The mayor of Lakewood is under fire over a controversial decision to cut down the trees that once lined the Town Square, a move city leaders defended as a way to deter homeless people from gathering there. Homeless advocates contend it’s a reactive decision that doesn’t address the root issue of homelessness. Paul Hulse, president of I Just Believe Inc., a nonprofit that helps homeless people in Ocean County, said that if homeless people have to scatter, it will make it harder for nonprofits to find and help them.
Mayor Ray Coles said the town’s quality-of-life task force suggested the tree removal “would make it a little less comfortable for people to basically live under them, and harass the folks that were coming and going from Town Square.” People complained they were “coming out to their cars and finding human waste on the ground outside their car, as well as reports of people urinating on their cars.”
“You put up how many port-o-johns you need to meet the need of the people who are out here. Cutting down trees isn’t the answer to somebody having to go to the bathroom,” said Steven Brigham, minister at Lakewood Outreach Ministry Church.
Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America is a multiplatform public media initiative that provides a deeper understanding of the impact of poverty on American society. Major funding for this initiative is provided by the JPB Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Ford Foundation.
