A cesspool runs through Austin

AUSTIN KXAN) - Since January, Alex DeLeon admits he has been sleeping on cardboard at Waller Creek under Red River Street and near Cesar Chavez.

“They target us here because we’re always here,” said Alex DeLeon. “I got 96 camping tickets here."

DeLeon is not unusual. Each week Austin police said they arrest about six people for camping illegally, drug use or prostitution in the spot where DeLeon lives. And the city will not be addressing the problem until at least next spring.

Waller Creek runs roughly parallel to Red River, through downtown, past the convention center - where tens of thousands of out-of-towners visit each year - and next to some of the city's most storied venues, bars and restaurants.

It also runs just next to the Austin Police Department, which has been battling the problem for years. They patrol the specific section of Waller Creek at the 100 block of Red River several times a week to cut back on crime. Still, the problem lingers.

"With the flood that came through several years back, it eroded the creek bank - which in turn caused the sidewalk [to] collapse down into the creek - which makes it unsafe for anyone to use the sidewalk,” said SPO Huskins.

The collapse created a perfect spot for people to hunker down for the night or engage in illegal activities like drugs and prostitution. Austin police said crack continues to contribute to the crime there.

After holding community meetings, the City of Austin is working on a plan to fix the sidewalk and clean up the creek. It will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council in spring 2010.

Until then, honwever, senior police officer Jason Huskins said keeping the area clear is a constant battle.

“We arrest them, and they are out of jail two days later,” said Huskins.

DeLeon continues to camp despite the tickets, and despite the fact ARCH shelter is just blocks away. After going to prison in 2006 for assaulting a public servant, he said he does not want to be trapped inside anymore and will continue to camp.

"Well, if I am going to get a ticket somewhere else, what’s the point of going somewhere else and getting a ticket for the same thing?” said DeLeon.

And even though some might consider him part of the problem, even DeLeon knows what a mess the city faces with Waller Creek.

“There’s people sleeping inside,” said DeLeon. “They just fenced it off. There's 'no trespassing' signs. [Transients] go out there and defecate on the sidewalk, and the people from the BBQ place, when the wind blows, it smells like crap.”

The owners of nearby restaurants declined interview requests.