PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The City of Vancouver is suing the BNSF Railway Company after it allegedly placed large boulders in front of its facility to deter the homeless from setting up campsites.
In a complaint filed Dec. 5 in Clark County Superior Court and first reported by The Columbian, the City of Vancouver is asking a judge to require BNSF to remove the boulders placed in front of its facility.
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The city alleges that BNSF Railway Company took it upon itself to place large boulders in the public right of way without permission, and has since refused repeated requests to remove them, according to court documents obtained by KOIN 6 News.
The boulders are located outside a telecommunications facility owned and operated by BNSF at 1100 W. 11th St. in Vancouver. They are situated between the road and the sidewalk, in the same area homeless had previously set up tents.
Last year, BNSF contacted the city to request assistance in clearing the campsites so repairs could be completed, according to the complaint. In March, the city learned that BNSF had installed the boulders. They notified the facility’s manager that the boulders were in the public right-of-way and needed to be removed, but received no response…