Northern California firefighter’s racial tirade after crash gets attention on social media
By Jonathan Ayestas
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — Dozens of Sacramento police officers and fire crews cleared out Camp Resolution on Monday morning after people living at the self-government homeless encampment refused to leave and barricaded themselves.
The crews removed barbed wire and propane tanks that people put up to block the entrance of the camp, located on Colfax Street in the north Sacramento area. The evictions are happening as a lease agreement with the city expired on Aug. 25.
Hostility and tension marked the tone as several people were unwilling to move out of Camp Resolution. The city told KCRA 3 that it would consider criminal trespass for anyone not leaving and that law enforcement would be called.
Officers with the Sacramento Police Department showed up before 7 a.m. Police created a perimeter and closed off Colfax Street from Arden Garden to the Traction Avenue Arden Way Alley.
At 7:46 a.m., KCRA 3 reporter Erin Heft observed the number of officers significantly increase.
At 9:15 a.m., Heft reported that fire crews cut the gate down. Some people were seen being walked out of the encampment in handcuffs. The crews used equipment to haul away material from the site and later began driving trailers off the property.
Heft said an attorney representing Camp Resolution filed a temporary restraining order.
The city told KCRA 3 that five people from the encampment accepted a spot at a shelter. It expects more people to do so as the day continues.
Sacramento officials have also offered alternate locations such as the city’s Roseville Road Campus, and the Outreach and Engagement Center.
Police said four people were cited with resisting, obstructing or delaying the dismantlement of Camp Resolution. They were released after citations were issued.
Homeless advocacy group Safe Ground Sacramento announced in late July that it would end its lease agreement with the city.
In a letter to the city, Mark Merin with Safe Ground Sacramento said they can’t fulfill their obligations under the lease because of various barriers. Some of those include access to a water supply, electricity and liability insurance.
The Sacramento Homeless Union then filed a preliminary injunction to keep the camp open. But a Sacramento Superior Court judge denied the request.
People who lived at the encampment had until Aug. 26 to move out. The camp was established early 2023.
Outreach workers with the city’s Department of Community Response have been visiting the site daily.
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