The LPCA held its first in-person meeting on Wednesday, July 21st at the William A. Carroll Amphitheater in the late afternoon. People must have been ready to get out and congregate as 120 folks showed up! Thank you all who joined us.
Our Land Use and Park Committee Chairs provided updates. Then, several guests spoke to provide information to the community.
They were:
- Vance Chandler and Adam Green – New neighborhood Crime Statistics Land Park CFS Review 2021 Q1 Land Park CFS Review 2021 Q2
- An increase in Calls for Service by the community near W/X & 6th since the safe ground site opened. It is clear the park, neighborhood and business are being negatively impacted. W&X Safe Ground CFS July 2021 The hard work of Bridgette Dean and her Dept. of Community Response was acknowledged. Yet they are understaffed and not able to handle the full load of calls they receive. City leaders may not realize this, but their current expectations are this team up to fail. It was also acknowledged that problems around the site are not necessarily Bridgette Deans responsibility, but falls on the shoulders of the city to problem-solve.
- Mick Boyd/Sacramento Police Officers Association (SPOA) – Sacramento is understaffed for a city of its size. He discussed this and other reasons for police response times.
- Monica Robinson/District Attorney (women, children and animal abuse) – Explained the impact of crime in and around homeless camps. How criminals, drugs and the dangerous mentally ill are a threat to both the housed and unhoused in Sacramento. D.A. Robinsons expertise and personal experiences (including those with her own children in Land Park) were quite compelling.
- Pat Joyce/South Land Park Neighbor – Talked about discussions Raley’s and D4 Councilperson Katie Valenzuela. There was confusion over the status of the proposed safe ground site.
Finally, Katie Valenzuela made an unexpected appearance and we welcomed her to speak after Pat Joyce. Per Mr. Joyce, Raley’s has made it clear from the beginning that location is not the right space for a safe ground site. It will serve other purposes more in-lne with the communities needs. At the meeting, Councilperson insisted the shelter was still her “dream” and she was ready to speak to whoever would be leasing the space from Raley’s (Note: Since the LPCA meeting, Councilperson Valenzuela has publically acknowledged the Raley’s site is off the safe ground proposal list).
Alternative Solutions to Safe Ground Sites in Neighborhoods
At the meeting, neighbors suggested alternative ideas. Councilperson Valenzuela agreed the push to open safe grounds near neighborhoods, schools, parks and business hubs has not been accepted by any community in Sacramento. We believe it may be time to “think outside the box” and consider less divisive and more agreeable alternatives. The energy the city is taking to convince communities of something they don’t want is not good use of their time or our tax dollars. It only creates division and hostility among every group.
A few solutions were suggested at the meeting:
Boys Ranch: The Boys Ranch is on County property. Councilperson Valenzuela said she can’t get any “traction” on this, yet the County has spent 2.3 million to maintain it. We will reach out to our county representative, Patrick Kennedy and bring him to a meeting to help explain the roadblocks and how to make real change happen.
Sac Bee Article https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article239822053.html
Councilperson Valenzuela’s agreement the Boys Ranch would be a better homeless location than Raleys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9Kl3_bdzbo
Audit all services for the needy in Sacramento: There are over 2,000 services in Sacramento focused on helping the needy . Each service assists specific populations. The list includes churches and non-profits. Some have been left out of the city conversation due to religious beliefs. Our situation is too dire to “pick and choose” which services fit a specific ideology. If needy people are being served properly, it shouldn’t matter. Unhoused folks are a diverse group and each requires a different approach. City funds should go to experts who have a proven track record of success. We can discuss this at a later date. Here is a list of noted services in Sacramento. We do not endorse this list and realize it may need updating. It is posted to give you a general idea: findhelp.org
Hope for Sacramento: Many community members have been working to get the Mayor’s attention on this. The idea has been presented several times. Discussions continue. Go to the website to learn more. If you believe this is a good option, tell the mayor. Website link: https://hopeforsacramento.org/
The LPCA will continue to support these discussions. We are a community of compassionate, caring individuals. At the meeting we stated the NIMBY name-calling is beneath such a serious topic. As we expressed, Land Park has valid concerns about violent homeless individuals trolling our neighborhoods and assaulting our citizens. We understand the difference between those in need who are victims and deserve our compassion vs. those who do not accept services and harm our community.
Lastly, this conversation is not just about Land Park – it is about all Sacramento neighborhoods. Race, income level or whether someone rents or owns a dwelling should not be the deciding factors in how safe or or inviting a community should be. We welcome other neighborhood leaders to reach out to us and discuss solutions in the hope that everyone can enjoy a safe, beautiful neighborhood for their own families.
To see the video of the meeting go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRqiMAvqROk