San Francisco police trumpets its removal of homeless camps after the mayor promised a crackdown but Twitter users demand to know what happened to the people in the tents
- San Francisco police evicted about 50 homeless from Tenderloin sidewalks
- Tent-dwellers moved on to set up blocks away and will likely be evicted again
- City law makes it illegal to set up a tent on the sidewalk without a permit
- Authorities got many off the street and into housing in months before raid
- Mayor Mark Farrell vowed to tackle the homelessness problem head-on
San Francisco's Tenderloin was bustling with tents, sleeping bags, the meager possessions of the city's homeless on Tuesday - now it is empty.
About 50 tent-dwellers were evicted in a sweep of problem streets, either moved on or having their tents and possessions taken away.
The raid came days after Mayor Mark Farrell vowed to clean up the streets after dozens of homeless resisted efforts to move them into shelters.
San Francisco's Tenderloin was bustling with tents, sleeping bags, the meager possessions of the city's homeless on Tuesday - now it is empty
Police posted before and after photos of Ellis and Stevenson Streets showing they were completely empty after the Wednesday raids
'Enough is enough. We have offered services time and time again and gotten many off the street, but there is a resistant population that remains, and their tents have to go,' he said.
Police posted before and after photos of Ellis and Stevenson Streets showing they were completely empty after the Wednesday raids.
However, the eerily empty sidewalks prompted concern on social media about where the people who once lived in the tents ended up.
San Francisco Police tweeted out the removal of homeless people
The eerily empty sidewalks prompted concern on social media about where the people who once lived in the tents ended up
Twitter user Jennifer Cedar-Kraft wrote: 'Is this supposed to make me pleased? Where did all the humans and their meger belongings go?
'People do camp out on my block. It's not great, but I don't call the cops on them or want them to get hosed down. This is not the solution unless they have a better place to go.'
Damon Oliver said: 'So you made helpless and homeless citizens go somewhere else??? But where?? But did you actually help those in need??'
And Cathy Reisenwitz added: 'Where are these people now?'
The answer appeared to be moving a few blocks away to continue the cycle until the next area was cleaned out.
'This is just what happens around here. They move us. They clean. We just set up somewhere new. Then it happens all over again,' Fernando Veloso, 50, told the SF Chronicle as he packed up his tent.
Possessions collected from homeless who weren't at their tents would be stored for 90 days
However, news footage showed many items being packed into garbage trucks
Possessions collected from homeless who weren't at their tents would be stored for 90 days, but news footage showed many items being packed into garbage trucks.
'If you are not at your tent when they come through, they will take everything. If you are with your stuff, as long as it's not over, they will let you keep what you have,' a homeless woman told KRON4.
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Sweeping the area came after months of trying to get homeless into shelters, housing or on to buses heading to family and friends since July.
About 270 were on the streets then and progressive outreach cut the number to 40 before recent arrivals swelled the number to about 100.
Half of those packed up and moved on in the days before Wednesday as Public Works staff informed them of the impending sweep.
Sweeping the area came after months of trying to get homeless into shelters, housing or on to buses heading to family and friends since July
About 270 were on the streets then and progressive outreach cut the number to 40 before recent arrivals swelled the number to about 100
Jeff Kositsky, director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said the agency opened 50 temporary shelter beds and about a dozen more longer-term ones, but only a few accepted them.
'We always lead with our services, and we are doing consistent and loving outreach, but at some point we need to let people know that what they're doing by keeping tent camps on the sidewalk is not legal, safe or healthy,' he said.
Some homeless activists argued evicting tent-dwellers raised tensions without fixing the problem and was dangerous for them and public workers.
They pointed to an incident where a woman stabbed her boyfriend during the sweep.
However, Mayor Farrell said that only highlighted why the tents needed to come down, as people were more vulnerable on the street.
Half of those packed up and moved on in the days before Wednesday as Public Works staff informed them of the impending sweep
Some homeless activists argued evicting tent-dwellers raised tensions without fixing the problem and was dangerous for them and public workers
He further promised this was 'just the beginning' of his efforts to clear San Francisco's streets and tackle homelessness head-on.
'Tents should not be part of the permanent landscape in San Francisco. If, at the end of the day, a person resists everything we offer them in counseling, housing and other services, they shouldn't be allowed to keep tents on the sidewalk,' he said.
'Maybe it takes a mayor not running for office to do it, but we need to clean up our streets throughout the city. We haven't been pushing hard enough. We will now.'
Mayor Farrell is not contesting a special election in June to replace late mayor Ed Lee, who died before his term ended in 2019.
Mayor Farrell promised this was 'just the beginning' of his efforts to clear San Francisco's streets and tackle homelessness head-on
The tent evictions took place under a narrowly-passed 2016 city law making it illegal to set up tents on sidewalks without a permit.
'The City would be required to offer housing or shelter, though the proposed ordinance does not specify the number of days of housing that must be offered,' it read.
'The proposed ordinance requires the City to provide written notice 24 hours in advance to individuals and also to post the notices in the area of the encampment.
'The affected individuals’ personal property, with certain exceptions, would be stored by the City for at least 90 days.'
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