New Homeless Evictions in Fresno
By Mike Rhodes

About two dozen residents of a homeless encampment in downtown Fresno were told by the California Highway Patrol to “move on” this morning. “The Meadow,” the name given the encampment by the residents, were given 72 hours to move on. The Meadow is located south of Ventura and west of G street and under a freeway overpass. Many of the residents moved here after being evicted from the Ventura & E street encampment last summer.

With no safe place to go, it is unclear if this encampment will break up and move elsewhere. Residents were visibly upset by the CHP order to move that was preceded by ID checks and threats of arrest. Lydia (not her real name) told me she was ordered to produce her ID by CHP officers. She told them that she did not want to show them her ID. The officers told her “then we are going to take you downtown and find out who you are.” Lydia said all she could find was a bus pass but that the officers accepted that as her ID. Homeless people in Fresno are constantly stopped and their ID run through a data base to look for outstanding warrants or probation violations.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has the following advice for anyone stopped for questioning:

1. It is not a crime to refuse to answer questions, although refusing to answer can make the police suspicious about you. In California, you cannot be detained or arrested for merely refusing to give your name or identify yourself, but you can be in some states including New Mexico and Nevada. But use your judgment; refusing to give your name could lead to your detention or arrest even if it’s unjustified or unlawful.

2. The police may “pat-down” your clothing if they suspect you are carrying a concealed weapon. Do not physically resist, but make it clear that you do not consent to any further search.

3. Ask if you are under arrest. If you are, you have a right to know why.

4. Do not “bad mouth” the police officer or run away, even if you believe what is happening is unreasonable. That could lead to your arrest.

There were conflicting reports, as this news story goes to press, about the eviction of homeless people at the encampment known as “The Hill.” The Hill is just east from The Meadow and is probably the largest homeless encampment in Fresno. There are 30 or 40 structures on The Hill with as many as 100 people living there at any one time. At least one homeless person said residents of The Hill had been told to leave by the CHP, but that report could not be confirmed.

I did ask the CHP officers on the scene for their version of what had happened this morning. The officer in charge refused to comment about their actions at the homeless encampment.

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For a list of articles and documents about the struggle for civil liberties for homeless people in Fresno, see: http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/homelessness.htm