HOMELESS CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT

Advocacy Priorities:

• Advocacy to include homelessness to Sacramento City's Non-Discrimination & Equality Municipal Code;

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• Stop the Law Enforcement Homeless Encampment Sweeps Campaign:  SRCEH defines law enforcement sweeps as a range of activities from the informal “move along orders” that are often threatening i.e. “or else”;  to the formal – the forcible removal of people and campsites including the destruction of people’s property, necessities for survival, valuables, personal documents including identification and sometimes medications. Finally, this includes towing homeless people’s vehicles and RV’s.

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• ​Moratorium to the County's anti-camping ordinance until enough affordable housing units are created in our region. This would include protection of the property of homeless people seized by law enforcement;

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• Oppose any efforts to criminalize homeless people including anti-homeless laws such as anti-panhandling ordinances;

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• Continue to monitor Sacramento Park Rangers monthly anti-camping      citations and homeless camps closed;

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• Advocate for Safe Parking Zones for Vehicle Residents

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• Continue to participate in National House Keys Not Handcuffs Campaign

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•  Work with LSNC and ACLU- Northern CA to determine if SRCEH will     sue either the City and/or County on homeless issues

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SUPPORT SRCEH'S CALL FOR AN

IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM ON THE

CITY'S ANTI-CAMPING ORDINANCE

Department of Justice and 9th Federal Circuit Court stated "...until there is enough housing, anti-camping ordinances violate the 8th Amendment as cruel & unusual punishment"

Sacramento:  Criminalizing People Experiencing Homelessness:

The City of Sacramento has 11 municipal codes criminalizing daily activities associated with homelessness:

• 5 codes criminalizing standing, sitting and resting in public places;

• 3 codes that  criminalize camping and loddging in public places;

• 3 codes that criminalize begging & panhandling  

Sacramento City: Sacramento City Code Section 12.52.030 bans camping on public or private property - unless lawfully authorized.  

From 2004 - 2014, of the 1,201 crime reports on "homeless offenses [standing, sitting, camping, panhandling] 69% [831 reports] of the Sacramento Police Departments crime reports 

were for this one code:  12.52.030

Sacramento County:  Between 2012 - 2014, the Sacramento County Park Rangers have issued approixmately 2,700 illegal camping citations - an anverage of almost 4 citations a day for 730 days [2 years]