• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
WRAP

WRAP

Western Regional Advocacy Project

  • Donate Now
  • Get Email Updates
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Mission
    • Strategy
    • Members
    • Board / Staff
  • Campaigns
    • Business Improvement Districts
    • House Keys Not Sweeps
    • Homeless Bill of Rights
    • Oregon Right To Rest
    • Without Housing
    • Street Outreach
  • Organizing Tools
    • Without Housing Organizing Toolkit
    • Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign Manual
    • WRAP Organizers Manual
    • WRAP Artwork
  • Resources
    • Art in Action Power Point Slide Show
    • Hobos to Street People
    • House Keys Book
    • Political Education
    • Legal Research
  • Media
    • Blog
    • Hobos to Street People Art Show
    • Street Newspapers
    • Sweeps Gallery Videos
    • Videos
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Sustainer
    • Volunteer
    • Support WRAP
    • WRAP Newsletters & Updates Sign Up

A tale of two homeless sweeps

March 3, 2016 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

After a very long and chaotic week for the campers on Division Street, they were finally forced to move, with The City putting up barriers to prevent their return. During that time, the destitute and displaced were threatened with arrest, given unclear timelines, had their area sometimes cleaned and at other times their property was confiscated by the state. All this occurred in the midst of a swirl of confusion and misinformation.

by Colleen Ann
Picture by Colleen Ann

There are federal guidelines outlining how localities should address encampments, and they encourage municipalities to have clear and transparent communication with campers, timelines and relocation plans, that include housing before the sweeps take place. In 2012, San Francisco did just that with the King Street encampment. The City spent several months trying to connect residents with services after Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol called for their displacement. It started out with the more typical moves. Campers were pushed out only to return shortly thereafter; they had nowhere to go and simply disappearing not being one of the things human beings have mastered before death.

Then serious planning took place by Bevan Dufty, the mayor’s former homeless director. Dufty reached out for counsel from community members of the camp alongside folks who work on these issues, took that input and formulated a plan. The plan included securing a church where the residents could relocate en masse, stay with friends and partners and keep their pets. The City provided a storage container for property and, most importantly, created an exit plan for the church.

Folks in encampments naturally develop very human connections with one another after living together in adverse situations. After a short stay in the church, residents were relocated to housing, and the entire endeavor was 100 percent successful, with careful considerations for keeping their support systems intact.

Ian Smith, who was a contributing writer to the Street Sheet, developed cancer behind his eye and was able to spend the rest of his very young life in housing, surrounded by friends who took care to preserve his writing and shower him with love in his last days.

Throughout this process, there were no protests, no defiance of orders to leave and nary a TV camera, because it was done correctly and with dignity. After all, homeless people and their allies are not advocating for humans to stay miserable on the streets. We are fighting for exits off the streets. In the meantime, we think it is not only cruel but a waste of resources to simply punish and push people, who are already in crisis, from sidewalk to sidewalk.

Picture by COHSF
Picture by COHSF

 

That is exactly what happened with the Division Street sweeps that had a markedly different trajectory.

While on King Street, they created new resources for the encampment instead of taking away already overwhelmed current resources. On Division, they took away the El Niño rain shelter beds, promised to homeless people at Pier 80, and dedicated it to folks on Division Street. Many of the 700 people on the waitlist for shelter in The City were hoping to get access to Pier 80, but they can only secure beds for one night at a time if there are vacancies.

Division Street had no relocation plan. The City did not seek input from homeless residents, and there was no transparent communication.

There was confusion and constant harassment, illegal property confiscation caught on video, protests and uproars. A notice was given, but no one knew what would happen at the end of the period. There were shelter beds offered, but misinformation about that shelter happened regularly.

Unlike King Street, there is no exit plan for Pier 80 when it closes, which would simply send residents back to the streets. The entire endeavor ended up being a reactionary move to an endless number of calls from columnists and the editorial pages of the San Francisco Chronicle that twisted community positions. They called for the vicious tearing away of tents, which simply leaves survivors to sleep rough on concrete. In the end, with only about half the needed beds, most Division Street residents relocated a block or so away.

A few days before the sweeps, at a hearing held on the issue of homelessness at the Board of Supervisors, hundreds of merchants and homeless people came out and asked for concrete solutions. They want bathrooms and garbage service. They want real resolutions not bandages. It was noted that people are simply moving nearby, and no one blames them for having tents for a modicum of shelter and a little privacy. But living in tents is not viable in the long term. A collective call for justice went out inside the People’s Palace, but was met with largely deaf ears, and the morally barren mass dislocation moved forward.

San Francisco is housing 6,000 homeless people now. With turnover and new-planned units, it can house an additional 250 to 500 people a year. That is not bad, and it would work if it wasn’t for the thousands of newly evicted San Franciscans adding to the numbers. We need to keep San Franciscans in their homes and we need to create a progressive, sustainable revenue source to ensure we have the resources we need to put a serious dent in this issue.

The federal government is neglecting this issue and we can’t continue waiting on them to take on the 7,000 victims of homelessness in our city. Meanwhile, The City should halt the wholesale persecution of a people who are suffering on our streets and address their needs in a humane way. In truth, it is our humanity as San Franciscans that is at stake.

Jennifer Friedenbach is executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness.

Originally Post: http://www.sfexaminer.com/a-tale-of-two-homeless-sweeps/

Filed Under: Advocacy, Blog, Civil & Human Rights, Criminalization, Homeless Bill of Rights, Homelessness, Legal Defense, Local Government, Poverty, Uncategorized, WRAP Members

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Instagram Feed

Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm Sunday AUGUST 2 Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

https://wraphome.org/2022/08/02/sacramento-ca-advocates-community-summit-on-homelessness-august-27-28th/
California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Las California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Last Hearing before floor Vote
https://conta.cc/3vzRoWo
Part 11 ... California’s “anti-Okie” laws of Part 11 ...
California’s “anti-Okie” laws of the 1930s and the South’s Jim Crow laws in effect from the late 1800s to the 1950s are examples of the kinds of local laws overturned in previous generations. Yet, modern “quality of life” legislation and enforcement targeting homeless people can be found in communities across the nation.
The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 expansion to August 2nd. If passed, this motion will add approximately 1,900 additional sites–a 376% increase in exclusionary zones across the city. 41.18 would then cover at least 88 sq miles (that’s 20% of the entire city).

Services Not Sweeps is urging EVERYONE to come to City Hall at 9:00am on August 2 and tell City Council that 41.18 is BAD POLICY and should be repealed.

When we fight, we win. 
But this fight isn’t over.

The community flooded City Hall inside and out on Wednesday to protest the expansion of 41.18 but the fight is not over. It’s clear that President Nury Martinez and friends weren’t prepared for our numbers and realized they were unable to rally their (few but loud) 41.18 supporters. Council delayed the vote to Tuesday August 2nd in an attempt to erode our momentum and stifle our voices. 
 
We won’t let that happen. The fight now is to keep the pressure on and show up next week!! See you next Tuesday 9am. Bring a friend.
 
WHO: You and your friends!
WHERE: City Hall, 200 N Spring St 
WHEN: Tuesday August 2nd at 9:00am
HOW: Read more details on our toolkit.
AGENDA ITEM 14 https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=102513
Part 10... In fact, however, enforcement is very m Part 10...
In fact, however, enforcement is very much impacted by both skin color and appearance. Local governments cannot legally discriminate against people strictly because they do not have housing. Federal protections prohibit local and state governments from removing people from their communities due to the color of their skin or economic/employment status.
Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civi Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civil Rights protections because on their face, these programs are not clearly discriminatory. Local laws are often drafted in such a way as to appear to apply equally to all people in a community.
Part 8... While certain communities highlight diff Part 8...
While certain communities highlight different controls at different times, often depending upon the outcome of local elections and legislative and court efforts, all have one primary common goal: to remove the presence and resulting impact of people without housing from local communities. As the Mayor of Las Vegas stated when she outlawed feeding people in city parks: “If we stop feeding them, they will leave.”
Part 7... This type of ticket is not uncommon. The Part 7...
This type of ticket is not uncommon. The most common public space and activity restrictions are those aimed at camping, sitting, lying, or trespassing on either public or private land, panhandling, sleeping, blocking the sidewalk and possessing “stolen property,” such as shopping carts and milk crates—to name just a few. Furthermore, these restrictions are often implemented in conjunction with the closure of public parks and the outlawing of free food and clothing distribution.
SAVE THE DATE. Day of Action Against Care Court – Monday August 1. For more information: https://wraphome.org/2022/07/21/save-the-date-day-of-action-against-care-court-monday-august-1/
Part 6... According to the non-profit organization Part 6...
According to the non-profit organization Religious Witness with Homeless People, (RWHP) homeless individuals face anxiety, degradation, and frustration as a result of the aggressive enforcement of “quality of life” ordinances. This anxiety is expressed by one homeless individual in one of nearly 200 interviews 50 Case Studies Analysis conducted by RWHP: “You’re always on edge out here already because it’s dangerous. I can’t go to the cops now because they’ll probably just arrest me because of the (camping) tickets.”
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook Icon

Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

... See MoreSee Less

Link thumbnail

Where do we go Berkeley. URGENT - WRAP

wraphome.org

URGENT: at 8:15 tonight Aug 4th Berkeley City Council plans to temporarily lift ban on chemical weapons such as teargas and pepper spray for...
4 days ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Twitter Icon

Twitter Feed

Retweet on Twitter WRAP Retweeted
4 Aug 1555250996741189632

#Berkeley mayor cancels meeting which was to propose lifting the ban on tear-gas against protesters. https://twitter.com/JesseArreguin/status/1555243449040793605

Jesse Arreguin #GetVaccinated @JesseArreguin

@bedwardstiek I’m canceling the meeting. Our policy stands and shame on the Sheriff for threatening to not provide emergency support to Berkeley.

Reply on Twitter 1555250996741189632 Retweet on Twitter 1555250996741189632 8 Like on Twitter 1555250996741189632 22 Twitter 1555250996741189632
4 Aug 1555249613858168832

URGENT: at 8:15 tonight Aug 4th Berkeley City Council plans to temporarily lift ban on chemical weapons such as teargas and pepper spray for the purpose of using them on People’s Park protestors.

Image for twitter card

Where do we go Berkeley. URGENT - WRAP

URGENT: at 8:15 tonight Aug 4th Berkeley City Council plans to temporarily lift ban on chemical weapons such as ...

wraphome.org

Reply on Twitter 1555249613858168832 Retweet on Twitter 1555249613858168832 3 Like on Twitter 1555249613858168832 1 Twitter 1555249613858168832
Retweet on Twitter WRAP Retweeted
2 Aug 1554612044585844738

Protesters interrupt L.A. City Council vote to expand homeless ordinance | The vote FAILED today because they could not get a majority—the fight is not over, and we will not stop until criminalization is ended and housing becomes the objective.

Image for twitter card

Protesters interrupt L.A. City Council vote to expand homeless ordinance

Protesters on Tuesday interrupted a Los Angeles City Council vote on a controversial homeless encampment ordinance. Th...

ktla.com

Reply on Twitter 1554612044585844738 Retweet on Twitter 1554612044585844738 14 Like on Twitter 1554612044585844738 46 Twitter 1554612044585844738
2 Aug 1554585008026710018

Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

Image for twitter card

Sacramento, CA. Advocates: Community Summit on Homelessness August 27 & 28th - WRAP

THE COMMUNITY SUMMIT ON HOMELESSNESS Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pmSunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm Westm...

wraphome.org

Reply on Twitter 1554585008026710018 Retweet on Twitter 1554585008026710018 0 Like on Twitter 1554585008026710018 0 Twitter 1554585008026710018
Retweet on Twitter WRAP Retweeted
2 Aug 1554548005163843584

Matyos breaking it down. #BlackAugust is off to a great start. #LetsGetFree

Image for the Tweet beginning: Matyos breaking it down. #BlackAugust Twitter feed video.
Reply on Twitter 1554548005163843584 Retweet on Twitter 1554548005163843584 43 Like on Twitter 1554548005163843584 101 Twitter 1554548005163843584
Load More...

YouTube icon

Youtube Code

Our Channel

Copyright © 2022 Western Regional Advocacy Project WRAP · Log in