5 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento police arrested 15 homeless people and confiscated camping gear at a controversial downtown makeshift campground early Saturday.
Officers conducted the sweep of the vacant lot at 13 and C streets around 5 a.m. Saturday, detaining 17 people and confiscating items like tents, chairs and cookware, according to homeless advocate Greg Bunker.
Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong said two of the detainees were released because they didn't fit the city's homeless criteria, while the other 15 were arrested. One of those arrested was eventually released because he was diabetic.
Homeless campers and their advocates returned to the camp Saturday afternoon. Sister Libby Fernandez of Sacramento's Loaves and Fishes said donors provided camping equipment to replace the items seized by police.
Leong was noncommital on the police department's ongoing approach plan for the encampment, saying officers may or may not return Saturday to make more arrests should camp residents move back in.
Saturday's action was the third time in two weeks that officers have arrested campers at the site for violating the city's anti-camping ordinance. The ordinance states that no one can camp on city property -- public or private -- for more than 24 hours at a time.
The lot is owned by homeless advocate and attorney Mark Merin, who leasing the property for a small fee to approximately 30 homeless people last month.
"Sacramento is criminalizing homelessness, trying to drive homeless people out of the city. The ordinance on which they're being arrested, on the basis that they're arrested, really makes being outside a crime," said Merin.
Merin was expected to fight the city's request for a preliminary injunction to shut down the encampment during a court appearance scheduled for Sept. 22.
News10/KXTV
