TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After the city of Tucson cleared out and closed Santa Rita Park Wednesday morning, the park stayed closed for two days for cleaning.
The city says they closed and cleaned to "preserve public health, safety, and welfare, as noticed by the department and our Outreach Teams."
The city said the cleaning included:
- Cleaning of park areas, walkways, restrooms and dugouts
- Repairing fencing, turf, irrigation and restrooms
- Removing graffiti and repainting
- Clearing trash and large items brought into the park
As the yellow tape surrounding Santa Rita came down, those who have camped there, some for years, returned.
Ramon Moreno says he's been living at Santa Rita for over a decade and has found community there.
“We’re not dangerous human beings, and we try to keep the peace here in the park," he said. "We try to help the newcomers out. We try to comfort them, tell them you’re not alone, you’ve got me, you’ve got everyone else in this park that’s like family.”
Moreno says until he has housing, he wants to stay at Santa Rita.
"I’m not going to let them destroy our home," he said. "This is the homeless park.”
However, housed neighbors around the park told KGUN 9 they want the park cleared. Many say they feel unsafe with the many encampments in Santa Rita and wish they had a clean park for their neighborhood.
