PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix told ABC15 on Thursday that they have identified the next portion of the homeless encampment known as The Zone they plan to clean up.
The next “enhanced engagement effort” is tentatively planned for May 31 on the west side of 12th Avenue between Washington Street and Jefferson Street.
The city could soon get federal reinforcements.
The President Biden Administration announced Thursday their All INside initiative to address homelessness in six sites across the country- Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix Metro, Seattle, and the State of California.
“Through this initiative, we will be embedding a federal official in each community to accelerate locally driven strategies and enact system level changes to reduce unsheltered homelessness,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough.
The administration says the goal is to reduce homelessness nationwide by 25% in the next two years.
Phoenix must clean up the Zone by July 10 to comply with a court order, but the ACLU has asked a judge to hold the city in contempt of court for how they say the city handled the first cleanup on May 10.
The ACLU says they have witnesses who say the city:
- Seized and destroyed many unsheltered individuals’ personal belongings and property in this area.
- Was not seen storing or marking collected items for storage.
- Did not make individualized assessments before coercing unsheltered individuals into limited and possibly unavailable shelter spaces
- Did not allow unsheltered individuals to return to the area that was cleaned, as their own cleanup plan required.
- Threatened citation and arrest without first ensuring available shelter that fit the individual’s needs.
“We’re just not going to stand by when we think the rights of the unsheltered community are being violated,” said ACLU of Arizona Legal Director Jared Keenan.
In a statement, the city denied those allegations saying:
The City of Phoenix vehemently disagrees with the plaintiff’s description of the May 10 engagement effort around the Human Services Campus. The City took a human-focused and dignified approach to the effort and we are disappointed that the ACLU and its plaintiffs did not address their concerns with the City prior to filing a motion with the court. Their assertions are not accurate.
In reality, what plaintiffs did not see was that City staff and partners engaged 60 people in the area and each one of them cooperated with the request to move their belongings. Of those engaged, 47 people were transported to indoor shelters or treatment programs, a nearly 80% success rate in placing people into an indoor space.
No individual’s property was destroyed without their permission and there were no issues with unattended property. Any items that were removed from the block were authorized to be removed by the individuals who were formerly camping in the area when they engaged with our staff and were offered a place in shelter. The City and our partners also stored belongings for five individuals who requested it and we are in communication with those individuals to access their property.
The City provided every individual camping on 9th Ave with two weeks’ notice that the block would be closed to camping on May 10. The City and our partners provided staff to help individuals pack all belongings and direct immediate transportation to indoor shelter.
The City developed its enhanced engagement process to comply with both the injunction issued by Judge Snow on December 16, as well as complying with Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney’s order to abate a public nuisance created by individuals camping in the right of way.
The City is disappointed by the ACLU’s motion. The City was working in good faith to come to terms in settling the case. The City expressed to the plaintiffs that there were operational issues we were working through and needed time to reach an agreement in which the City could meet the terms.
The City’s most urgent priority is helping get people into safe indoor spaces where they can receive services and work to end their homelessness. This attempt by the plaintiffs to derail and interfere with our efforts to assist both individuals experiencing homelessness and nearby business owners does nothing to help those in need.
Keenan says he doesn’t believe the city should have been caught off guard.
“There is absolutely no way this blindsided the city,” Keenan told ABC15. “We were in constant communication with the city throughout this process. They knew that we were very concerned with what they planned to do on May 10.”
