Recent Evictions of Homeless in California (article & photos)

[Colin Donoghue]

 *Homeless evictions in Fresno California*

"People, of course, have nowhere to go.  [*Because they don't have their
birthright of sovereign homesteading land*].
...
It was notable how many supporters of the homeless came this morning with
cameras in their hands. There must have been 30 people documenting what the
city was doing."

[quotes from
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-Regional-Advocacy-Project/167378429021
]

[image: notice.jpg]
*notice.jpg*

More cruel and heartless evictions of the homeless will take place in
Fresno on July 16. The City of Fresno has budgeted $968,232 to demolish the
Monterey Street Bridge which is the site of several homeless encampments.
This bridge, which engineers say can no longer be used for automobile
traffic, is currently being used by the homeless to get out of the
scorching heat of the summer and as protection from rain in the winter. If
it is demolished it will become one more weed infested vacant lot in the
wasteland of downtown Fresno.

These evictions will affect the approximately 100 people living on The
Hill, New Jack City (which has been reborn) and the area around Pastor Ray
Polk’s ministry. The city demolition will also remove Polk’s Homeless
Memorial that he has built for those who have died on the mean streets of
Fresno.

Eviction notices went up a couple of days ago and the bulldozers will
arrive later this month. Last October and November the city spent over
$200,000 to destroy homeless encampments all over downtown Fresno. That
destructive rampage has resulted in 14 lawsuits being filed against the
city alleging that they took and immediately destroyed homeless peoples
property. More lawsuits will likely be filed as over 100 homeless people
have filed claims for damages caused by the city’s aggressive “clean-up”
procedures.

In 2008 a Federal Court ordered the City of Fresno to stop these kinds of
attacks and a $2.3 million settlement was given to the homeless members of
a class action lawsuit and their attorneys.

With the City of Fresno in a financial crisis, many homeless advocates
argue that this is not a good time to spend nearly $1 million to demolish
the Monterey Bridge. They point out that the mayor is talking about
privatizing the sanitation department to save money, they have cut back on
senior meal programs, and are unable to open a community center one block
away from the bridge. The city spent nearly $4 million to build that
community center (on Elm and California) which has an NBA-sized basketball
court. The city claims it has no money to open it up. Yet, it can spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars to bulldoze the homeless encampments,
$986.232 to destroy this bridge, and millions to settle lawsuits resulting
from their cruel and heartless policy on homelessness.

For background information about the homeless issue in Fresno, see:
http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313
http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313
 *§Destroying Homeless Peoples
Shelter<https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/01/18716711.php#18716712>
*
by Mike Rhodes *Sunday Jul 1st, 2012 4:43 PM *
 [image: 800_mn_home.jpg original image ( 3008x2000)]
*800_mn_home.jpg*
<https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2012/07/01/mn_home.jpg>original image (
3008x2000) <https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2012/07/01/mn_home.jpg>

This is an example of how the City of Fresno moves into a homeless
encampment and destroys everything in their path.
http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313
 *§Mother Nature<https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/01/18716711.php#18716713>
*
by Mike Rhodes *Sunday Jul 1st, 2012 4:43 PM *
 [image: 800_mother_nature.jpg original image ( 2023x1431)]
*800_mother_nature.jpg*
<https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2012/07/01/mother_nature.jpg>original
image ( 2023x1431)<https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2012/07/01/mother_nature.jpg>

This is Mother Nature as she watched her home being kicked down by the City
of Fresno (see the previous photo). After the city destroyed her shelter,
she had nowhere to live.
http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313
 *§Current Shelter near the Monterey
Bridge<https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/01/18716711.php#18716714>
*
by Mike Rhodes *Sunday Jul 1st, 2012 4:43 PM *
 [image: monterey_bridge.jpg]
*monterey_bridge.jpg*

 *§Homeless Memorial<https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/01/18716711.php#18716715>
*
by Mike Rhodes *Sunday Jul 1st, 2012 4:43 PM *
 [image: 800_dsc_0035.jpg original image (
3008x2000)]<https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2012/07/01/dsc_0035.jpg>

Article link:  https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/07/01/18716711.php
-- 
“To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men.” -Ella
W. Willcox
http://colindonoghue.wordpress.com
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