WASCO, Calif. (KERO) — On Aug. 8, the City of Wasco cleared a homeless encampment citing a recent Supreme Court ruling and safety concerns surrounding the encampment.
- Wasco Community Development Director Keri Cobb and Chief of Police Charlie Fivecoat say the city began planning to clear the camp, before Governor Gavin Newsom's executive order, citing the Supreme Court decision earlier this year saying that enforcing anti-camping laws, do not violate the eighth-amendment.
- Both noted that the camp was cleared partly because of safety concerns, noting fires that spawned from the camp.
- Jim Wheeler, executive director for Flood Ministries, said he understands the city's need to clear the camp, but notes it will make it harder for the non-profit to offer services. Wheeler did say that he feels frustrated by the Governor's Executive Order, saying he feels that it only provides a short-term solution and not long-term change.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Sam Hoyle, your Wasco neighborhood reporter, late last week the city decided to break up a homeless encampment just west of the Walmart. The question is, what led up to this, and what happens now?
Wasco Community Development Director Keri Cobb said while the executive order from Governor Gavin Newsom regarding homeless encampments played a role in breaking it up, planning and notifying those living in the area about the disbursement took place before the order was made public.
"It was sometime around the end of June, the Supreme Court made a decision that allows cities to again enforce their anti-camping laws, anti-camping laws in public places, parks, city-owned properties, that sort of thing," said Cobb
Wasco Police Chief Charlie Fivecoat tells 23ABC, that part of the reason for the disruption of the encampment was because of safety issues arising from it.
"We've been noticing for some time that the encampment continued to grow and more and more people were moving into that location. So we had discussed it and decided that, because we had already had one fire there, which could have very seriously harmed the people that are living there, that it was about time that we probably take the encampment down," said Fivecoat.
Both Fivecoat and Cobb said the city works in tandem with various organizations like Flood Ministries which works to provide resources to the unhoused. Flood's executive director Jim Wheeler says he understands the cities need to break up the encampment, but he's frustrated with the legislation that allows it because he feels it falls short in what it can do to help people.
"For the governor to just make a proclamation about encampments and not provide additional resources to deal with that problem. It's frustrating, because look all over. Generally speaking, everyday, most of our shelter beds are full in Kern County. And so, where if you're going to clear an encampment of 20 people: where are they going to go?" said Wheeler.
All three noted that they felt that breaking up the encampment was the better option than letting it continue to grow because of the safety issues it presented, but all three did say that it's not a problem that will go away overnight, but rather take a long time to change.
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