolds, 52, has returned to the park each day since the incident occurred to compile a list of missing items. She spent three hours at the police station Wednesday recovering the items which she brought back to the park.

Still missing was Manuel Montez’s lawn mower. Montez, known around the park as “Sarge,” has lived in Pioneer Park sporadically for more than 10 years. He said he was the only person at the park on May 31 when police came by and collected the belongings. He said they arrested him for being drunk in public and took his things.

“I try to stay here because I don’t like sleeping in the streets,” said Montez, a Vietnam veteran who still wears his military I.D. tags. “I’m homeless; I’m not harassing anybody. Lately, they’ve really been coming down on us.”

Dalton said police have received numerous calls during the last 10 days from nearby businesses, an adjacent elementary school and residents who have complained about panhandling, noise, drinking, urinating in public and people being in the park after hours. Hypodermic needles have also been found in the park, he said.