In the months leading up to the increase in homicides, many homeless encampments in the Tamien neighborhood and northwest toward the Interstate 880 overpass were abandoned or dismantled voluntarily, and personal possessionsnot retrieved.
Reopening the estate is just the latest salvo in a feud among the descendents of Gideon Welles, who are trying to settle the issue of whether or not Ruth Welles possessions were distributed or sold legally.