Homeless camp structure stays
Sausalito has agreed to suspend the demolition of a structure built by homeless campers and their supporters in Marinship Park.
The campers and the city reached a deal to retain the unauthorized structure, which was set up as a shelter during the severe storm last week.
“I think this is a significant victory both in the sense of self-organization and resistance by Sausalito citizens. They’re homeless and they’re citizens,” said Anthony Prince, a lawyer representing the campers for the California Homeless Union. “Our fight for full housing continues.”
The city-sanctioned camp at Marinship Park has about 44 occupants. Many claimed the city offered little to no help before the late-October storm flattened tents and inundated the ground.
Most of the campers retreated to philanthropically-sourced hotel rooms during the storm, and none used an emergency shelter offered by the city.
Construction began on the structure — originally referred to as a “tiny home” — in the wake of the storm. The purpose was to protect campers from forthcoming storms.
The structure was partially complete and roofless when city building officials, escorted by police, posted a stop-work order there on Oct. 29. The order alleged a violation for “work progress without a permit.”
On Monday, the city posted a cease-and-desist order and a 72hour notice to remove the structure. The document said the Public Works Department would clear the site by 8 a.m. Friday.
Sausalito Mayor Jill Hoffman said the orders were posted “based on statements that the structure was intended to house persons.”
A protest was planned for the morning of the demolition. Prince filed a petition in federal court to block the demolition, but also reached out to lawyers for the city.
“We did reach an agreement with the city last night, an informal agreement, that they would not make any effort to take down the shed today as they had originally announced so long as we confirmed that the shed would only be used for storage of necessary survival items,” Prince said Friday.
Hoffman confirmed that the basis of the agreement was that the building only be used for storage.
“With this new information, the city anticipates it can reach agreement to allow the structure to remain on-site for storage,” she said.
Shortly after the informal agreement, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen issued a temporary restraining order halting the removal of the structure and set a hearing for next week. Both parties said the hearing is no longer necessary based on their pact.
Some of the unhoused residents, among them the lead constructor Emilio Pineda, have dubbed the structure “the sanctuary.”
“After the storm we were wiped out,” said Pineda, who has worked in construction and design. “We decided to create a space where people could save their food and at least have a structure to protect themselves from these storms.”
Pineda said the structure was 8 feet wide, 12 feet long and up to 8 feet tall. It consists of interior construction plywood and cost about $1,000 worth of donated materials, he said.
Pineda estimated the structure took about 12 hours to complete. He said work was anticipated to continue through the weekend on completing the roof, windows and additional siding.
“We have a larger amount of money we think we can finish this with and give our friends hope,” Pineda said.
Jason Sarris, spokesperson for the homeless advocacy nonprofit Marin Housing For All, said the structure would likely cost $3,000 total to complete. Marin Housing for All donated the materials for the project.
“It really gets our foot in the door as far as providing some kind of shelter that’s going to protect and provide aid to camps in distress. I think that’s the best way for us to help people on the streets directly,” Sarris said.
Prince said a motion is still pending to hold the city in contempt for an alleged failure to protect the campers from the storm and for an incident where a city employee allegedly threw a rock at a female camper. A hearing is set on Dec. 9, he said.