Residents of a homeless encampment on Georgia Street — less than a week after receiving notice of a city-allocated encampment sweep — watched as city officials conducted a cleanup of the site on Wednesday.
Bulldozers and rake-wielding city officials took to the street clearing garbage and waste at the location off Georgia Street in between the John F. Kennedy Library and the Vallejo Ferry Terminal, citing the American Disabilities Act as the reason for postponing the sweep.
“A handful of individuals have requested ADA accommodations, allowing for more time to move,” said Assistant to the City Manager, Natalie Peterson.
Assistant to the City Manager Natalie Peterson helps pick up garbage as an encampment area is cleaned up by the city on Wednesday. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)In response, until they can move forward with the sweep, the city will continue to review and accommodate those requests, she said.
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As for the purpose of Wednesday’s cleanup, it’s merely in anticipation of the scheduled sweep.
“Right now we’re working on moving excess trash and debris,” said Peterson. “To try and get (the area) a bit more cleaner while we work on moving forward with a future cleanup.”
In an attempt to work more collectively with affected residents, city officials and members of their cleanup crew are “working” with the individuals to distinguish which items they would prefer to hold on to and which they are comfortable with disposing sooner rather than later.
Last week residents of the encampment received a 72-hour notice from the city, issuing a warning in preparation for an intended sweep that was scheduled to start Tuesday. However, following the numerous ADA accommodations received on behalf of the affected unhoused, city officials decided to tentatively hold off.
In attendance, offering oversight of the cleanup was longtime resident and advocate for the city’s unhoused, Joey Carrizales. As with former cleanup and encampment sweeps, he urged the city to implement a sense of safety.
“Currently there’s an unsheltered gentleman close to the bucket of a bulldozer,” described Carrizales. “There’s no orange cones, no yellow tape identifying the safety zone versus unsafe zone, citizens have freely walked on the sidewalk near the bulldozer while it dumps its load. There is no safety here.”
The 10-year advocate on behalf of Vallejo’s unhoused communities expressed both frustration and relief.
“I think this is very typical of the city of Vallejo,” he said. “To do something that is not sensical, not lawful, and does not serve the unsheltered population.”
“This should have been done 10 years ago,” said Carrizales. “It’s just not enough.”
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