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State troopers returned to Norman for a second time to clear a homeless encampment on Friday next to a local shelter. Meanwhile, the state is threatening to bill Tulsa and Oklahoma City for costs resulting from Gov. Kevin Stitt’s previous efforts to clear homeless encampments from state land. 

People who were staying at the Norman encampment said troopers from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol gave them 20 minutes to grab their belongings and leave Friday morning.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol said in a statement posted on social media that troopers visited the Norman encampment several times and that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has posted signs notifying the public that camping on state land is against the law. 

“Individuals living at the encampment were notified that they needed to leave the property and were given ample time to collect their belongings before ODOT began remediation of the area,” the statement said. 

Stitt first sent Operation SAFE to Norman in May to clear the encampment, which had grown into a small village of tents on a state-owned piece of vacant land next to the nonprofit Food and Shelter Inc. With nowhere else to go, people experiencing homelessness soon returned to the vacant lot.  

On Friday morning, workers used bulldozers to toss tents and other items into Dumpsters while other workers in hard hats raked the ground. Around a dozen state troopers stood in the field and watched the scene unfold. The sidewalk along the perimeter of the field was stacked with belongings.  

Emily Wilkinson, director of shelter services at Food and Shelter, said she learned Operation SAFE was at the encampment early Friday. City of Norman spokesperson Tiffany Vrska said the city did not receive any prior notice.

Brooklynn B., 26, has experienced homelessness for around seven years. The Frontier is only using the first initial of Brooklynn’s last name at her request to protect her privacy. She was camping in the field in May when Operation SAFE first came to Norman and was ordered to leave by state troopers again on Friday. 

“If we’re on business fronts, they call the police. We get arrested. If we go to the parks, police come. We get arrested,” Brooklynn said. “There’s nowhere for us to go, and y’all just coming and taking all of our stuff is not fixing us being here.”

Brooklynn watched with tears in her eyes as bulldozers tore through the field. She describes the people who camped there as her family. After moving her own possessions, Brooklynn started removing others’ belongings out of the bulldozers’ paths. 

Still, she said many things were lost. 

Brooklynn expects most people will eventually return to the vacant lot next to the shelter so they can remain close to services. 

“Them doing this is a waste of time,” Brooklynn said.

Wilkinson is asking for donations of water and tents to help people brace the summer heat. Members of Norman Care-A-Vans, a nonprofit that provides transportation and shuttle services to people experiencing homelessness, were at the shelter to offer rides and help move belongings. Some volunteers estimated about 40 to 60 people were displaced. 

In a press release, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, said she requested this second state-led encampment clearing in Norman as well as the Operation SAFE sweep in May. She asked the governor to continue clearing encampments in the city. 

“Sweeps are necessary to protect the public and ensure that Norman residents are not forced to live with the consequences of this illegal encampment in their community,” Standridge said.

Wilkinson said there are not enough resources to help those experiencing homelessness in Norman, or a safe, legal place for them to go. Norman shelters are always at capacity, providers said. City Care, which has a contract with the City of Norman to operate a homeless shelter on Gray Street, turns away between 30 and 5o people a month to not exceed its 52-person capacity.

“What’s going on in Norman is unconscionable. Like this is 1,000% a pissing match between a government entity with all the power who is upset with a municipality,” said Rachel Freeman, president and CEO of City Care. 

“I think it’s time that the governor or Operation SAFE is held accountable for answering, ‘What are you trying to accomplish?'” she said.

Norman voters in April approved an $8 million bond to build a permanent homeless shelter in the city, but it will take at least two years to complete and construction is on hold as the Oklahoma Supreme Court considers an appeal challenging voters’ approval of the homeless shelter bond. 

State officials say they will try to charge other cities for the state-led operation to clear homeless encampments. 

In separate letters sent to the Tulsa and Oklahoma City police departments, State Chief Operating Officer David Ostrowe warned that the state will seek legislation to recover costs spent clearing encampments from state property in the respective cities. As of Friday afternoon, Norman has not received a letter or been asked by the state to reimburse costs related to Operation SAFE. 

If Norman “continues not to act, further action could be taken,” said Tevis Hillis, a spokesperson for Stitt’s office. Hillis did not specify if the state would try to bill the city for clearing the encampment. 

“The entire state of Oklahoma should not be paying for problems caused by a few counties and cities that refuse to enforce the law. When local police departments fail to address encampments, whether because of formal or informal directives from city leaders, they shift the cost of their inaction onto taxpayers across the state. If this continues, I will keep holding these cities accountable for their failure to protect public safety,” Ostrowe said in a statement. 

The state spent $375,701 clearing encampments in Oklahoma City and $523,873 in Tulsa, according to Ostrowe’s letters. Ostrowe wrote that the expenditures were necessary because the city police departments “failed to take action to enforce the law and address these encampments.” 

It’s illegal to camp on state property, but there’s some confusion around which agency is meant to enforce the law. If Tulsa and Oklahoma City don’t carry out the camping ban, Ostrowe wrote the state will “pursue every available avenue” to have the cities pay for any resulting costs. 

The warning to Oklahoma City comes after the state agreed to pay up to $800,000 for housing and services for those displaced by the operation. The offer for state-funded housing hasn’t been extended to Norman or Tulsa. 

Vrska said in a statement that Norman will focus on street outreach and connecting individuals affected with services. 

“The City of Norman continues to advocate for collaborative, transparent and proactive approaches to curbing homelessness. The health, safety and welfare of all members of the community remains our topmost priority,” Vrska said.