Officials with the Union Pacific Railroad Police and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department were on hand with grading contractors as a large homeless camp on railroad property abutting the west end of the 12 foot bridge, on the south side of the 5900 block of Independence Avenue was cleared on Wednesday morning.

The action is in response to reports made to the police department last week of a homeless woman in the camp repeatedly throwing rocks at passing Amtrak trains.

When officers responded, the woman was still on the scene, lying between the rails. She was xited and transported to the hospital for mental observation.

Officials with the Union Pacific Railroad Police indicated that  safety concerns for the passengers on the trains as well as personnel on board freight trains was the reason for the clearing of the camp.

It is estimated that roughly 40 people lived in the camp that bordered the tracks on railroad property. The camp is roughly 15-20 ft wide and stretched for approximately 60 yards on the rail right of way. Contractors with Musselman and Hall, working for the railroad indicated that they would get as much done today as possible, clearing the trees and underbrush, then carting away the mountain of trash.

Residents of the camp were offered services by both Union Pacific Rail Police and Kansas City Missouri Police Pepartment social workers prior to the clearing of the camp. East Patrol CIO Patrick Byrd and Social Worker Paige Lopez were on hand today to offwr additional support and resources to the remaining camp residents. None of the camp residents took advantage of the offerings opting instead to relocate to another nearby location.