{"id":956,"date":"2013-04-27T02:47:17","date_gmt":"2013-04-27T02:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/?p=956"},"modified":"2013-07-04T20:01:05","modified_gmt":"2013-07-04T20:01:05","slug":"sacramento-tent-city-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/sacramento-tent-city-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento Tent City on the Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTE BY NORSE:\u00a0 Protest encampments and lawsuits in Sacramento prepared the way for this latest “sanctioned” protest.\u00a0 In Santa Cruz, a small protest sleep-out by a group I call the Visible Sleepers in front of the Post Office went on for four nights and seemed to establish that getting documentation that you were on shelter waiting lists (at the Homeless Lack of Services Center) deterred police ticketing under the Sleeping Ban.\u00a0\u00a0 Others are working for a long-term solution with a Sanctuary Camp Ground.<\/p>\n

Safe Ground plans a weeklong, mini \u2018tent city\u2019 in downtown Sacramento<\/h1>\n
The group says permanent encampment is coming soon; Alkali Flat residents direct ire at city leaders.\u00a0 Safe Ground plans a small tent city in downtown’s Alkali Flat neighborhood next week; residents direct ire at city leaders<\/span><\/div>\n


\n<\/span> By Dave Kempa<\/a> <\/span>
\n<\/span>davek@newsreview.com<\/a><\/span>
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\nRead 1 reader submitted comment<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


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This article was published on <\/span> 04.25.13<\/a><\/span>. <\/span><\/div>\n


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Independent reporting for this story is funded by a grant from Sacramento Emergency Foodlink.<\/span><\/div>\n
More information about Safe Ground Sacramento is at <\/span>www.safegroundsac.org<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
Related stories:<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span>Cat and \u2018river rat\u2019 game<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/span> Sacramento’s winter-shelter program ends, and homeless campers return to the American River.<\/span> SN&R<\/span>, 03.14.13. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>On Tent City 2<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/span> Sacramento\u2019s camping ordinance = the definition of a failed law.<\/span> SN&R<\/span>, 12.29.11. <\/span>
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This week, homeless camps will be moving from the American<\/strong><\/span> River\u2019s banks to downtown. But it\u2019s not what you think.<\/span>
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\nSafe Ground Sacramento, the nonprofit dedicated to protecting homeless residents and helping them find a safe place to sleep, will host a weeklong arts, education and music event on the corner of 12th and C streets.<\/span>
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\nSlated to begin on Wednesday, May 1, the Safe Ground Stake Down hopes to raise both funds and awareness for the nonprofit\u2019s ongoing efforts to find land where homeless people can stay and not be asked to leave.<\/span>
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\nBut the downtown neighborhood\u2019s residents and landlords are protesting the Stake Down. Organizers want to include a small \u201ctent city\u201d as part of the event. Residents say they weren\u2019t informed of the Stake Down until very recently, and now are concerned the encampment will affect the area\u2019s safety and sanitation. Some even worry that a few nights of camping could turn into something more long term.<\/span>
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\nWith this in mind, the city held an open discussion involving both residents and Stake Down representatives on Monday, April 22.<\/span>
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\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a slap in the face for this location,\u201d said Gary Federer, board member of the Alkali and Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association.<\/span>
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\nA longtime resident and staunch critic of the Stake Down, Federer added that the lot\u2019s soil toxicity levels should be tested before the event can take place.<\/span>
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\nOther residents, concerned about an influx of homeless people in their neighborhood, asked officials and organizers how they intend to keep the Stake Down under control regarding crowds, sanitation and safety.<\/span>
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\nCity officials outlined the restrictions for the event established in the permit, which demand crowds no larger than 49 people, no on-site cooking, no more than three consecutive nights of camping and sufficient garbage receptacles.<\/span>
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\nMeanwhile, Stake Down representatives Ron Javor and Cathleen Williams promised a clean and educational environment. They insist the neighborhood\u2019s well-being is a primary concern.<\/span>
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\nThe lot on which they plan to hold the Stake Down belongs to Safe Ground representative and social-justice lawyer Mark Marin.<\/span>
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\nNot all Alkali Flat residents were convinced, but frustrations by the end of the meeting were directed less toward homeless advocates and more toward city officials, who have been promising tangible answers to the homelessness problem for years.<\/span>
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\nAccording to Steve Watters, head of Safe Ground Sacramento, things are starting to move forward.<\/span>
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\n\u201cRight now, we\u2019ve had the most progress in all the time I\u2019ve been with Safe Ground,\u201d he said.<\/span>
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\nIn recent months, councilmen Jay Schenirer and Allen Warren have said they are open to hosting sites in their districts. In fact, a lot for the region\u2019s first permanent Safe Ground could be chosen within the next 50 to 90 days.<\/span>
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\nWhen asked about the issues between city residents and homeless advocates, Watters replied, \u201cWe\u2019re all on the same side.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NOTE BY NORSE:\u00a0 Protest encampments and lawsuits in Sacramento prepared the way for this latest “sanctioned” protest.\u00a0 In Santa Cruz, a small protest sleep-out by a group I call the Visible Sleepers in front of the Post Office went on … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[58],"tags":[64,14],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=956"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1130,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/956\/revisions\/1130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}