Portion of Joe Rodota Trail shut down again over homeless encampment

SANTA ROSA – A portion of the Joe Rodota Trail in Santa Rosa has been again shut down because of a small homeless encampment.

It’s the second time that’s happened and while some feel it’s an overreaction, it is also a symbol of the dilemma communities across the Bay Area face in addressing homelessness.

A half mile section of the Rodota Trail is already fenced off, and on an open section, crews were dropping off more fencing Wednesday afternoon. A small cluster of tents popped up along the trail recently and the campers are reportedly refusing to leave.

On its website, the Sonoma Regional Parks District said the closure is necessary because “the encampment is impeding safe public use of the trail.”

Ryan Walker, a cyclist, doesn’t see why it should be shut down.

“A lot of people use it as a thoroughfare to get to and from work or school. And, yeah, it seems like it’s pretty unnecessary. They can move the people along without closing the path,” Walker told KPIX 5.

It’s not the first time county officials simply gave up trying to move the homeless and instead shut out the public. In 2020, a huge encampment grew up along the trail, sparking a debate about homeless rights vs. public access.

The trail was finally closed and the campers forced to leave.

But on Wednesday, a homeless man named James said the public has never understood the truth about homelessness.

“Nobody wants to be out here,” James said. “Nobody likes this. This is not fun, it’s not something we choose.”

James also disagreed with the trail closure, but for a different reason…he doesn’t think there’s a safety issue at all.

“The public is not in danger,” he said.  “I mean, where’s the danger coming from? I mean, the homeless are more in danger than the public, if you ask me, because there’s a lot of people that don’t like homeless.”

He thinks officials are reacting to public fear, something he sees every day.

“They tell their kids, ‘watch out, don’t ever be homeless like that,’ or whatever…’come here, get away from them,’ you know?  Like we’re dangerous or something,” James said.

And he said erecting cages around the homeless only reinforces that image.

“That’s what they do, they’re trying to make us look bad and dangerous,” he said, “just because we’re out here and the public wants to go through and it’s such a mess to them…because they’re so neat and tidy, I guess you’d say.”

The Parks department reportedly has no plans to force people to leave the encampment and has not issued notices to vacate to those living there. The courts have said homeless people cannot be forced from most public spaces unless there is room for them somewhere else.