Squatters, homeless camps ravage

neighborhood leaving paid cleaners

physically ill: report
An Escambia County resident says squatters constantly trespass
on her property to get camps
By Emma Colton Fox News
Published October 17, 2023 1:24pm EDT
A community in Escambia County, Florida, is seeing an increase in squatting activity
as homeless individuals camp on private property with little repercussions, according
to witnesses.
"There are so many people going back and forth it’s ridiculous," Brent, Florida,
resident Gwen Gibson told the Pensacola News Journal. "I’ve been on the phone with
code enforcement and the sheriff’s department. There are at least 15 to 20 people
constantly walking down my driveway to get to their (camp) to buy drugs,
prostitution, whatever they’re doing back there."
Gibson lives next door to a plot of land owned by the Merrill family, which has been
the site of homeless encampments in recent years. The Escambia County magistrate
ordered the Merrill family to clean up the tents and trash by April of this year, which
was delayed for months until August when local businessman Collier Merrill began
removing the debris and forcing some of the campers off the property.

Merrill said he will now remove the squatters "by whatever means," according to the
Pensacola News Journal. He has also posted no trespassing signs on the property, as
well as security cameras, but has not yet called the sheriff's office to trespass the
people, according to the outlet.
"We've been working on another project, hoping they would go ahead and move on
their own, but actually they're not going to do that," said Merrill, "So we are now
making this a priority to get in compliance with the county."

Gibson, however, said that issue has only gotten worse since August, with more
people showing up to the land every day and reportedly cutting across her property to
get to the Merrill land.

"We had it solved when he cleaned it up and most of the people left," she said. "Now
once again everybody keeps blowing smoke. All Merrill has done is make it a real
nice place for them to live. The longer they wait to move people, the more people who
come."
Gibson relayed that the squatting and homelessness issues near her property has even
led to sickening scenarios. Some of the squatters allegedly used a tree on Merrill’s
property as a bathroom, which Gibson could see from her kitchen window. When
hired crews worked to clean up the property back in August, she said some of the
workers became sick over the job.

Gibson added that she also deals with constant trash and fires built by the squatters
near her fence line and has even found people passed out from drugs or fights laying
on her property.

Other residents and political leaders in the area say that homelessness and squatting
issues are getting worse.

"That is the biggest, No. 1 problem in the county," Escambia Commissioner Mike
Kohler, who represents District 2, told the outlet. "There's no other complaint I get
more than, ‘What are you doing about the situation?’ And I know the other
commissioners have to be getting it too."
Escambia Senior Natural Resources Manager Tim Day said the issues worsened
during the pandemic, when people living in tents were not removed by the county in
an effort to not spread the virus. Day said that the campers became more emboldened
and were less inclined to "hide," the Pensacola News Journal.

"Before COVID, they would have been deep in the property and there may not have
been as many," Day said. "They would have been working hard to keep their
encampment hidden from everyone so it's just not in your face. That's the result of
what happened with COVID and the new normal that developed during COVID."
Gibson said she has been dealing with menacing interactions with the campers near
her home due to her speaking out, including men armed with machetes allegedly
standing near her property and staring at her when she leaves her home. She added
that she has received angry phone calls from homelessness advocacy groups and got
into a screaming match with a church group when she denied allowing them to cut
across her property to feed the squatters.
"I’ve been dealing with this for years. I feel very unsafe," said Gibson. "It’s been hard
and sometimes I think I can’t do this anymore, but I’m not giving up. I haven’t done
anything wrong. Why should I have to leave?"

Fox News Digital reached out to Collier Merrill, Tim Day, the Escambia County
Sheriff's Office and Mike Kohler for additional comment, but none replied by time of
publication.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/squatters-homeless-camps-ravage-
neighborhood-paid-cleaners-physically-ill-report
This article from Fox News addresses the growing issue of squatting and
homeless encampments in an Escambia County, Florida community, highlighting
the challenges faced by residents and property owners. Here's my critique of the
article:
1. Title and Introduction: The title succinctly conveys the main topic of the
article, making it clear to readers. The introduction provides context and
sets the scene for the issue at hand.
2. Quotes from Witnesses: The article includes quotes from local residents
like Gwen Gibson, giving readers a firsthand perspective on the situation.
These quotes humanize the issue and add credibility to the reporting.
3. Background Information: The article provides background information
about the ongoing problem, including the involvement of the Merrill
family and the attempts to clean up the encampments. This background is
essential for readers to understand the context.
4. Efforts to Address the Issue: The article reports on the actions taken by
the Merrill family, including posting no trespassing signs and using
security cameras, to deal with the squatters. This demonstrates the efforts
made by property owners to resolve the problem.
5. Escalating Situation: The article highlights how the situation has worsened
since August, with more squatters arriving, and how this has affected
neighboring properties. This demonstrates the urgency of the issue.
6. Impact on Residents: The article effectively conveys the impact on
residents, including sickening scenarios and safety concerns. It humanizes
the issue by discussing Gwen Gibson's experiences.
7. Political Perspective: The article includes comments from political leaders
like Commissioner Mike Kohler, providing a broader perspective on the
issue. This adds depth to the reporting and shows the political concern
regarding homelessness and squatting.
8. Pandemic-Related Information: The article mentions how the pandemic
affected the situation, allowing the encampments to grow due to
concerns about spreading the virus. This adds a relevant context to the
issue.
9. Safety Concerns: The article discusses Gwen Gibson's safety concerns and
her interactions with squatters, church groups, and advocacy groups. This
 personal perspective gives the article a human touch and highlights the
challenges residents face.
10.Lack of Responses: The article mentions that key parties involved did not
respond to requests for comments. This demonstrates a commitment to
balanced reporting even when key stakeholders are unresponsive.