Berkeley business owners are taking crime and crime into their own hands

Berkeley, Calif., once a center of liberal thought, now epitomizes Wild West crime.

Its streets are like an open drug den, lined with homeless encampments. Tents block streets and parking lots, making handicap walkways impassable.

Human waste, syringes and hazardous materials directly spill onto personal property and waterways, polluting them.

Open fires in the middle of public roads provide scenes that are more reminiscent of the Great Depression than the prosperous, well-mannered community associated with the Berkeley name.

This June, the Supreme Court of the United States made a decision Grants Pass v. Johnsona decision that gives local governments the power to enforce camping restrictions in public areas, even if there are no other places available for people living in tents.

Since the decision, many elected officials have been slow to use their new powers to remove street camps.

Years ago, Berkeley City Hall decided it would bind its police force, preventing officers from enforcing ordinances such as those against public nuisances designed to protect the health and safety of residents. who work in the area.

Today’s streets are so unsafe that city workers often refuse to personally deal with the issues created by these policies, one city representative goes so far as to suggest that this writer take a gun.

Nearly 500 days ago, the Berkeley City Council met to receive input from the public.

Only half the council bothered to visit the nearby camp before rushing inside.

After numerous emails, phone calls, public meetings, photos and requests for help from hundreds of Berkeley stakeholders, the council failed to grant city staff permission to clear the tents and RVs.

Despite the fact that they finally said that they are waiting for the Supreme Court to make a decision Grants Pass before taking action, some of Berkeley’s leaders immediately criticized the decision and emphasized the need to maintain the status quo.

Ironically, the site that hosted that first community meeting was recently destroyed by an out-of-control camp fire.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, despite filing friend of the court is short in Grants Pass for the sake of the power of activism and his recent calls for no more excuses to clear homeless camps, did not help either.

In response to the request for help, his office responded that funds to clean up and care for those in dire need of safe and compassionate housing arrangements must come from Alameda County, not the state.

The district also said it didn’t have the money and pointed to Berkeley being responsible.

Those local residents and business owners have repeatedly tried to provide humane and practical solutions.

They’ve been waiting almost two years for City Hall to move the illegally parked RVs to a rental property that can provide health services.

Frustrated by the city’s lack of influence and success, a group of residents identified a similar site within weeks, at an annual cost of $200,000.

City Hall rejected the proposal, saying, “Now we have no help.”

Meanwhile, it gave the longtime city manager a $600,000 gift.

Mayor Jesse Arreguín said he prefers to keep the planned area for his future dream of a medical laboratory, although there are no concrete plans or interest for this development.

Today, only weeds remain on the site.

In a last-ditch effort to save Berkeley, business owners and other stakeholders filed a lawsuit earlier this month.

University of Minnesota law professor Ilan Wurman, who successfully sued Phoenix to clean up its notorious 1,000-person encampment known as “The Zone,” represents the plaintiffs.

Last Tuesday evening, a few hours after being informed of the case, the Berkeley council voted 8-1 to pass a new law allowing city workers to remove the camps.

While it remains to be seen how Berkeley will implement the new law, it marks a major victory for long-standing and hard-working businesses and property owners in the area.

While it didn’t take a lawsuit to get city leaders to finally take action, the rapid development should give residents in similar situations, such as nearby Oakland, hope.

Local governments that refuse to remove barriers from public spaces – for whatever reason – have been warned.

There are no more excuses.

Jeff DeMartini was born, attended college and is the third generation of his family to work in Berkeley, Calif. He works in asset management and has an undergrad from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.