A troubling scene at Pago Bay - a stretch of shoreline overtaken by makeshift shelters, abandoned cars, and mounting waste. But beyond the debris, a deeper issue: homelessness and the struggle to balance enforcement with compassion.

From the Frank Perez Park in Chalan Pago, the view along Pago Bay saw an encampment growing in plain sight, spilling from private property onto government land. 

Department of Parks & Recreation director Angel Sablan said, "There were indications of another encampment building up." He added that DPR did not go there right away because they believed it was private property, noting, "Lo and behold, as the months went by, we got word and pictures from people who were concerned because the encampment grew."

And it didn’t just grow - it spread across public land, right up to the shoreline.  Last week, local leaders - Yona mayor Brian Terlaje, Ordot-Chalan Pago mayor Wayne Santos, Park Police chief Joey Terlaje, and the property owner - met to address the crisis. Their challenge: how to clear the land while also helping those who call it home.

"We have to be compassionate, if we move them away from there, where are they going to go? All they are going to do is find another place to do their encampment. We have to take all that into consideration," he said.

Adding urgency - reports that children may be living at the site. "Where do the kids go to use the bathroom, how do they cook their food, do they wash everything in the river and then the river gets contaminated," he said.

By Wednesday afternoon, eviction notices were posted by Park Police, giving residents until March 10 to leave. A deadline, but not a bulldozer approach. "If they cant pack up and leave, come back to us and talk to us, and let us know what your situation is," he said.

And while action is needed, Sablan says it must be done with care, saying, "It's very important that we do it in a humane way. We don't just come in there and bulldoze the place away."

"Homelessness is a problem we all have to deal with. We just run away from it, it's become a serious problem on Guam. We just have to all work together to make sure we assist them in some compassionate way because we all know they need a helping hand. If they refuse it, at least we've offered them a better opportunity."