Some of the homeless that live in the park between the community center, library and community pool. A few are mentally ill, the rest appear to be chronic alcoholics and drug abusers. They sit in a common area right between the community center and library at the fountain. A short distance away is the community pool and youth center where the children have day long camps and sports activities and swimming lessons all day.
The homeless bathe daily in the fountain as well as often urinating in it, thinking nothing of letting their pants drop to their ankles, taking off a shirt dipping it in the water and then washing their butt with it. Later in the day the children can be seen playing in the water, dipping their hands in and splashing each other, another woman with two small dogs frequently dumps their waste into it. One of the men told me "but we dump over there in the bushes" pointing to a planter less than three feet from the back door to the pool.
"Mary" related that she once lived on the peninsula and raised three children never judging them and giving them everything they wanted and that now they judge her and will not help her at all. She further related that she gets a monthly check and it all goes to beer and vodka, sometimes a newspaper, I never have to buy anything else, I get my lunch delivered everyday right here on this bench and other food from the Lighthouse Church and the soup kitchen.
Her best friend is an alcoholic from Kansas and another very obnoxious guy that is a drug user with very attention seeking behavior and easily becomes combative and threatening behaviors. Mary sits on the bench, covered with a blanket, underneath she is naked, "it is to hot and they will not let me change my pants in there at the community center, they are nice in the library though."