26 May 2018
Belligerence on Ella Vita Court by drunk man from County homeless camp, Jeff Hamerly
While riding my mountain bike up Ella Vita Court towards the Overend Mountain Park, a stumbling drunk man who I’d never seen or met before started talking trash to me.
Jeff Hamerly lives at the homeless camp on La Plata County land.
I later learned from the people where he lives at the County homeless camp that his name is Jeff Hamerly. He had a hiking stick, was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves cut off and a black visor for a hat.
At about 4:30 when I was riding past him on Ella Vita Court he told me that I was a worthless piece of shit, told me to get the fuck out of here, that I’m a dumb cunt. He then made the false accusation that I beat him up.
Durango has no public intoxication ordinance, so belligerent drunks like Hamerly can stumble around with a staff in their hand next to little kids while telling you and your family that you are dumb cunts.
This year, Hamerly had been charged with trespassing in an Ella Vita resident’s yard after entering someone’s property while stumbling drunk, and trying to sell bird feeders to them.
Ella Vita Court is known by locals as a “Homeless Highway” due to the history of them passing through from Manna Soup Kitchen or the downtown area on their way to their encampment on County land.
To read police reports from Ella Vita Court visit this pdf file of previous police reports from Ella Vita Court.
Adam Howell is a writer who is on the City of Durango’s Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board. He can be reached by clicking on this link to the contact page.
