It appears to be the close of one part of a long running tragic tale, the tent city on the south side of the American River will be closed, but the camping that has been in existence on the north side of the river for many years—to the ongoing anguish of the residents and businesses of North Sacramento—will probably remain.
This is a very sad story, for all concerened, and just part of it can be read at the website of the North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, the only local organization that has consistently tried to have the illegal camping stopped.
None of the other Parkway advocacy organizations, nor other public leaders, (though it appears our new Mayor may be the leader, finally, prepared to take this issue on) have shown any consistent effort to join them, and as this enduring problem has severely impacted the lower third of the Parkway for some decades now, it cannot really be claimed that the Parkway is a regional jewel until it is addressed.
An excerpt from the Bee story.
“Homeless campers who live inside Sacramento's tent city will be asked to move to shelters and other indoor structures, officials said Thursday.
“Responding to growing concern and criticism about the burgeoning homeless encampment north of downtown, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced a plan to move as many as 150 campers to "safer, more sanitary" grounds.
“The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which owns the bulk of the tent city property, plans to fence off the area within the next month, a spokeswoman said.
“Homeless people have illegally camped in the area off the American River Parkway for years. But the issue took on new life when Oprah Winfrey featured it on a recent television program focusing on "the new faces" of homelessness.
“The show sparked international interest and public outrage, prompting elected officials to convene meetings to figure out a solution.
“Johnson has been meeting with a coalition of government leaders, property owners, homeless advocates and others during the past two weeks to discuss how to deal with the camp near the Blue Diamond Growers almond processing plant.
“The resulting plan, to be brought before the City Council on Tuesday, calls for relocating the campers to various types of temporary and permanent indoor housing, including existing shelters and modular buildings at Cal Expo.
“Funding for the project will include local redevelopment money, Johnson said. He said the exact costs and funding mechanisms will be laid out Tuesday, and that he is confident the money will be available. "People living around the river deserve respect and dignity," the mayor told a throng of news media. "For far too long, we've ignored the challenge."
