By Doug Porter
The infamous rockscaping in and around East Village was installed as part of the city’s preparation for Major League Baseball’s 2016 All-Star game on July 12. The wishes of the surrounding community, the supposed reason for the installation, were actually not considered.
Even as emails on the situation were made public on Wednesday by Kelly Davis at Voice of San Diego , local gendarmes were rousting homeless people who’d moved to surrounding neighborhoods as a result of the city’s actions.
Trust me. It’s a juicy column today. I’ve got stories on US Senators being brave, secret files on Trump, and a strong candidate for hypocrite of the year.
Police are out in Sherman Hts trying to control the spillover caused by #antihomeless tactics in downtown. pic.twitter.com/4pgdjoBfET
— Michael McConnell (@HomelessnessSD) June 16, 2016
From Voice of San Diego:
In late April, homeless advocates discovered the city was installing jagged rocks under Interstate 5 at Imperial Avenue to discourage camping. The motivation seemed clear: Imperial leads straight to Petco Park, home of this year’s All-Star Game. The rocks, advocates argued, were part of a larger effort—similar to one in San Francisco before this year’s Super Bowl—to get homeless people out of the area.
But a city spokesman told a different story. He said it was at the request of residents of Sherman Heights, a working-class neighborhood several blocks east of Petco Park.
“The new landscaping along Imperial Avenue is meant to address safety concerns raised by neighborhood residents in Sherman Heights who use it as their main connection to Downtown,” public works spokesman Bill Harris wrote in an April 25 email.
Photos of the rockscaping and police sweeps of homeless people in the area led to protests at City Hall. The city continued to peddle the story about concern for residents of Sherman Heights.
SDFP columnist and homeless advocate Jeenie Criscenzo wrote about reaction to the protests:
Last week, homeless advocates, including myself, confronted the mayor for authorizing installation of a $57,000 rock bed under an overpass where homeless people frequently camped. On social media, we were accused of being bleeding hearts who were giving aid and comfort to creatures who don’t deserve our concern. They called the ugly barrier that was built without a shred of effort to be attractive, a “rock garden”! When one of our group spoke at City Council about the inhumanity of using pest-control tactics to repel human beings, two councilpersons actually giggled!
City Councilman David Alvarez has demanded an apology. Residents of the Sherman Heights area reported that displaced homeless people were pushed onto the sidewalks and alleyways around residences after the installation of the rockscaping.
Via Voice of San Diego:
Alvarez, whose district includes Sherman Heights, believes city officials used residents as a scapegoat after people questioned the rocks project. Homeless advocates held a press conference condemning the project.
All residents wanted was better lighting under the overpass, Alvarez said — a request that’s yet to be fulfilled.
“I feel very offended on behalf of the Sherman Heights community for being used by a city spokesperson claiming all of this was at their request,” he said in an interview. “The request was very simple — it was about lighting. Somebody at some point made the decision to allow these rocks to be placed there. That was not what the community asked for.”
It should surprise no one that the blame for this fiasco now falls on one former city employee. The mayor’s office knows nothing. The Padres, as host team for the All-Star game, know nothing. Nobody knows nothing.
In other MLB News, a series of “free” concerts on the embarcadero sponsored by Budweiser on the weekend prior to the All-Star game have been announced.
From the Union-Tribune:
A limited number of tickets for the July 8 and 9 All-Star concerts here will be made available first to San Diego Padres’ season ticket-holders, who can register for them online. Members of the public can obtain free standing-room-only tickets — based on availability — beginning Friday at 10 a.m., online only, at: AllStarGame.com/concerts.
Maybe headliners Gwen Stefani, OneRepublic and Tori Kelly can ask for a few tickets for homeless people.
Violence Prevention Filibuster Succeeds
Senate Democrats, led by Chris Murphy (D-Ct), staged a fifteen-hour-long filibuster yesterday and succeeded in getting GOP to leaders to allow votes on banning people on the terrorist watch list from obtaining firearms licenses and on expanding background checks to gun shows and Internet sales.
From Talking Points Memo:
The Connecticut senator invoked the mass shooting of 20 children and six teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in his home state to shame his fellow legislators for their lack of action.
“I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of the ongoing slaughter of innocents, and I’ve had enough of inaction in this body,” Murphy said when he kicked off the filibuster at 11:21 am on Wednesday.
The legislation on barring the sale of guns and explosives to people it suspects of being terrorists was first proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) one day after a couple killed 14 at an office holiday party in San Bernardino, California.
Unlike Senator Ted Cruz’s filibuster (he read from Dr. Seuss) on Obamacare, the subject of gun violence was discussed throughout the day and night.
From Vox:
Most of his fellow Democratic senators had no idea the filibuster was coming. But two of them — New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal — quickly helped, asking questions to give Murphy a rest from talking without forcing him to yield the floor.
More and more Democratic senators stepped forward to ask questions. By 8:30 pm, more than 15 of them had spoken. By a little after 10 pm, 38 of 46 Democratic senators had joined the effort.
As they did, the story ricocheted around social media. Murphy, sounding surprised, said close to midnight that his office had received more than 10,000 phone calls since he began talking.
Lest anybody get too excited about this, remember: the GOP consented to allow a vote on a measure (expanded background checks) supported by 85% of the American public.
Police: This man pointed his rifle at a group of friends who messed with his @realDonaldTrump sign in Bankers Hill pic.twitter.com/T2FaFnSLoV
— Matt Mendes (@10NewsMendes) June 16, 2016
News of the Trump
The Donald is getting mighty upset with all those Republicans who are queasy about falling in line behind his candidacy.
From The Hill:
“You know the Republicans — honestly folks, our leaders have to get tougher,” he said at a rally in Atlanta. “This is too tough to do it alone, but you know what I think I’m going to be forced to.”
“Our leaders have to get a lot tougher,” he continued. “And be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don’t talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet to the leaders because they have to get tougher, they have to get sharper, they have to get smarter. We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself.”
Trump’s comments come amid signs that GOP leaders are increasingly worried about being tied to his campaign.
The Democrats had their own controversy over Donald Trump yesterday when it was revealed that “Russian Hackers” had broken into their databases and stolen their opposition research on the presumptive GOP presidential candidate. DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said no financial documents were compromised.
Eh, not-so-fast. This morning all kinds of files were floating around the internet, including donor lists.
Hacker Guccifer 2.0 sent a message to the DNC’s security company:
Shame on CrowdStrike: Do you think I’ve been in the DNC’s networks for almost a year and saved only 2 documents? Do you really believe it?
All-Natural Food for Duncan Hunter’s Kids
Congressman Duncan Hunter’s campaign finance scandal continues to grow. The Union-Tribune’s Watchdog investigators have reason to believe campaign funds were used to pay for lunches at the private school attended by his three children.
At issue are campaign reports filed several weeks back listing $1,300 spent with Ki’s restaurant in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in 2015 and early 2016. Ki’s provides school lunch delivery to Christian Unified Schools.
Hypocrite, thy name is Duncan Hunter. From the UT:
Health-conscious Hunter hard at work…
In Congress in 2010, Hunter opposed legislation that would increase spending on school lunch programs for the poor, saying “ it spends too much and expands the influence of government.”
This year, he backs a Republican effort to loosen some school food health standards, such as allowing more processed foods. The effort is opposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the PTA.
Ki’s meals for Christian Unified students are billed as all-natural, “free of preservatives, hormones, antibiotics and fillers.”
On This Day: 1903 – Mary Harris “Mother” Jones led a rally in Philadelphia to focus public attention on children mutilated in the state’s textile mills. Three weeks later the 73-year-old led a march to New York City to plead with President Theodore Roosevelt to help improve conditions for the children. 1976 – In Soweto, thousands of school children revolted against the South African government’s plan to enforce Afrikaans as the language for instruction in black schools. 1999 – The Circuit Court of Appeals said that a 1992 federal music piracy law does not prohibit a palm-sized device that can download high-quality digital music files from the Internet and play them at home.
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Doug Porter
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Those soulless little Council people may have to reckon with the fact that by claiming it was Sherman Heights residents who asked for the eviction-by-sharp-rocks they may have saddled the residents with retaliation from those evicted. We’ll see if they giggle in response to that potential. The Germans have a word for that sort of high indifference — schadenfreude. What creeps we’ve put in charge.
Who did the giggling? Shame on ’em! (Not that that’s apt to dent their skulls any too much…)
Nonetheless, let’s have the names…
COME & SEE SATURDAY – DCPC Social Issues Subcommittee Walking Tour.
Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 10 a.m. Meet at 13th and Imperial, East Village
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1CvnryNeh0kzAPEhV4k8CdhvAons&usp=sharing
http://tinyurl.com/20160618
Existing Funding Solutions include :
Hoarded @ +$50 million in Cash in the Low Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund (LMIHAF) Controlled by Civic San Diego. With no plans to spend available Cash until FY-2018. Please investigate.
+$215 million in the Successor Agency HUD OIG Audit Debt Repayments to CDBG Program Income for ROPS-9 and ROPS-10. The majority of the Federal HUD Repayment is being diverted to the City of San Diego’s General Fund, instead of the poor and homeless. Pathetic.
+$78,958,810 in Excessive Cash Reserves Fund Balances by the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) for the Housing Trust Fund (HTF).
https://www.sandiego.gov/comptroller/reports
Solution: City staff create Post-Audit Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) for the Successor Agency and LMIHAF to the former Redevelopment Agency (RDA) from FY-2011 to the present.
We’ve got another 4 1/2 years of thus bullying mayor, thanks to the SD Dems failure to meaningfully support a candidate. Let’s hope that they do a better job with upcoming county council elections.
Yeah, you have to wonder if the local Dem County Comm isn’t still sulking over the rejection by local rank and file of Nathan Fletcher (endorsed for mayor by the committee). With so many Democratic Assembly and Senate members from San Diego County exercising power so effectively in Sacramento why is the San Diego County Committee so exhausted?
Why only a 15 hour filibuster by the Dems? That filibuster should have gone on for days, weeks, months, as long as it took. What else are they doing constructive? Nothing.
Another black eye for the city:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Homeless-Persona-Non-Grata—383359401.html
For sure, a black eye for our toothy mayor, whose instincts are conditioned by his p.r. training. Gotta keep the place clean for national television covering the All Star Game.
Why is it when one free press publication gets a story all of the free press publications jump on it like white on rice? How about some creativity in content? This is basically a cut and paste job from the internet.
I am a resident. My neighbors are residents of this area. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THESE ROCKS. I’ve read that Councilman Alvarez demands an apology from the city about this to the residents of Sherman Heights. With the people I know in Sherman Heights they aren’t asking for an apology. Not sure if the Councilman is still sore about not winning the election but he needs to let this one go. He has access to discretionary funds and we don’t see him using it to help the homeless or mitigate the vagrancy.
Every single writer from the UT, VOSD, and now this…..none of you live here! You don’t have to deal with meth heads and crack addicts and drunks and walking in the street and walking around urine or feces on a daily basis just to get to Wal Mart do you????
Well from one of us that does have to deal with it, keep your opinions to yourself. Anyone with enough gumption to sit behind a laptop and blog about it can also get off their keister to go to Father Joe’s and help JUST ONE homeless individual out. That’s all…JUST ONE. Not give at the local fundraiser, but actually talk to one to help them address their needs. You will do a lot more good than trying to break down the social injustices or whatever is a hot button ACLU item you feel are being levied on the homeless. You think allowing them to stay under an overpass helps them? It helps them about as much as this article does.
Anonymous Barrio Logan Resident, you know that David Alvarez is but one vote on the Council; if he “has access to discretionary funds” you’d better call the mayor’s office or report it to the D.A. or City Attorney, cuz’, because that would be a violation of the law. Look into it with the least amount of bias you can. Let us know what you find out. Until then, I expect to read opinions from the San Diego Free Press 6 days per week, as well as your own, which you so freely express.
Let’s unpack your wisdom one piece at a time.
*This article is a column. It talks about stuff that’s in the news, just like the more than a thousand other daily news wraps (actually it’s 1088, as of today, when i wrote about the Sanders campaign) I’ve written. The rocks were in the news. The fact that it’s about the news is mentioned at the top (in the graphic) and at the bottom of the column. Case closed.
* So the crack heads and the tweakers just arrived in your hood when the homeless were pushed out of downtown, right? Funny, I don’t remember it being such a nice ‘hood when I lived there more than four decades ago.But if you say so…
* Do me a favor and educate yourself about the homeless. Try reading this: http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/nonprofits/three-big-myths-about-san-diegos-homeless-population/ or this: http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/10/wonder-where-san-diegos-redevelopment-money-went/ for starters.
* It might interest you to know that SDFP editor Brent Beltran actually lives in your neighborhood. And rather than sit around and whine about it, he’s active with planning and environmental groups seeking to make life better.
* We’re all active in various neighborhoods throughout San Diego. One of us even volunteers to read stories to kids at Sherman Elementary. I was there for the Food Fair this week.
* As to the keep our opinions to ourselves part…sorry, no can do. Don’t like it? Don’t read it. We actually do stuff. AND we write about it. Try reading though our author bios if facts don’t bother you too much.
I’ll gladly retract my comment of keep your opinion to yourself. It is actually quite refreshing that you are able to bring this issue out in any way. This is an open forum that allows those of us willing to get in the fray to educate ourselves further on this problem.
I consider myself and fellow residents highly educated on the homeless. We don’t have to dispel any myths about what kind of people are homeless. They are first and foremost humans. We see them every day. We help them, every day. And unfortunately we walk past them everyday as well.
Last night I met a guy, Adrian, who was 27 and self admittedly hooked on heroin and he looked like he was in his mid 40s. He said quite eloquently that he didn’t want to be a slave to his addiction anymore. I asked him where he got his drugs from and he said on Commercial Ave. For those familiar with the area that is right underneath an underpass behind Father Joe’s. Now in my simple logic, on one hand I’ve just met a 27 year old homeless addict who hates what the drug has done to him so much that he told me he hasn’t looked in a mirror in over 8 months. If you build it they will come and conversely if you tear it down, it makes it harder for the streets to be a viable option. Not all homeless are created equal and the rocks on Imperial are not going to help nor prevent a single homeless from getting off the street.
I’m glad there are residents who are a part of planning groups. I’m glad there are folks making efforts with Regional Continuum of Care. I’m glad Downtown Community Planning Council is doing a walk on Imperial tomorrow at 10am to discuss concerns. I’m glad there is genuine interest in this issue but obviously not enough.
What I’m not glad about is when the residents are forgotten in lieu of whatever issue someone gets upset about. Please cruise down to Commercial and 17th. There you will see some of the worst of the worst homeless problems. Drugs run rampant and scumbags prey upon the addicted. I come full circle as to why that corner is part of this conversation (which is one block from our rocky underpass). Because at Commercial and 17th are fine Mexican families raising their kids within 10 feet of that abomination of a street.
So at the end of the day, you have to choose a side and if rocks prevent those families from having to deal with it just a little bit then so be it….bring on the rocks.
And maybe discretionary funds was the wrong wording but I’m very aware of projects that have been paid for with district specific money.
I’ll apologize if my tone in my first post was harsh. You are obviously passionate about this as are we the residents. With that said, if we want a REAL target, lets go after the liquor stores who prey upon the serial inebriates. That would be Logan Market & Liquors on 16th/K and La Central Liquors in Chicano Park. They keep them in a dazed, blissful stupor while they slowly kill themselves. It annoys me to know end that the sobering center run by the Volunteers of America on 16th is right across the street from Logan Market & Liquors. How has that not become a story!?! You want a story to go after….how about the exploitation that we witness everyday at those liquor stores. I was at La Central Liquors the other day when I saw a $90k+ Audi A7 pull up with the son of the liquor store owner driving it. He then went inside and sold cheap Popov Vodka to a homeless guy with no shoes, no shirt, dirty as can be. These are the real targets right there, not the Mayor or the Padres.
My apologies if I offended you Mr. Porter. Please continue to bring your stories to the masses!
Thanks for keeping the conversation going.
I almost jumped all over Barrio Logan Resident after reading the first comment. After reading the second I feel less compelled. Shit is fucked up here in Barrio Logan. But we shouldn’t use fucked up ways to combat these issues. Those rocks? That was blatant assholery by the City. A middle finger to our most vulnerable population. And that pushed more homeless onto Commercial/17th. And into Barrio Logan under the I-5 on Chavez. And (more) back into Chicano Park. And on National by Reliable Pipe. And in the alleys. At Chavez Park. Those rocks pushed more homeless into our barrio! And the City is doing nothing to mitigate that impact.
San Diego Free Press ain’t the problem. And we’re not like other news outlets (for one we don’t get paid for this). We play active roles in the communities we live in and are from. We don’t hide our politics behind keyboards. We also take them to the streets.
SDFP exists to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Guess we did our job.
ICE/WATER NEEDED FOR HOT WEATHER AID STATION THIS WEEKEND NEAR PETCO PARK: If you choose to join the DCPC Social Issues Subcommittee Walking Tour at 10 am Saturday June 18 at 13th and Imperial- please consider donating bags of ice, paper cups, and/or large bottles of drinking water to help create a “cooling center” for homeless San Diegans who have no place to go this weekend, as temperatures climb into record territory in the coming days.
Many of the women, children, men, seniors and their pets who are homeless do not have access to “cool zones” set up in many libraries, senior centers or other locations, or are not comfortable leaving their belongings and pets unattended if they are not allowed to take them inside.
To help prevent heat related illness that could results in calls for emergency medical services, volunteers will set up a water station under the shaded pergola at the south end of PetCo Tailgate Parking lot, near the corner of L & 14th.
We plan to be there from approximately noon-6 pm.
Martha Sullivan and I will join with other volunteers and activists to provide ice, water and other supplies to keep people hydrated and cool on what many are predicting to be an extremely hot day.
If you would like to support this effort, and provide cool water to those in need, please deliver ice, water, paper cups and trash bags for helping us with clean up.
PLEASE DO NOT DONATE INDIVIDUAL SIZE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES- bring bags of ice and/or large water bottles we can refill as needed.
We will provide paper cups to keep plastic waste to a minimum.
Questions: call 619-786-5674 or email lori4mayor@gmail.com
Stay cool out there this weekend!
Help us show that San Diego can be “AllStarWorthy” when it comes to helping people in need, and contrast our city leader’s approach with what’s being done in Philadelphia:
“Kenney said that he had started out his political career believing that homelessness was a police problem, but now believes the city should stop criminalizing homeless people. Kenney said the initiative, focused on downtown areas with high pedestrian traffic, isn’t meant to keep homeless people out of sight ahead of the Democratic National Convention this summer. In fact, he said, he’s hoping to enlist some national Democrats to help bolster the city’s homelessness outreach efforts.”
(Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/citified/2016/05/16/philadelphia-homeless-center-city/#xiBhq4hsoU0amXCd.99)
Locally: Volunteers needed to help pass out cold water and provide shaded seating for homeless residents near PetCo Park, Sunday June 19/Monday June 20.
Cold water is a good way to help people manage heat and avoid potential health problems. The heat will be increasing and more people will be needing a comfortable place to rest and receive water.
Yesterday’s event was a success: lots of water distributed, and many people given a chance to sit, relax and cool off without fear, and talk with others in a comfortable setting.
See news coverage:
http://www.cbs8.com/…/pop-up-cool-zone-for-the-homeless-dow…
http://fox5sandiego.com/…/pop-up-cool-zone-to-provide-reli…/
On June 18 we provided cold water and shade for people with recent injuries, some awaiting surgeries, others managing chronic illness (diabetes, depression).
The Cooling Station provided a brief respite for older adults, and families with children and pets, to sit, relax and feel welcomed…just imagine if you had no place to go to be comfortable on a hot day under those circumstances.
Also needed: bandanas to give to people. These are useful items and we gave out many yesterday, but if you donate some: NO RED or BLUE! Black, green, turquoise, yellow, multi-color are all better choices (due to fear over displaying gang colors in some areas.)
Other items that are helpful: hand sanitizer, individually wrapped snacks, first aid kits.
Thanks for helping comfort those in need during this heat wave.
Today (June 20) is World Refugee Day. It is also the day that Mayor Kevin Faulconer has authorized a massive “sweep” to clear tents, tarps, and other personal
belongings from areas downtown.
Whether from economic or political crisis, displaced families with no safe, permanent housing face increased health risks on a daily basis. They are more likely to be victims of violent crime. Women and young people are more vulnerable to rape and sexual assault.
Forcing people away from shelter, and/or to pack up their belongings and move on the hottest day of the year, will add to physical and emotional stress that may result in more emergency responders being called to manage their care. That cost falls on all San Diegans- both in economic and humane ways.
Please join other volunteers in distributing cold water and providing some comfort to people on this hot day. We will be at the shaded area at 14th & L Street, near the Tailgate parking lot for PetCo Park.
And please call Mayor Kevin Faulconer and ask him to stop the downtown cleansing and criminalization of people in preparation for the MLB All-Star Game in a few weeks.
Contact the Mayor today: Phone: (619) 236-6330
Email: kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov
The clearing out of homeless was also taking place in the far corners of Balboa Park. Some tired and besweated men and women were rousted yesterday from benches within site of our front door, in comfortable North Park. They were bike campers.
What’s a bike camper Mr. Dorn? I’m unfamiliar with that term.
I know canyon camper, outdoor enthusiast, etc. But not that one…