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SALT LAKE CITY — It didn't take long for Stormy Christensen to realize Pioneer Park had problems.
“I've been here three days, and I’m about ready to lie down and say forget it. It's pretty tough,” Christensen said. "I wouldn't bring kids to this park. From what I've seen, it's not a good park. There are a lot of drugs here. A lot of drugs."
It's not that Christensen really wants to be here, but as someone who is homeless and relies on the shelter next door, he says he really doesn't have anywhere else to go.
“I’ve been in trouble with the law before, but I’m doing my best to live better now,” Christensen said.
Many people who spend their days in Pioneer Park have already given up. At least a dozen people on Wednesday's warm spring afternoon sleep under trees, in sleeping bags or out on the open grass.
Some are here because of unfortunate circumstances, but others are here because it’s easy to find drug dealers.
"Like all these people sitting around, laying around, all strung out on crack cocaine and that spice," said Terry Hinkle, who says he has been homeless here for six months.
Hinkle admits he did drugs for a time, but he said he's clean now and doing his best to find a job and live better.
"I don't want anybody to hand me (anything). I want to earn it on my own, because I have pride," said Hinkle.
Related Story
SL police organizing Metro Support Bureau near Pioneer Park
In an effort to better match police department resources with calls for service and incidents of crime, the Salt Lake City Police Department will launch a Metro Support Bureau in the Pioneer Park/Depot area.On Tuesday, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank announced a plan to open a police bureau at Pioneer Park.
The plan will be to staff the bureau with officers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to patrol the area in and around Pioneer Park.
According to police statistics, 33 percent of downtown crime in Salt Lake happens in the Pioneer Park area.
“Man, I don’t have anything against the police. They’re just doing their job,” Hinkle said.
Many people who identified themselves as homeless in the park said having more police officers in the area is a good idea. They said there is a lot of crime here because of drugs.
"I'm afraid. I don't want to die of drugs. I'm just trying to live,” Christensen said.
Of course, there are others here who don’t want to see any police.
Hinkle said the people who sell and buy drugs in Pioneer Park will just go somewhere else.
"It's like if one falls, seven rise,” Hinkle said. “If they bust it and clean it all up, well, then it just gets all spread out."
