NOTE: Access to this report is free as a community service of Salem Reporter. All articles on the website are free to access on Salem Public Library Wi-Fi . Katrina Randklev has lived in Wallace Marine Park for eight years.On Monday night, staring down another winter of homelessness, she stood in front of the Salem City Council and asked for more time at Wallace.  “Tonight, I’m speaking on behalf of the entire community with a request for an emergency halt on the camp clearings,” she said during public testimony during the council’s Sept. 14 meeting.Around 65 campers remain at Wallace Marine Park, Randklev said, living in the woods behind the softball fields. Many have lived there for years.The city has posted notices to remove about 20-30 campsites at the park next week, on Monday, Sept. 21, according to city spokesman Rob Layne.  “At this time, we have no plans to pause our cleanup of the location,” Layne said in a Tuesday email.He said that, based on the pace of the work, the city is anticipating it will end camping entirely at Wallace Marine Park by the end of October, but the timeline could extend to November depending on circumstances and available resources.Randklev said that without available shelter that can accommodate their needs, that timeline means driving campers into the streets of Salem.  “By stripping away park shelter, you force us out onto the city streets. You force the community to see us in doorways which in turn directly creates the public hostility and hatred directed at us. This sweep poses an imminent risk to our lives,” she said during her testimony.Her neighbor and friend, Briana Alvarez, raised similar concerns to Salem Reporter amid camp removals last month. Shelter operators told the publication that, within the next few months, the existing shelter system would struggle to accommodate the complex needs of the remaining park residents. Remaining campers have needs that include physical and mental disabilities, and substance use. Many have pets.Randklev said in an interview that she decided to attend Monday’s council meeting after reading Salem Reporter’s coverage, which included responses from the council directly to Wallace campers. “It was my first time (testifying). I don’t really feel welcome anywhere. I know that eyes are judging me everywhere I go, even if I dress in clean clothes and have myself in an appropriate appearance to go out into the city. People still … I just feel the judgment everywhere,” she said.  In her testimony, Randklev referenced Councilor and Mayor-Elect Vanessa Nordyke’s statement to Salem Reporter, which said “If appropriate shelter or other housing options are not available, we need to pump the brakes and adjust the pace of the transition accordingly. We can’t just move people from one place to another, pushing people into neighborhoods or onto sidewalks.”Randklev said that most campers don’t know where they’ll go if they’re required to leave this fall, and that it’s time to pump the brakes.  City Community Services Director Gretchen Bennett has previously said that Wallace is unsafe during the winter season. In previous years, flooding has put campers at risk, and thick, ankle-deep mud can make it difficult to access camps during an emergency. The path at Wallace Marine Park slick with mud on Monday afternoon, Nov. 24, 2025. (HAILEY COOK/Salem Reporter) Randklev said that Wallace residents will fare better in the winter weather in their existing Wallace camps, some of which are structures with roofs and woodstoves, rather than facing uncertainty in the streets. She noted that the back of camping notices, which as of August direct people to contact 211 for available shelters, does not have nearby options for men with pets or couples as of September.“Most of us have animals. We can’t explain to our animals why we’re going to be in that situation. It’s very stressful. It’s causing a lot of people to panic down here. It’s traumatizing knowing you can’t go anywhere and you can’t do anything to keep yourself safe. It’s putting all of our lives at imminent risk for death,” Randklev said in an interview. Randklev said that some of those removed from Wallace in recent months have moved out to camping near Highway 22 toward Dallas. The city’s medical street team recently told Salem Reporter that they’re seeing Wallace Marine Park campers elsewhere in the city.City leaders maintain that the camp removals are keeping pace with resource referrals.  “When we are able to engage with individuals, we work to identify a next destination as well as connect people to available options,” Layne said. “This requires some give and take as we problem-solve, tapping into what is available and what the person would need and want. (The Salem Police Homeless Services Team) works with several service providers to help ensure individuals affected by the removal of posted sites have somewhere to go, provided they are willing to engage with available service offerings.”He said that options include the Navigation Center, SafeSleep United, the Union Gospel Mission and connecting with family or friends in the area.The Navigation Center has an intensive program which aims to move people directly into housing, with 75 total beds, 15 of which are available for referrals from agencies that include the police team. SafeSleep United has 50 total beds for women but often turns those referred away due to an inability to accommodate them, manager Lynelle Wilcox told Salem Reporter last month. The Union Gospel Mission typically has beds available but is a faith-based shelter only open to single men which Wallace residents said can be a barrier to access.Randklev asked City Manager Krishna Namburi to grant an emergency halt to the camp removals, allowing campers to remain until they are connected with available resources. “If there’s zero resources for us now, I really don’t see any resources being found in 30 days, because these resources are going to have to be created or something,” Randklev said in an interview.She said she is not hopeful her request will be granted. Layne said, after the Sept. 21 removal, any future camp removals will be coordinated with the city’s partners and service providers. “We pause or delay an encampment closure when conditions on-site indicate it would be unsafe or inappropriate to proceed. Indicators include an acute medical issue, someone actively receiving medical care or other circumstances that require additional time for stabilization and coordination. For example, when we learned a resident was receiving treatment for an acute health condition, we paused until he had time to recover. Then assisted in making a plan,” Layne said. Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for accurate, independent local news – every day. Stay informed and connected to your community. Subscribe today. The post Wallace Marine Park residents ask Salem city councilors, manager to stop camp removals appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less