Videos Capture Homeless Tent City Along Popular OC Bike Trail
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com) — Several videos posted on social media have captured images of an emerging homeless "tent city" along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim.
One video posted Monday to YouTube appears to have been shot during a group cycling event along the Santa Ana River trail, where several hundred people have reportedly occupied the riverbed directly across from Angel Stadium and the 57 Freeway.
Some have complained the homeless people living along the riverbed pose a danger to cyclists, as seen in one video showing stray dogs and debris blocking the trail as a cyclist passes by.
The encampments - which, according to social media reports, stretch along the trail from Chapman to Orangewood - have also been captured by drone footage and have come under renewed scrutiny as construction crews with Orange County Public Works begin a six-month flood control project in the area.
Another video shows the encampments apparently visible from the 57 Freeway, with blankets and other items seen strewn along an adjacent chain link fence.
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The homeless population in Orange County stood at 4,500 countywide last year, according to official estimates.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union filed for a restraining order against the county to force them to remove fences that were put up around the homeless encampment. According to the lawsuit, the six-foot chain link fences don't provide adequate access points for those living along the riverbed.
