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‘It’s not safe': Homeless camp above park concession stand poses safety hazard, says Pigtown residents

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Posted at 10:54 PM, Jun 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-09 23:13:42-04

There’s a portion of Carroll Park that’s not what you’d call “green space.” Instead, people are calling it a health hazard. 

“I don’t even want to look,” said Diante Edwards, President of "Citizens of Pigtown." “The smell is enough to keep me away.” 

"Citizens of Pigtown," along with "Friends of Carrollton Park," want what’s above the field house and concession stand to be cleaned up by the city. 

WMAR-2 News camera’s found a makeshift homeless camp. There were beds, clothes, drug paraphernalia and more. 

“There’s also human waste,” said Edwards. “There are people peeing and defecating around the field house and it’s not safe for children and it’s not safe for park users.”

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Organizations told WMAR-2 News they’ve reached out to the city, but nothing’s been done. 

“I’ve had people come up to me and ask me for money,” said one park user. “They actually told me they were living above the concession stand.” 

So how are they gaining access?

People say individuals can easily climb up using a welded metal grate. 

“There are so many things you could do to stop it,” said Megan Cardoso, with "Friends of Carroll Park."  

She said the organization would like to see more people use the facility but that it’s hard to attract people when the facility is in its current state. 

“You could put up any kind of structure,” she said. “Block access but it needs to be cleaned up first.” 

WMAR-2 News is highlighting the issue in hopes of getting the city’s attention. 

“A lot of the repairs needed have been on the city’s list for quite a number of years,” said Cardoso. “We’re hoping that that gets expedited quite a bit but not just one thing or another whole project.” 

"Friends of Carroll Park" said the bathrooms and lighting are an issue in addition to the homeless camp.