The mayor of Casper, Wyoming is speaking out after a growing population of homeless people have reportedly overrun the city’s parks, destroyed a hotel and left around 500 pounds of feces on the streets, according to The Cowboy State Daily.
Mayor Bruce Knell is reportedly calling on the Casper City Council to tighten rules surrounding urban camping and squatting to help police control a homeless population 200 people strong.
“They’re just causing so many problems,” Knell stated, according to The Cowboy State Daily.
Among the problems Casper has reportedly faced in the wake of this rising population is the complete destruction of a vacant Econo Lodge hotel that was previously foreclosed due to flooding. Though the hotel was deemed “inhabitable” and “unsafe,” Knell told the outlet the millions of dollars in damage caused by the squatters is far worse than what the water caused, per The Cowboy State Daily.
Squatters ravage Wyoming downtown
Homeless squatters in Casper, Wyoming, “destroyed” a local motel, which would require millions of dollars to repair, and left hundreds of pounds of human feces in the downtown area, according to the city’s mayor.https://t.co/F1D1n71OkZ
— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) September 4, 2023
“They destroyed everything. It’s horrible,” Knell stated.
Not only have the homeless in Casper taken up residence in the abandoned hotel, but they have also occupied bike paths and parks around the city, leaving city staff to contend with about 500 pounds of feces in the streets, The Cowboy State Daily reported.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s third-world country stuff happening in Casper, Wyoming,” Knell told the outlet. (RELATED: One-Third Of Blue State’s Residents Consider Fleeing Amid Crime, Homelessness Crisis)
Though the city does have a homeless shelter, Knell revealed the problem lies with homeless individuals, who for varying reasons, are kicked out of the shelter and forced to find other accommodations.
“There’s a certain part of the homeless population, whether substance abuse or mental illness, that is getting them to where they don’t want to conform to society’s rules,” Knell explained to the outlet. “When they do that they’re not allowed to go in the shelter, which means they’re just out and about in our community raising hell,” he stated.
To combat the issues, Knell is reportedly calling on the city council to require squatters to not only obtain written consent from a property owner before setting up camp, but setting a time limit for how long they can be there. Knell hopes the measures will deter more homeless from settling in their city, at least until more substance abuse and mental health services can be made available, the outlet stated.