catrinasada
By Catrina Sada of Food Not Bombs-Isla Vista
Dear Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (IVRPD),
On December 9, 2020, you posted a notice at the largest houseless encampment in Isla Vista which asserted that, “A cleaning of this area will commence on Monday, December 21… please remove all personal property from this area by Sunday, December 20.” You plan to remove people’s personal belongings and force them to vacate the park. With only 11 days’ notice, you are callously separating our houseless neighbors from their homes, just in time for the holidays, the onset of winter, and the peak of a pandemic.
The eviction of some of Isla Vista’s most vulnerable and underserved residents does not benefit our community at large. Your insistence upon “maintenance” and “cleaning”–namely, mowing the lawn, auditing irrigation, collecting trash, and setting gopher traps–pales in comparison to the importance of respecting houseless people’s autonomy. You are clearly not taking public opinion into account: hundreds have signed a petition against the evictions, and fourteen community members vehemently opposed the move at your December 10 board meeting, during which the park closure wasn’t even part of the agenda. Your Board Chair refuses to hold a special meeting to discuss this issue further, and you did not bring your plans up in any public meeting or with the County Encampment Task Force, of which you are a member. You justified the closure using the COVID-19 Encampment Management Policy (CEMP), despite the passage of that document also facing public backlash back in August.
According to your mission statement, your district is supposed to “encourage public participation in its functions.” Yet, instead of facilitating meaningful cooperation between your institution and the community of Isla Vista, your staff have refused to be transparent and have instead taken clandestine action, knowing your anti-houseless agenda would find little support from community members.
In the board meeting, IVRPD General Manager Kimberley Kiefer stated that she “absolutely love[s] a lot of those community members” and views the removal as “an opportunity to connect people with what they need.” She reiterated important principles of leadership in parks, that “it’s important to include everybody, including people that are unspoken.” Yet despite her reassurances and professed respect for the houseless, your organization’s actions are in clear opposition to the desires of Anisq’Oyo Park’s residents. A survey conducted by FNBIV on December 15 revealed that twenty out of twenty five surveyed residents wished to remain in the park. Even though ten people had moved into the tiny pallet homes set up in IV as of December 16, a substantial number of Anisq’Oyo Park residents are still unable to secure spots in the tiny homes, have no interest in moving out of the park, or both. If you truly believed in the principles of inclusive leadership, you would have taken the needs and desires of each houseless resident into consideration. Instead, you have prioritized your own objectives of maintenance and cleaning at the expense of the autonomy and health of the houseless. What’s more, you have threatened our houseless neighbors with arrest if they refuse to leave their homes. IVRPD, with support from the County and Third District Supervisor Hartmann, are completely out of touch with the community they serve, at the same time as they are willing to impose their will upon this community in crucial situations like the one at hand.
These evictions are particularly cruel in light of the current pandemic. California is under a stay-at-home order, and expecting people to relocate during a pandemic is a danger to their health and to public health as a whole. IV’s houseless residents should have the freedom to remain where they are in order to remain safe and autonomous, meeting their needs as they best see fit without endangering themselves or others. The CDC has specifically recommended that houseless people’s encampments not be removed so that their occupants may have the chance to shelter in place. The CDC’s Interim Guidance on Unsheltered Homelessness and COVID-19 emphasizes that that all relevant agencies, such as those with jurisdiction over parks, should “…allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.” Despite this guidance, you are clearly prioritizing the appearance of local parks over the health of the houseless community.
You have betrayed public trust by forcefully removing people who are sheltering in place in Anisq’Oyo Park. As Isla Vista residents, UCSB students, and neighbors to our houseless community, we implore you to call off this eviction and listen to the voices of the Isla Vista community.
To take further action in opposing this decision by IVRPD, you can sign this petition, email or call IVRPD’s General Manager and Chairperson, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for further updates.
Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at ed@edhat.com. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of edhat.
When your house burns down or you are sexually assaulted, let’s see if you change your tune, I’m sick of living in fear. Get the homeless in mental or rehab facilities.
No need to worry anyone…the party goes on!!! They just moved everyone over to the other side of the park! At least it gave the parks department (and Marborg!) something to do…and it looks like Home Depot is probably getting 5 or 6 of their carts back…
You have enough compassion to post on Edhat about your compassion but not enough to open your home to them.
I commend your compassion, however, let me know how you feel about it when one of their fires run your out of your home. Or one of them is taking a dump in your driveway. Or leaving used needles in your yard.
Are we breazing over the subject that a bunch of pallet houses were put in IV just a few weeks ago to house these homeless? I think the timing is a bit off. but they have been talking about this for quite awhile. “housing is a right” is a weird term to be used for homeless people that the majority actively do things to CONTINUE this way of life. This isnt working class people struggling to survive, these are drug addicts and derelicts. and im not being mean at all. there are some that are truely down on their luck. but there are a vast majority that thrive on this life….. they dont want to change.
These sort of actions and comments are akin to the ostrich story. Merely moving the problem out of sight does not make anything better. It is not like the people living on the streets or in the parks or along the freeway have the ability to rent an apartment. Provide housing and if there is enough shelter and someone doesn’t accept that alternative then you can take action. Doing less is akin to Marie Antoinette’s philosophy.
We really need to separate the moochers from those who can be helped up and out of their troubles.
we do you are very right. that is difficult, and requires work on their end to show they are not “moochers”
pitmix, the pallet houses cost 900k….. thats only 1 program.
You think they give a f— about Christmas? Hilarious. Here’s your Christmas present, a big boot. Hey Catrina of Foods not Bombs, I appreciate your energy and compassion, but no way…
The 2 down votes have never been a victim of crime by mentally homeless men. They should talk to the woman who worked at the LA Cumbre Massage Envy. Leftists love embracing criminals until it’s one of them that is victimized.
BASIC – how do you know what these people care about or think about? You’re despicable. Sitting in your house behind a computer proclaiming the beliefs of all homeless people. On what basis? Have you ever asked one if they care about it or maybe even celebrate it in some way? Absolutely heartless.
LAKERGIRL – “embracing criminals?” Being homeless is not a crime. “Rigtists” love painting everyone with a broad brush and ignoring facts.
Lakergirl, as one of the down votes, let me explain. What is objectionable about your comment is that you are spreading bigotry and disinformation. The crime committed by the homeless is petty stuff. They are not pedophiles or rapists or murders by and large. You want to look at people living in miserable conditions and label them as unworthy of care or community help. This may salve your conscience but it won’t make the problem go away. And, by the way, the cost of locking them up in facilities such as you suggest is grossly more than the cost of providing shelter. And, by the way I did have a house that burned (not completely) and I have been assaulted physically. Neither event was by a homeless person. What group should I blame?
It’s my opinion that our public parks should not be campgrounds for homeless people, and I do not think that we should wait until after Christmas to make them move out. If you want to go interview the people currently living in the park there to ask them if they’d prefer to stay until after Christmas, well, be my guest. No one is talking about ALL homeless people. That’s a different issue Sac. If you think I’m heartless, so be it. No, I’m not sympathetic to those who will not help themselves and work with the abundance of publically funded help I am paying for. I’m fine paying taxes towards helping the homeless, but not fine with letting them do whatever they want, which is what this article is all about.
SBDUDE has it correct.
I had been homeless for the last 5yrs, due to illnes, but just moved into my own place last week.
I’ve witnessed the entire list of complaints, 1st hand, & many are spot on.
For me?..no parties, no new clothes, lots of cold food & showers..I could have stayed in a hotel once in a while, but did’nt want to “splurge” un-necessarily..it was horrible.
There ARE plenty of “homeless”, really trying their best to transition up..but so many more who don’t want a better life..just a bigger High.
i live dt and see bums shitting and doing drugs in public every day, locals are tired of this BS.
It’s 4 days before Christmas! Have a heart, IVRPD! Clean it up any other time of the year, as it does need it. But come on, give them a break for a week.
Invite them over to your house Catrina. A public park isn’t a campground nor a day care. Move them along and in 6 months we can move them along again.
Letting homeless people live in public spaces is a crime especially considering how much our government spends trying to help (PS our government is incapable and incompetent).
Doing nothing for the homeless (like the Catrina advocates) is not helping anyone. Get them out of public spaces and get them mental health if they need it, and they will move along or find work to get housing. They don’t have to live here, they can live someplace they can afford once they get on their feet again.
Why is it our responsibility or even part of the conversation that its our obligation to house people? It’s not. I’m sick of poop and pee everywhere I go in SB now and dealing with dangerous people who are clearly dealing with mental issues, or on drugs living in our once nice public spaces, and starting fires. One of these fires will turn into a disaster.
Make the New Year a new start. Let them have Christmas, but these people are nothing but squatters and what they are doing is illegal. They are a menace to society, and a danger to themselves, the public, and the environment. They need to go.
You do not speak for everyone. You might be shocked how many locals feel immense compassion for the homeless. Being angry that the homeless exist does, and trying to hide the problem, is what has gotten us to these extreme levels of homelessness.
Local governments spend many millions of dollars in programs for the homeless – helping them get back on their feet, providing them medical care, all kinds of services. Most homeless are invisible and are well served by these services and more often than not, regain self-sufficiency. The ones who camp along the freeway or are panhandlers or camp in parks in IV are not usually among those who are easy to serve and in fact often resist any services that are anything but a direct handout. Many if not most are substance abusers, have mental health issues, and all too often don’t really want to regain self-sufficiency. Please don’t conflate the lifestyle homeless with the temporarily down-and-out homeless, or imply that nothing is being done for them.
Ok sac Jon. How about December 26? They don’t have to take down their Christmas decorations until after Christmas then
Sac –
Your heart is in the right place but this homeless camp is a trainwreck…and the problem with using a “4 days before Christmas” argument is that this should have been done back in February. Come swing by the park sometime…it went from a nice spot for the whole community to enjoy to a giant disaster of trash and grime. There is a reason Bike theft in IV is up exponentially. Same with car break ins.
A-1608659489: “Enablers create their policies, that’s why.”
No truer words spoken! This is EXACTLY the case with the “houseless neighbors” in Isla Vista, it was a situation created by the county supervisors and promoted by certain groups which amount to nothing more than enablers.
Um, figure out why citizens of the richest and most powerful nation that has ever existed would rather live rough and do drugs, and then apply those solutions? Is this really beyond our capabilities so that our only solution is to move them to Ventura?
Keep letting them stay and more will come. After all who wouldn’t want to be here in the winter with 79 degree weather.
Bus fare to Oregon they seem to be fine with tent cities all over. They have now legalized meth and heroin.
It fails to become a “public park” when the authorities allow these encampments.
Maybe the Op-Ed ought to move them on-campus, that’s public property too!
Build it and they will come, who wouldn’t?
Location, location, location. Outdoor encampments are appropriate in the covid era, but somewhere like Earl Warren or along the railroad tracks. Tragically, the little park in Isla Vista is unavailable to everyone else, including families with children who need to play in the park, safely, and everyone who appreciates the beauty which Anis Q’Oyo formerly had. Now even the ducks aren’t safe as litter, of the worst sort, floats in the water and syringes and other detritus form a new layer which perhaps will amuse future archaelogists. Howver, the vast majority of residents are not amused as the spiralling vortex of the non-stop crime spree that is The Encampment continues its’ out-of-control rampage. Kicking the can to the south end of People’s Park won’t solve the problem, nor will attacking Joan Hartmann who is more in touch with the vast majority of Third District voters than the writer of this opinionated screed. As for the “survey” of people who are already squatting and excluding the rest of the community from the park, the selective bias is so obvious one would think the writer was joking. Despite her delusions, there is a point to all this, which is that concentrating this social meltodown in the heart of already-overcrowded Isla Vista is a ludicrous policy which was doomed from the get-go, but until there is a legitimate alternative site for what amounts to refugee camps, where there is more room for people to spread out and they are not ripping off a neighborhood of its best park, the problem will continue the clown show that it is.
Re open Manzanar camp! Ship them all there. Build a factory for them to work for the public, house them and feed them. They will be useful to society to some extent. 0 tolerance for drug use. Paradise!!But whats happening now in our county is a disgrace, nobody wins. They beg for money and steal for drugs, cigarettes and booze. They pollute the environment, they hurt local businesses, they contribute to crime and they take over public spaces. They account for over 70% of calls to the fire department and police. Its a shit show and its getting worse. I wonder why? Whos to blame for the proliferation of this crisis? Not the tax payers, thats for sure. Look at our local officials in office. Thats were it starts. Lets face it, those that seek help and receive shelter and food from local organizations arnt the problem. Its the other “homeless” or “urban travelers” that prefer to live in and off the street culture that ruin it, and they are from out of town in most cases.
Yeah, let’s become Russia! That’s patriotic.
THEY WERE NOT EVICTED. They only scooted over to People’s Park – adjacent to Anisq’Oyo Park. Why don’t they want to move into the 900k pallet housing with heat and showers? From the horse’s mouth:
“80% of this park are tweakers. [Security is] not gonna let you go out all night long and steal shit. They’re not gonna let you build shit up outside your tiny home, bicycles and shit you stole, and shit you found. It ain’t gonna happen,” Buck said.
https://dailynexus.com/2020-12-19/ivrpd-plan-to-move-houseless-residents-out-of-anisqoyo-park-sparks-community-concerns/
I’m sorry, but it’s not exactly compassionate to “let” people sleep outside in their own filth, either. And entering a shelter or housing arrangement requires them to give up drugs – a prospect that can seem worse than death for the heavily addicted – so 20/25 saying they want to stay is not a particularly strong argument
Catrina, your depiction of the situation in the park is so grossly incorrect and as a resident of the Isla Vista community for over 20 years I take offense to some of your characterizations. These people in the parks are not neighbors, they are opportunistic squatters. Homeless have ALWAYS been in IV and there has been a mutual respect for community and its residents. The community park was once a place where you could take your kids and join in community events. It is now littered with garbage, feces, hypodermic needles, and clearly stolen property. The crime rate in IV went up exponentially with the arrival of the new park transients. You say it was an 11 day eviction notice like it came out of nowhere, when the community and authorities have been addressing this months. There is literally not 1 long term community member that I have spoken with that sees keeping these people there a good thing. You have depicted the IVRPD as an organization that lacks compassion towards this situation, but I would recommend anyone to go to the IVRPD home page and look up the amount of taxpayer resources that have been offered to these people inlcuding: showering facilities, garbage pick up, outreach workers and first responders providing medical care and info, pallet homes, etc.. I am a first responder EMT and we had over 13 overdoses there in 1 month not to mention numerous assaults and robberies. Lastly, I would echo the words of others on this page and say that if you are so compassionate and driven to truly help these people, I would highly recommend inviting them back to live in your home or home town park. This year is the first I have heard of the organization that you represent “food not bombs”. On the homepage for your website it has “The Anarchist Cookbook” as a must read. If I remember correctly this book has instructions for manufacturing explosives/weapons as well as home manufacturing of illicit drugs. You and some of your organizations motives should be called into question.
Why do so many people think that these encampments are full of “covid homeless” or people simply down on their luck? If YOU lost your job and were evicted, would YOU live among the drug users and thieves in one of these encampments? These campers are opportunists taking advantage of the policies of liberal communities (who, by the way, are FAR less likely to fund support for disabled residents who
have lived in these communities their entire life). Why do the largest encampments exist in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle?? Enablers create their policies, that’s why.
How timely your comment JDDEAR: Scrooge asks, “Spirit, are they yours?” The reply: “They are Man’s. This boy is Ignorance, this girl is Want. Beware them both, but most of all, beware this boy.” Scrooge says, “But have they no refuge, no resource?” The ghost echoes Scrooge’s earlier harsh words: “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”
The government is spending a lot of money on addressing the impacts of drug-addicted and mentally ill people on our society. You don’t think they have an interest in solving this problem? And if not them, who? The addicts and their families have obviously failed already.
WEEZ, 1st off, our sincerest thank you for your service as an EMT. You all ARE the fabric that keeps us safe.
I 100% agree with your response, it’s accurate and absolutely a boots on the ground assessment, it is absolutely beyond accurate.
I also agree with your observation of Food, Not Bombs, they are definitely a group bent on creating as much disruption as possible and through whatever means possible, such as mistruths, lies and misrepresentations.
To me, their efforts are an insult to the hard work you 1st responders do, Just look at their view of law enforcement, that alone answers a lot
I’ve been an Isla Vista resident for as long as you, run my own little business, have always coexisted with the local homeless and there’s never been an issue.
Now, what we have, everything you and others have described, very negative, very destructive and a risk to the community.
Even the local homeless have NOTHING positive to say about the new arrivals and the worst part is they’ve been voicing those concerns since the arrivals began.
Again, thank you for all you do and whatever I can do to help the community, such as exposing the truth about the “houseless neighbors” and their enablers, I will gladly continue to do so.
Thank-you Simpleton..it feels pretty good!
I did not use any services available to those in my situation, nor did any tribemate help
( except for some veggies)..I was also recovering from cancer & toxic mold poisoning, but somehow I pushed on..
it can be done if one has the desire.
Hopi-Holidays to all edhatters.
The government is responsible for solving their addiction problems?
MAST8, none of the logic you introduced to this conversation will sink in with the enablers and you have to wonder why.
As some have posted here, why don’t these compassionate individuals take in some of these “houseless neighbors” in for a stay in their place? Oh, that’s right, because they want it to be somebody else’s problem, not their problem.
To: PITMIX – Do you expect the government to solve people’s addiction problems?
EHDAT, LOL! Yes, rents in Isla Vista… HIGH! But then again, so are the majority of the “houseless neighbors” that certain groups and organizations, as well as politicians have managed to dump upon us and enable.
These are NOT your “average homeless” in these camps, they’re the problem children who NOBODY wwants to deal with, in fact, they’ve burned every bridge behind them to the point of no routes of retreat.
You got to suck REALLY bad if your family or friends ddon’t want you around for the holidays, right?
MATTGREG01, ABSOLUTE FACT! That guy that made that comment in the Daily nexus, Buck, he’s 1 of the long time local homeless dude.
He’s true boots on the ground and factual. The “new” arrivals, they’ve threatened him, they’ve assaulted him, they’ve ripped him off and yet, Buck has the heart to speak the truth that groups like Food, Not Bombs refuses to accept. Why is that?
Like another Nexus commenter said in a recent post: “Food, Not Bombs should reconsider naming itself “Meth, Not Homes…”
OOPS, all those empty dorms on UCSB land and all these “houseless neighbors” camping in filth. Move em’ there, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?
SHAME, you’re onto something there! Seems a lot of them are already taking the MTD out of Isla Vista. I guess they can’t handle being o camp in a place where they’re in the visible eye of the community and worst of all… THE COPS! They can’t hide illegal and nefarious activity so good now!
Nostrachumash, congratulations on choosing to get our life back to being your life and for telling the truth that the enablers need to hear. Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Year and never be afraid to reach out and talk if you need to. Accountable, truthful, accurate, you are definitely what we need more of.
SACJON LOL! The ONLY care about Christmas these “houseless neighbors” have is that people needing to feel good about themselves will come to their aid, other than that… yeah… “F Christmas”is their attitude.
LCP112233, absolutely correct. these “houseless neighbors” that Meth, Not Homes is vouching for, 80% of them, they’re volatile, violent, predatory and criminal.
Did you know that there’s even prostitution going on in that encampment? Yes, that’s right, they’re calling it “human trafficking” and all, but it’s prostitution and I’ve seen the madame.
It’s a sordid lot in there, a lot of what a small college town doesn’t need, but Meth, Not Homes, they’re on it!
Alright, observations from a 33 year resident of Isla Vista, long time Edhat reader, 1st time Edhat commenter.
So I’ve been seeing all the “news” about the current homeless situation that was in Anisq’Oyo Park, now transferred to people’s park here in Isla Vista. Yeah, I see a lot of “call to action” postings by Food Not Bombs (not so much as of the move), lots of editorials (I even wrote 1 in the SB Indy) & coverage about the pallet village now set up in the IVPRD Community Center parking lot & a lot of $0.02 worth by people who aren’t residents of Isla Vista & sure, all cute & all, but where is the REAL news?
Ever since this debacle began, the news media outlets have reported opinionated news on this matter, but they have yet to focus on the public safety issues in any way whatsoever & as a former journalist, I say this is irresponsible.
The community of Isla Vista has a NEED to know the goings on in the encampments, especially since there’s IV residents w/ families & this includes children. IT’S NOT ALL STUDENTS!
Whenever I log onto Edhat, Noozhawk, SB Indy, UCSB Daily Nexus or SB News Press or watch KEYT, I see a lot of fluff reporting about the matter involving Isla Vista’s tent city, but never ANYTHING of useful substance in terms of what happens there.
Hell, in those aforementioned outlets, I see ALL kinds of news about a stabbing or a shooting in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Santa Barbara or Carpinteria. Good to know, but what about Isla Vista?
Just the day before Thanksgiving, there was a stabbing that occurred at the Embarcadero Hall area, a popular hangout for the tent city occupants. The ONLY news of ot was Scanner Roger’s report here on Edhat & even that was so suppressed!
Fast forward to a week or so later, another stabbing, 3-5 OD’s & no news coverage on those matters, not even a mention ANYWHERE! The ONLY thing that made the news was the armed robber who robbed the smoke shop in the Target shopping center and ended up hiding in… the tent city.
This policy of keeping the public in the dark about the incidents in tent city NEEDS TO STOP! The real news NEEDS to be reported! The local media news outlets are failing the public on this matter.
The truth to the matter, as difficult as it may be for some tto believe is that encampment is full of known criminals w/ heavy histories of violent & predatory crimes & recidivism, lots of drug issues and we’re seeing human trafficking/prostitution issues as well.
By suppressing these basic & obvious facts & not reporting incidents as a function of these facts, the news outlets are doing a HUGE disservice to the community & further proving Isla Vista is nothing but a mere dumping ground for the Santa Barbara County government. THE NEWS OUTLETS NEED TO STEP UP & TELL THE TRUTH!
This is what will thwart misinformation such as what was stated in the falsely & untruthful document present above as a supposed article. It wasn’t news, it was the antithesis of news!
On an ending note, I want to take this moment to say a huge THANK YOU to the Isla Vista Parks & Recreation Department, Fence Masters & Quick response Restoration Services for the work they’ve done & are doing to return Anisq’Oyo Park to the state that is most favorable to the community & residents of Isla Vista.
IVPRD did an awesome job restoring the mess left behind by 1 of the homeless at the Sueno Orchard as well as the Camino Corto Open Space.
Maybe that’s another bit of news that needs to be looked into as well as what the IVPRD has been finding within the mess they’re in the process of cleaning up. LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN!