BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – For months, some Biloxi residents have complained about the number of homeless people living at the abandoned Broadwater Golf Course off Iris Street.
In September, the property owner cleared a section of land. Neighbors say it hasn’t helped.
“It’s 10 times worse. You just don’t see it,” Bob Silvestro said.
Silvestro moved from South Carolina in January after buying a home just south of the railroad tracks at the overgrown Broadwater Golf Course.
“I drove to City Hall and met with Police Chief John Miller and asked him if it was as bad as it seemed. He said it wasn’t violent, but it was a problem.”
Since moving in, Silvestro said his interactions with the homeless people who pass by on the sidewalk in front of his home have been mostly positive.
“There were guys mowing lawns that weren’t home. Regulars would walk by and they’d say, ‘Oh, that’s his name.’ And around February, we started noticing crowds of outsiders who were very aggressive,” he explained. “I noticed they were being dropped off on this corner from out of town.”
WLOX News spoke with Roy Anderson, one of Broadwater’s owners. He declined to be interviewed for this article, but said by phone that the city of Biloxi had asked him to clear the land to “assist with homeless monitoring.”
After the east Iris property was cleared, the homeless moved across the street to the Broadwater property, Silvestro said. There, you can see a break in the chain-link fence. Ahead, the road splits, trash and debris is scattered, and a tent can be seen in the bushes.
Roy Anderson told WLOX News there are currently no plans to clear the land.
The city of Biloxi did not make anyone available for an interview, but sent the following statement:
The Broadwater property is privately owned and the city is in contact with the property owner regarding this issue. They also listen to the concerns of local residents.
“We can’t just kick the can down the road anymore. This has to stop here and now,” Silvestro said. “It’s not a question of saving our neighborhood, it’s a question of helping these people.”
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