Post Date:02/16/2021 9:00 PMSausalito will oppose a petition filed late today in U.S. District Court seeking to stop the relocation of the occupants of the Dunphy Park encampment to a site that the City has specifically designated for temporary, transitional overnight camping for individuals who do not have options for indoor sleeping.
The petition, filed by the Sausalito/Marin chapter of the California Homeless Union and 10 individuals, aims to stop enforcement of a City resolution that prohibits overnight camping on public property, except for a certain area in City-owned Marinship Park. The resolution was adopted by the City Council on February 5.
Before the petition was filed, members of the Public Works Department and the Police Department visited the Dunphy Park encampment to clear and clean the area and provide information about the availability of overnight camping and secure storage lockers at Marinship Park. The staff engaged respectfully with the encampment occupants, showing dignity and compassion. Two encampment occupants moved to Marinship Park.
A notice informing Dunphy Park occupants of the city’s intention to enforce the no camping resolution was posted at Dunphy Park on Tuesday, February 9. Marinship Park has 24/7 public restroom facilities and trash receptacles, as well as access twice a week to mobile showers and information about available social services.
The petition names the City of Sausalito, Mayor Jill James Hoffman, Police Chief John Rohrbacher, Interim City Manager Marcia Raines, and Department of Public Works Supervisor Kent Basso as defendants.
To help mitigate the hardships experienced by occupants of the encampment, the City continues to meet daily with local and regional governmental agencies and officials, as well as nonprofit organizations, to identify alternate and appropriate housing. In addition, the City has retained the services of Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit experienced in assisting those who are without shelter, to engage with the individuals in the Dunphy Park encampment, understand their needs, and help provide support.
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