Bold transients irk students
By Andrea Barrack
Trespassing homeless, in search of aluminum cans, have some off-campus students concerned for their own safety.
"They've come in through the back gate without our permission," senior Kelley Lund said. "We see them and make eye contact, they don't leave."
Lund, a resident of the 500 block of Alviso Street, has seen male transients enter the side gate of her yard and explore her trash for recyclable goods. Her housemates decided to put a padlock on their gate.
"If we don't feel safe in our own house, then that's not cool," she said.
The women in the house called Santa Clara police last spring to report a man stealing their cans. He was detained and warned, but nearly two weeks ago, all of their cans were stolen again.
Lt. James Buchanan, a police department spokesman, says the residents were right in calling the police. "If the cans are in your front yard then they are your property until you give somebody permission to take them. For them to be taking that is inappropriate," he said.
Buchanan said that the acts are not very prevalent around campus.
Santa Clara Officer Derek Bertauche followed transient misdemeanors from January to September of this year and only received six calls.
"Students seem to be more tolerant of it,' he said.
One such student is Mike Harvey, a senior, who has been leaving his cans out for people to take since last year.
"I don't think anybody really cared, though, because it's kind of stupid to be complaining about a homeless person taking our cans when we were just going to use it to buy a keg," he said.
Harvey said that from his experience, they've not harassed anybody and are just "out to make a few cents."
Though to some are unaffected by the homeless population others still feel their presence.
Jennifer Sparacino, assistant to the Santa Clara city manager, said she does not know the number of homeless in the city. "At this time, we don't really track that," she said.
* Ã Ã Contact Andrea Barrack at (408) 554-4546 or abarrack@scu.edu.