Nothing humanitarian about recent evictions

Recent media coverage invites us to indulge a fantasy of humanitarian eviction, regarding two small tent villages removed from Bidwell Park; a fantasy served-up by the Chico Police Department, City Manager Mark Orme and Target Team booster Joy Amaro of the Torres Shelter — deploying heavily publicized motel funding from a source earmarked for another service provider.

The facts: Roughly three dozen people were removed from tents. Of those, under threat of arrest, the first two dozen were offered nothing, other than a never-specified location in the public right-ofway … no tents allowed.

When 12 holdouts remained — not responding quickly enough to police intimidation — rooms were offered at the Town House Motel. This offer came the day after the first of many tents were bulldozed and public scrutiny was elevated. Those who took rooms agreed to be “quarantined” for two weeks.

Of those removed from the park, the majority are already on the streets. Of those who took a room, many will likely be eighty-sixed; I met one such couple within days of placement. Those who make it through house arrest will be moved to the Torres Shelter, where failure in adapting to jail-like conditions is common and placement in permanent housing is rare.

As I write this, on the morning of January 17, I’ve been informed of a 4 a.m., well staffed, intimidation-style raid on remaining tents, scattered in other parts of Bidwell Park. No media and not even a pretense of respect. Public relations maestro, Sergeant Sandoval, apparently MIA.

— Patrick Newman, Chico