Illegal Encampments in Sligo Park

A Forest Estates (section 7 between Forest Glen and Dennis Ave.) resident had reported that there was some kind of shelter in the woods behind Woodman Ave. but was not sure whether it was a kid's fort or a homeless person's campsite. I found the site walking with my dog on Sunday (9/9) morning, and it is definitely a homeless person's temporary site, with a primitive lean-to made out of black garbage bags, a rusty spring mattress, plus numerous garbage bags with the person's belongings, shoes and clothing, school material including home-made flash cards with Spanish/English phrases, etc., and personal products. It did not seem like someone was there recently or living there now, but the exposed items did not seem to have been rained on, so if it is abandoned, it was not too long ago. The site is quite a mess. As it was a little scary to approach the site, Kathy Gaudet came back with me to take some pictures. We saw a knife.

If you see any similar sites in Sligo Park, please immediately call the Park Police at 301-949-3010. It is illegal for anyone to spend the night in the park.

In the woods too, but probably unrelated, were a mess of beer bottles and drug paraphernalia. Maybe crack?

I called park police Monday (9/10) and got an immediate response. Sgt. Brian Waters went out to look at it and said he would get a maintenance crew to bring a back hoe to clear it out (perhaps a little extreme on the machinery). He urged us to report such sites immediately, as it could get dangerous with territorial fights if more homeless move in, and also drugs, prostitution, etc.

I walked by there today, Friday (9/14), and the site was still there.