The city of San Bernardino announced it reached a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) regarding its cleanups of homeless encampments.
As part of the settlement, the city is adopting a new policy that will prevent the destruction of unhoused people’s properties during encampment cleanups, paving the way for officials to resume sweeps.
For the most part, residents said they feel relieved cleanup is on the way, but they also expressed concern for those who live on the streets.
“It’s a nice park and they keep the course clean,” said Ernest McRay, a visitor at Perris Hill Park. “There are some homeless people here but they have to have a place to go. They don’t really bother anybody.”
“Sometimes you get guys yelling but most of the times, they don’t bother,” said Frank Lamarque, another park visitor.
San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran said homeless encampments have been on her office’s radar for the past nine months, but a lawsuit from the ACLU kept the city from cleaning up encampments. On Monday, both parties reached an agreement on how to proceed.
“The city has designated a disability coordinator to oversee requests by disabled people for reasonable accommodations before and during an encampment cleanup,” said Rochelle Clayton, interim city manager.
The lawsuit filed against the city in 2023 claimed the constitutional rights of those unhoused during a previous encampment cleanup were violated.
“The destruction of people’s personal property,” said Kath Rogers of the ACLU. “Many people had their property destroyed like medicine walkers blankets and clothing and everything they owned.”
The city is also expected to reinvest $600,000 in homeless programs and resources as part of the agreement.