The proposed Fremont Camping Prohibition for Public Property has cautious workers – CBS News

An ordinance that would illegally make anyone camp or maintain a public property camp in Fremont is a vote on Tuesday night.

The ordinance defines camping as “means to place, tow or occupy facilities; for temporary living in a bearing facility or outdoors; or use the paraffinal of the camp. “

The bearing facilities include tents and vehicles, while bearing parapherns include portable beds. If adopted, the ordinance will be the most planned camping ban in the bay area.

At the last meetings of the City Council, many residents spoke in the council in favor of the ban and provided personal examples, including fires in the camp to homes, vandalism and theft.

However, the ordinance also includes a clause that created an additional layer of concern for workers.

“Any person who causes, resolves, helps, prompts or conceals a violation of this chapter is to blame for a crime,” the ordinance said.

Vivian Wan, CEO of Rebode Services, worried what this could mean for non -profit workers. Abode provides services and assistance for Unhouseed in the cities of Seven Bay Area, but the non -profit target began at Fremont.

“In fact, I think the police will round off workers at the dwelling place? Do I really think they will arrest the nun who is offering a sandwich? I doubt,” said Wang. “However, this perception in itself can break this connection with the people who interest us. Honestly, it is an insult to my values. This is an insult to our organization. It is an insult to the community I love.”

WAN is worried that workers in the area will provide cloud assistance while at the same time at risk in certain scenarios.

For example, Wang said that information people often rely on the confidence in their construction with customers who are unable. There have been cases where the police will ask the employees of the customer information that the workers have provided at their discretion and evaluation.

“My staff still needs to feel safe to do his really noble jobs. It is felt that we are attacked as part of the problem we are honest trying to solve,” Wang said.

She also pointed out the most recent data in Fremont, which shows a 21% reduction in homelessness from 2022. She worries that the ordinance would disrupt the confidence that she thought had taken years to build.

“Every time I talk to community members who are disappointed, they often tell a bad date. And usually this is a really bad date. A dog of a person who experiences homelessness or they are attacked. I think the same thing about accommodated and non -casual People.

Fremont Mayor Raj Salvan stated that the ordinance was not intended to target workers, adding that it was open to amendment and/or changing the language in the proposal.

“We need [outreach workers]S They are our army. So I think it is wrongly interpreted that we are trying to punish people for help. Absolutely not, ”Salvan said. – People can give water, food, tents. They can help these people [and] Make information. We want to make sure we are compassionate, but we are just trying to prevent safety concerns. “

Salvan said the approach to reduce homelessness through Fremon’s movement would be “compassionate and use common sense”.

David Bonaxori, a lawyer and a former member of the Fremont Municipal Council, said that any employee of information officials accused of the proposed ordinance must challenge him through a legal process.

“My advice would be to hire a lawyer. And that’s not [outreach workers] are around. They are there to serve. They are not there to defend themselves against a criminal appeal, “Bonaxori said.

Bonaccorsi is also part of Fremont for all, a local organization that is advocating for residential housing throughout the city. The organization began in 2018 under the name “Friends of the Navigation Center” to support the approval of the Fremont Housing Center.

He said the ordinance was a “decision that has no decision at all.”

“People will be happy in the short term, but you only deal with the symptoms and do not deal with the major causes,” Bonaccorsi said. “There is an effort to do for personal accountability, but this is a systemic problem.”

Members of the Fremont Municipal Council must vote on the regulation on Tuesday night.