A thread in OB’s unique tapestry or a frustrating business deterrent?

Although summer is officially over, Ocean Beach remains a top destination for shoppers, tourists and surfers. But they are not the only ones enjoying the vibe of Ocean Beach. The town is also a top stop for “trainhoppers,” a phrase referring to long-term, houseless travelers from across the globe with no particular place to go. For many of these transients, Ocean Beach is a final destination. The rather large groups of itinerants are often accompanied by several famished-looking dogs and — the newest trend lately — cats or kittens on leashes. Personal belongings in backpacks are carried along at all times. So are guitars, bongos and other instruments. For some people, it is a colorful picture. “[It] totally belongs to OB,” said Chris Ehrsam, 52, who has been coming from La Mesa to Ocean Beach almost every day for the last 35 years. Ehrsam has no problem with the “houseless globetrotters,” as he refers to them. “That’s what made OB famous. Those guys ARE Ocean Beach.” Not everyone agrees with that observation, however. Some local business owners with storefronts along Newport Avenue say they are at their wit’s end. One local store owner, who preferred not to be identified, gave his own take. “Personally, I don’t have a problem with them [the travelers] hanging out in Ocean Beach. But while they hang out on the sidewalk in front of my shop, my business is really suffering. It’s disturbing to some of my customers. They [customers] literally have to fight their way in, stepping over people and sleeping dogs. My employees constantly remove trash, cigarette butts and empty alcohol containers from the entryway. I even sweep up vomit at times.” He said it’s the drunken individuals he minds the most. Other merchants, like Julie Klein, who is also an active member of the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) echoes the latter concerns. “Laying around intoxicated in the middle of the public sidewalks and in front of stores or eateries looks bad for everybody,” Klein said. “We all want a clean OB. We all need to respect one another.” Klein provides “No Loitering” signs to local businesses and members of the OBMA. Signs are posted outside nearly every storefront on the 5000 block of Newport Avenue. The signs advise that — under San Diego Municipal Code section 83.0202.54.01.4001 — sitting, standing, loitering, littering, leaving personal property, soliciting or panhandling is prohibited in front of stores and on the sidewalks. Other signs, like those posted by Starbucks, warn violators of prosecution. As an added measure, the OBMA makes available to store owners “trespass arrest forms,” which are posted and held on file with the police department. The signed form allows officers to act on behalf of an absent property owner. “All it really is, it’s like a permanent radio call for us,” said Officer Kellington, who is assigned to the police department’s Western Division on day shift in Ocean Beach. “It gives us liberty to talk to people who violate the codes and ask them to leave the premises. “Loitering or sitting on the sidewalks and in front of a business is NOT an arrestable offense,” he said. “It counts as an infraction and is reason for a citation, just like running a stop sign in a car. Violators have to pay the fine or go to traffic court. But that’s where it ends. If people refuse to leave when we ask them to, we really have no grounds to arrest them — unless they are intoxicated or have previous outstanding warrants.” If a citation is issued and the offender fails to appear in court or fails to pay the fine, the infraction results in an outstanding warrant, Kellington said. “The next time that person violates code laws, we have reason to arrest the individual on the spot,” he said. Claudia Jack, a longtime Ocean Beach resident and community volunteer, also has strong views on the ongoing loitering-problems. “People need to look at the whole picture,” she said. “I often ask, ‘Why?’ Why don’t the homeless people want help? They need to stop drinking, get off the sidewalks, out of the alleys and get off the streets and pursue a normal life.” Jack said she believes the recently formed OB Task Force with five selected police officers will be the solution to a lot of problems with beggars. “Their [OB Task Force] job is to target a specific group of over a dozen known individuals who are permanently excessively drunk,” Jack said. “The ones bothering our tourists and disturbing our festivals with out-of-line behavior.” She said she is sure the group is an eyesore to most locals and tourists. Robert Allen, owner of three local snack cafes, said he tries to understand the lifestyle of the transients in front of his property on Newport Avenue. “Some make it hard to tolerate it,” Allen said. “When I see the same guy daily, flying a sign that’s asking my customers for ‘anything green,’ I get irritated. It makes me think this guy is only interested in pot [marijuana] and money bills. “The guy refuses to leave, to look for work and he refuses to be nice to people,” Allen continued. “That just doesn’t fit into my spectrum of life. We all have to earn our keep. This guy needs to find a better way to earn his. The right to sit there doesn’t give him the right to interfere with my business.” The man outside Allen’s store, who goes by the street name of “Tribal,” is a middle age African-American man who said he does not consume alcoholic beverages by choice. He appears amused by the observations made about him. “I believe the gentleman has me totally misinterpreted,” said “Tribal.” “It’s easy to assume the bad things where really, all it represents is a political statement to make people aware of others and to make them understand that we have to coexist — whether we like it or not. The problem won’t go away by ignoring it.” A group of about 20 other homeless residents interviewed reflected many of the same views. Some said their lifestyles make Ocean Beach money. They made comments like, “People come to OB to watch the gypsies,” and “That’s our job to be there — for their entertainment.”