KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City, Missouri, man's frustration continues as homelessness camps grow on privately owned properties in the Historic Northeast.
“It’s pretty insane and embarrassing,” said David Gant. “I’m from here. I don’t want my city to have images of garbage on people's mind, but that’s what we got.”
It’s the second time KSHB 41 News talked with Gant about a handful of homeless encampments in the Historic Northeast Kansas City neighborhood.
“Unfortunately, I feel comfortable with the state of inaction we’re in over here,” he said.
He says the tents and the vans have stuck around and says at least one site on private property has grown for nearly a year.
“[It's] Just a rotating pile of garbage,” he said. “They’ve attained new garbage and stacked it over the old garbage, blocking the sidewalk in one case. I call the city every week, it’s like a hobby of mine.”
The city of Kansas City, Missouri, is aware of the camps and visits to the properties from city employees are documented on inspection records posted online.
“New trash, storage and parking issues," a city employee documented in one of the records. "There are vagrants living in tents and the detached garage.”
On March 21, the city was out there again.
“Inspection showed old and new trash and open storage. Issuing another citation for trash and open storage," the records said.
A KCMO city spokesperson says the private property owner is non-compliant, despite being cited numerous times.
KSHB 41 News reached out to some of the private property owners — some of which are out of state and some local — but did not hear back before this story was published.
Gant says that won’t deter his efforts.
“Probably not, I’m pretty tenacious,” he said. “It’s my little civic homework until I can crack through and find some line of communication and find results.”
This city of KCMO says they’re scheduled to check back on the property in one month.
