Fresno Homeless Czar Harasses the Homeless

Probably the cleanest homeless encampment in downtown Fresno is on F street (between Ventura and Santa Clara). The people at that encampment were targeted for eviction last week by Fresno’s Homeless Czar Greg Barfield.

Robert and Nate, two residents of the camp, say they were visited on the morning of January 3, 2011 by several Fresno Police Department officers on bicycles. The officers told them that they had to move by 5 p.m. or they would be given citations and their tents would be removed. When asked why, the officers told Robert and Nate that Fresno’s Homeless Czar Greg Barfield wanted them removed. Barfield told me, in an email, “that there are a number complaints about F street as well as Santa Clara. Those persons in F street have been asked to move.” Asked if anyone other than the Poverello House and himself had complained, Barfield was silent. A California Public Records Act request has been sent to see who complained.

The next morning Robert entered the Poverello House (a social service agency assisting the homeless in the area) and was told by security that he would have to leave. Robert asked why. He was told that it was because his tent was on the sidewalk on F street. Additionally, Nate and all of the other (15 or so) residents were banned from the Poverello House.

Richard, Nate, and the other residents of the F street homeless encampment refused to be intimidated and did not move. They were given cameras by the Community Alliance newspaper and encouraged to document any actions that the police took to evict them from their encampment.

Nate reported today (Sunday, January 9) that the situation has normalized and everyone from the F street encampment are now able to enter and use the Poverello House services. According to Nate, Paul Stark who works at the Poverello House, asked to speak to Nate about the situation. Paul told Nate that he had tried to “buffalo” him into moving and that he was sorry. He also said that "F street was the city's problem" and that Nate and the other residents living in that encampment were no longer banned from the Poverello House.

When the police, the Czar, and the Poverello House threatened and tried to intimidate them into giving up their space, they did not back down. They took steps to defend their rights, asked questions, and reached out for community support. Together the homeless and homeless advocates were able to protect their right to live on a small patch of publicly owned property, forced the Poverello House to abandon their discriminatory policy, and provided some guidance for others on how to deal with the police and the Homeless Czar.