1)Truth: Seconding what Bob Slobe has been saying for weeks, today's column by Marcos Breton clearly reveals the truth behind the Safe Ground movement.
An excerpt.
“They are intellectually dishonest. That's why I can't get behind homeless advocates in Sacramento who are very adept at gaining publicity for their cause of securing a homeless campground within the city limits.
“They call their movement "Safe Ground," but it's actually shaky ground. It's a campaign with a dubious objective built on a deception that has been exposed.
“Did you notice?
“Homeless people illegally camping along the American River Parkway got a lot of publicity recently when they were rightly told to leave by county park rangers.
“The homeless were then offered 32 extra beds at the Salvation Army shelter, thanks to a local politician and business leaders who raised a lot of money very quickly to fund the extra beds.
“But how many of the 200 or so Safe Ground campers took advantage of the shelter provided for them?
“One.
“Most of the others simply dug in, squatting with intent. And the media was there to record it because that's what Safe Ground wants.
“They want images and stories depicting the plight of the homeless so they can promote the fallacy that Sacramento has no heart.
"I think it's inhumane," Safe Ground executive director Steve Watters said in Tuesday's Bee.
"I blame the politicians for not finding solutions faster."
“Sorry, Steve, but I blame you and your colleagues. County Supervisor Phil Serna and business leaders did offer a solution – 32 beds are not nothing. Their effort was Christian and compassionate.
“Safe Ground spurned it because they aren't about getting people back on their feet.
“They want taxpayers to subsidize a campground where certain homeless people can live in tents because that's what they want.”
2)Results: Another Sacramento Bee story today reports on a new 48 hour deadline for moving out of the Parkway.
An excerpt.
“Members of Safe Ground Sacramento who are camping along the American River Parkway were given 48-hour notices again Tuesday to move on.
“The homeless people who are camping in the downtown stretch were given notices to move Feb. 9, then were swept out of their makeshift campsites Monday.
“But many scattered farther into the parkway, including 62 members of Safe Ground who pitched their tents again just a five-minute walk into a wooded ravine.
“Now the group, as well as others camping nearby, have until Thursday to leave the parkway altogether, said Steve Flannery, Sacramento County's chief park ranger.”
