Pueblo neighbors concerned about crime
The whitewater park in Pueblo is a great place for people during the day, but at night, neighbors say the area changes.
“They’ll shoot up and they’ll nod out in those chairs,” said Dean Turner, who lives in the neighborhood next to the Arkansas River.
When the park was being built, the Arkansas River Conservancy District bought the wrong sized rocks.
Neighbors say this rock pile has been there for more than five years, and it’s becoming more than just an eyesore, it’s hiding illegal activity.
“I’ve been out there to beat on cars to wake people up that are nodded out from doing their drugs,” Turner said.
Turner and his neighbors are trying to improve the area by cleaning trash up and removing homeless camps, but with what they say has been little support from the city.
“If they could, the city could at least start with the rock pile and then that would stop any more couches and tvs from being dumped there at least,” said John McDonald, a concerned neighbor.
City Councilman Ed Brown met with neighbors in the area, and he says there are discussions to remove the rock pile.
“Sometimes we move a little slow. We’re not at full staff and so, but we are working on it,” Brown said.
But Turner says it’s not going fast enough because the pile has lead to additional problems in their neighborhood, which is taking away from the beautiful water park.
“They don’t feel safe, when you walk down this little path down here and you’re walking down the path and you see needles and you see condoms,” Turner said.
Brown said he knows the pile is leading to visibility problems.
“It obscures the area, makes it where they can do other mischievous things there,” Brown said.
Neighbors are just hoping action will soon be taken.
Councilman Brown said they wouldn’t have known about the problems if not for the neighbors, and he encourages others to call their council person if you see issues in your neighborhood.
