Fed up with homeless people taking shelter at Boyd Memorial Park, San Rafael, Mayor Gary Phillips has taken an extreme measure of closing the park for 30 days to drive them away.
Effective January 26, 2015, the Director of Community Services has authorized the temporary closure of Boyd Park to the public for an initial 30-day period to allow response to the health and security issues created by “chronic littering, illegal behavior, the presence of abandoned drug paraphernalia suggestive of illegal narcotics activities, and vandalism”.
“I want to break the cycle so this is not a place for them to hang out. I want to return this place to the community and have some family-friendly events here,” Phillips said.
According to the Mayor, “the high-on-drugs homeless” people are not interested in changing their ways. “Reportedly this group is not of this nature. They sit here, have their methamphetamine and go get a meal at St. Vincent de Paul,” he added.
While the homeless couldn’t voice their concerns, many took to Twitter to complain about the move:
People who are homeless should have the same rights to use public property as everyone else: http://t.co/A4xzJFLY0r
— National Homeless (@Ntl_Homeless) January 26, 2015
Please call, fax, email, or stop by the Mayor’s office to let him know that he has been misinformed. The park… http://t.co/AHIq7d4PPv
— Johna (@_TiGeR_) January 25, 2015
They should remove the people from the park when they are causing problems not punish everyone http://t.co/AEOlHGsFjy
— Angel Reel (@ReelChange91) January 25, 2015
Driving away #homeless doesn’t end #homelessness – #housing does http://t.co/xgKa6RywI9
— Michael Shapcott (@michaelshapcott) January 26, 2015
San Rafael mayor, Gary Phillips, trying to kick homeless out of park ~ http://t.co/KmS4inuKbAhttp://t.co/cSpp6OGQ5D
— AmeriCaribbean (@Adonaiman) January 23, 2015
Sources:
http://www.cityofsanrafael.org/news/2015/1/23/boyd-park-temporary-closure.html
right before the 2015 homeless census.. ironic? the county is so concerned with keeping their wealthy image that they resort to this. it cuts the funding for people who desperately need it, but at least we have paved roads!