Vanguard Sacramento Bureau Chief
SACRAMENTO, CA – The war of words between two staunch unhoused voices continued largely unabated this past week or so, as does the seemingly unending series of court pleadings seeking to protect about 48 largely senior or disabled people in a city of Sacramento facility called “Camp Resolution,” at Colfax Street and Arden Way.
In fact, Monday (Aug. 26) the city could evict those homeless people – and the Sacramento Homeless Union said this past weekend they’ll mass people to stop the eviction.
In the courts – where the union has repeatedly and often successfully won temporary reprieves to keep homeless community safe, but recently lost a bid to keep the camp open – the homeless legal advocates announced an Aug. 30 hearing before Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jill Talley.
But the hearing is days after the city can foreclose on the camp residents.
“The Union has advised the City against taking any action to close Camp Resolution until the hearing is held and presiding Judge Jill H. Talley rules,” warned Sacramento Homeless Union chief legal counsel Anthony Prince last week.
Prince said the union has filed “an Amended Complaint and motions for a temporary restraining order requiring the City to hold off on closing Camp Resolution until applications for disability accommodations have been processed.”
But, he charged, “The City is refusing to follow its own official ‘Reasonable Accommodations Policy’ although residents of homeless shelters and parking sites are entitled to protection under the city policy, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.
The City of Sacramento has dramatically intensified its all-out, inhumane war on the unhoused including Camp Resolution. The City has used deception, lies, slander and collusion with saboteurs and treacherous ‘homeless advocates’ to conceal the truth.”
The camp received support late last week from the largest disability rights group in California.
“We are writing to express our concern regarding the planned closure of Camp Resolution We understand that of the approximately 48 residents of Camp Resolution, the majority identify as persons with disabilities. While residing at Camp Resolution, their disability-related needs have been finally met through community resources and the help of their neighbors, and by their own individual measures,” the group said.
DRC added, “We are especially troubled that the proposed shelter (proposed as a temporary solution to camp residents) at the Roseville Road campus will not meet the disability-related needs of all Camp Resolution residents with disabilities…
“In light of the high risk of grave bodily harm or death facing these residents, we strongly urge the City of Sacramento to postpone the closure of Camp Resolution pending the consideration of the residents’ reasonable accommodation request(s) and to further allow a comprehensive assessment of the individualized needs of each resident.”
“(P)ersons with disabilities encounter significant barriers to accessing shelters throughout California, such as the lack of ramps and shower grab bars, stringent mandatory rules with which compliance is impossible due to disability, transportation difficulties that prevent access to medical providers and social services, and little or no access to food that is necessary to meet important dietary needs, among other things,” DRC noted.
A recent conflict, meanwhile, continues between the homeless union and Safe Ground, led by longtime unhoused advocate and friend Mark Merin.
Safe Ground Sacramento, which actually held the lease for Camp Resolution with the City, announced in late July it was cancelling the deal, allowing the city to – the union claims – close the community.
“Safe Ground Sacramento…betrayed the residents of Camp Resolution…by terminating an historic lease that created the right to permanent housing. This enabled the City to do what they had tried and failed to do for over 600 days, i.e., close the camp,” wrote Prince of the homeless union.
Prince, before a rally and meeting of supporters this past week, added Safe Ground was not invited to the meeting, exclaiming, “Should they appear, they will be muted. They had their say; they did their damage. Tomorrow’s meeting is for those who want to know the truth, not for those who have suppressed it.”
Cathleen Williams, a member of the Safe Ground board, did issue a brief response, stating, “At the time the lease was terminated the city was using the lease to attack both camp residents AND Safe Ground Sacramento and had already announced its intention to terminate the lease.
“In other words, the city was using the conditions of the lease against camp residents. I felt the power of camp residents as an organized force was stronger without the lease. We also wanted to keep working with the city to find a way to keep camp residents safe. Cancelling me and the summit does not make our struggle stronger.”
Merin has remained largely silent, other than to suggest Safe Ground Sacramento, as the leaseholder, won’t throw out those living in Camp Resolution, that it’s up to the city to evict them.
