• 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
    • 40 Years of Fighting
    • History
    • Mission
    • Strategy
    • Members
    • Board / Staff
  • Campaigns
    • Business Improvement Districts
    • House Keys Not Sweeps
    • Legal Defense Clinics Project
    • 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
    • Pipe Dreams and Picket Fences Report
    • Art in Action Power Point Slide Show
    • Hobos to Street People
    • House Keys Book
    • Political Education
    • Legal Research
  • Media
    • Newsletters
    • 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

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** TULE RIVER UNHOUSE RESIDENTS FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER | PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR 2PM AT THE ENCAMPMENT

February 21, 2021 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

For Immediate Release                                             
DATE: Monday February 22nd at 2PM                  
LOCATION: Tule River Encampment off Road190 TIME: 2PM                                                             

 

Press Contacts:
Arturo Rodriguez
Communications/Organizing Director
Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, INC
arturo@cvempowermentalliance.org
(916) 620-5052

 

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

TULE RIVER UNHOUSE RESIDENTS FILE A RESTRAINING ORDER DEMANDING THAT THE TULARE COUNTY SHERIFF END HARASSMENT AND EFFORTS TO EVICT THEM DURING THE PANDEMIC

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR 2PM AT THE ENCAMPMENT

Porterville, CA — This morning residents of the encampment on the Tule River, supported by Tulare County community groups, are filing suit in Superior Court, asking for an injunction to stop the Tulare County Sheriff from forcing them to leave their homes.  River residents were given notices by Sheriff deputies on January 18th announcing that the Sheriff would forcibly remove their encampment.  Tule River residents are experiencing another chapter in a multi-week harassment and eviction campaign by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (“TSCO”) and live in fear of the day they will be forced to leave a place they have called home for up to the last five years.  TSCO’s practice is in direct contravention of case law, which the Supreme Court recently supported, establishing that arresting unhoused people on public lands, without providing any alternative shelter, is cruel and unusual punishment. There is no place to which the encampment residents can move.  Tulare County has no vacant shelter beds and a waiting list of four years.

The eviction threat defies the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, which state that encampments should remain in place during the pandemic, and that forcing people to abandon them risks exposing both residents and the surrounding community to COVID-19.

An earlier eviction of an encampment on the St. John’s River not only displaced those residents, who had no place to go, resulted in the burning of their belongings in a bonfire beside the river.  Tule River residents are asking the court to intervene to prevent a similar human rights disaster.

Rosendo “Chendo” Hernandez, one of the plaintiffs, said that “These are our homes, and some of us have lived here for years.  We have no place to go, and we fear that leaving our encampment will expose us to the coronavirus.”

Civil Rights Attorney Michael Bracamontes said, “TSCO’s practice is in direct contravention of case law, which the Supreme Court recently supported, establishing that arresting unhoused people on public lands, without providing any alternative shelter, is cruel and unusual punishment.”

Mari Perez-Ruiz of the Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, Inc. said, “We support the Tule River residents.  If they are driven from their homes it will not just harm them, but it will risk the health of our whole community at a time when we are trying to recover from the pandemic.  People have a right to housing, and the Sheriff is responsible for protecting that right.”

A press conference is scheduled at the encampment at 2PM today. 

 

Speakers:

Mari Perez-Ruiz, Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, INC.

Michael Bracamontes, Bracamontes & Vlasak, P.C., Civil Rights Law Firm in San Francisco,, BV Law of San Francisco,

Rosendo “Chendo” Hernandez, Plaintiff

Daniel Penalosa, City of Porterville Council Member

####

Detailed Directions to PRESS CONFERENCE on Next Page

Related Links

 

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/

Tulare County’s Homeless to Be Thrown Off Their Levee Sanctuary

https://capitalandmain.com/tulares-homeless

Porterville City Council, here is our Testimony Video 

https://fb.watch/3M0AnhlG-N/

Tule River Encampment Lawsuit Press Advisory_2.20.2021 PDF >>>>>>>>>

Filed Under: #right2rest, #StopTheSweeps

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Footer

Instagram Feed

Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loiter Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loitering, trespassing, blocking the sidewalk and panhandling make society safer? https://conta.cc/3ZrNvk5
https://conta.cc/48wWLr8
Welcome to the WRAP-UP! Boise, ID. Video Shows Fam Welcome to the WRAP-UP!	Boise, ID. Video Shows Family Violently Arrested and Severely Injured for Living in Park, and more news from our members.  https://conta.cc/3R8Efzl
https://conta.cc/3r3rHhU
Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Re-Introduces Unhoused Bill of Rights https://wraphome.org/
After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, w After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, we have lost our funding. Street Spirit ceased publication on July 1, but we will not give up! Our newspaper is an invaluable source of East Bay news, and a vital resource for the people who sell it. Come party with us to support our effort to relaunch. https://conta.cc/3rifOod
WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer WRAP was founde WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer 
WRAP was founded in 2005 by local social justice organizations across the West to bring about real systemic change. We are building a multi-issue, multi-racial and social justice-based coalition which brings organizations together across the local–national divide, thus giving us the strength and experience to make ending poverty and homelessness a national priority. https://conta.cc/3XD5QK9
Celebrating Resistance Relationships June 30, 202 Celebrating Resistance Relationships 
June 30, 2023 * 6:00 - 8:00 pm 
320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
State of the “Sweeps” The politics of encampme State of the “Sweeps”
The politics of encampments and displacement in the “post” pandemic order
Public panel discussion, June 14, 4-5:30pm Communications 120
University of Washington, Seattle
Undercommons Archives Art Show Thursday June 15th Undercommons Archives Art Show
Thursday June 15th 7-10pm 
Adobe Books 3130 24th St. SF
Instagram post 17863401230948820 Instagram post 17863401230948820
San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelte San Francisco, CA. Mayor’s Plan to Expand Shelter GUTS HOUSING FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES AND YOUTH 
https://wraphome.org/2023/05/31/mayors-plan-to-expand-shelter-guts-housing-for-homeless-families-and-youth/
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook Icon

Facebook Feed

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

Sacramento prosecutor sues California’s capital city over failure to clean up homeless encampments

clbn.us

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento’s top prosecutor is suing the city’s leaders over failure to cleanup homeless encampments, escalating ...
3 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

Twitter Icon

Twitter Feed

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

YouTube icon

Youtube Code

Our Channel

Copyright © 2023 Western Regional Advocacy Project WRAP · Log in