RICO Lawsuit Filed Against Urban Alchemy For Violence and Drug Trafficking At Sausalito Encampment.

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OR IMMEDITIATE RELEASE

A lawsuit alleging violation of the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations “RICO” Act was filed on February 8th against Urban Alchemy in Marin County Superior Court. Urban Alchemy is a non-profit who manages homeless encampments across the United States and operated a city sanctioned encampment in Sausalito from 2021-2022. The complaint alleges Urban Alchemy attacked battered Arthur Bruce, a resident of Camp Cormorant in Sausalito, as a way to protect their criminal enterprise of trafficking crystal meth and women living at the camp by certain employees. It also alleges that Urban Alchemy has been negligent supervising and training its employees that managed the homeless encampment during the time of the attack. [See attached PDF for complaint]

Bruce filed the complaint and alleges that he was attacked by an Urban Alchemy employee named Troy in 2022, which resulted in his hospitalization. The attack occurred shortly after Mr. Bruce gave critical statements against Urban Alchemy to news media while at the encampment, and during a time when Urban Alchemy employees such as Troy were trafficking crystal meth and sexually exploiting several women living at the camp.

The assault was part of a long saga of conflict between unhoused people and the City of Sausalito. Mr. Bruce along with other residents and the California Homeless Union obtained a federal restraining order blocking closure of a camp located on the other side of the city. After the restraining order was issued, the City of Sausalito contracted with Urban Alchemy to provide security services at the new location in Marinship.

That’s when things got of control.

During that time, Urban Alchemy employees were publicized trafficking crystal meth to campers, and sexually assaulting women who live there. ““I did a line with an Urban Alchemy guy,” Sarah Gossage, a former encampment resident, said. “He asked if I want to do a line and I said sure. He handed me a rolled up 20-dollar bill with crushed up crystal meth. After I was done, he let me keep the 20 dollars.” Said Sarah Gossage, a former camp resident (https://pacificsun.com/workplace-violations/ )

Ken Kennedy said he knows two Urban Alchemy practitioners who brought meth into the camp, although neither works at the Sausalito location any longer. Steveo Cook, an Urban Alchemy staff member, told Kennedy he could “bring in the really good meth.” Id

Steveo Cook and his supervisor Josh Taylor, were both subject to restraining orders issued from the camp by Federal Judge Chen for sexually assaulting women at the camp. [See https://www.scribd.com/document/705096765/Federal-Judge-Restraining-Order-Against-Urban-Alchemy-Employees-Accused-of-Sexual-Assault]

This scandal is not unique to Sausalito. Urban Alchemy employees have been arrested for shooting illegal guns at work – and rehired and promoted (https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/urban-alchemy-worker-used-illegal-gun-sf-18131320.php). One employees caught on camera spraying homeless women with a hose in LA (https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/city-contracted-employee-after-video-shows-them-spraying-homeless-person-with-hose/3317435/)

If people would like to provide anonymous tips of Urban Alchemy misconduct, we are asking them to send us an email at UrbanAlchemyAccountabilityNow@mail.com so that we can start to hold this organization accountable. Urban Alchemy Accountability Now is an anonymous tip line for people experieincing mistreatment by Urban Alchemy.

Arthur Bruce can be contacted for comment at 415-299-0605

To learn more about Urban Alchemy Accountability Now, please contact this email address. Please share this email address so other survivors can share their stories.