Park Ranger staff: Tell every single person …(other answers) …so we go from one site to the other…
Me: How do you justify the breaking of the law? (repeats)
Park Ranger lady: How long have you been out here because this —
Me: I’m a lawyer and I am taking this to court.
(NOTE: absolutely no one in the homeless camp, joining this lawsuit, thinks I am a lawyer…I have been vey clear all I am is a ghostwriter and legally disabled, at that…I said this to the officials to try to get the City to stop, give notice and allows these poor people 24 hours to remove their belongs).
Park Ranger lady: I’m a police officer. Are you going to listen to me a second?
Me: Yes, ma’am.
Park Ranger lady: So this group has been out here much smaller for about six months. Had HOT team come out almost daily. Park Rangers have been …
Me: Yeah, I’ve been witnessing all this and documenting it.
Park ranger lady: We’ve been (mumbles) compassionate…
Me: i don’t know about that.
Park Ranger lady: This—
Me: Okay I know all that. Why is this happening without notice?
Park Ranger lady: Can I talk to you?
Me: I’d like to know about this notice.
Park Ranger lady: Okay so that part is not my job to know at all. I have no idea.
Me: No. But I’m asking you, a person in charge about notice.
Park Ranger lady: Are we going to have a conversation? Are you going to listen to me? If you aren’t going to listen to me, I’m going to walk away from you.
Me: Yes ma’am.
Park Ranger lady: Okay. So can I continue to tell you the history of this place?
Me: Yes.
Park Ranger lady: So…
Me: Can I have your name?
Park Ranger lady: Sgt. Follin. With the Park Rangers. (spells name) So we’ve given them parameters. Don’t damage our park. Don’t damage our fence line, here which you can see is completely tore up.
Me: That’s been a long time coming. I talked to a neighbor about that.
Park Ranger lady: So off-lease dogs not allowed.
Me: But I’m trying to get to today.
Park Ranger lady: Pooping not allowed in the park. Also need to allow safe egress.
Me: You are being recorded, by the way.
Park Ranger lady: Fantastic. So are you.
Me. Okay.
Park Ranger lady: Safe egress on the sidewalk here. Okay, those were the parameters.
Me: Gotcha.
Park Ranger lady: No drug use out in public and no debris.
Me: Okay so where —
Park Ranger lady: I’ve seen furniture out here —
Me: Where are the sanitation needs of this homeless encampment? Why has that been ignored?
Park Ranger lady: I don’t know.
Me: So the CDC ruling and the City guidance says —
Park Ranger lady: So the HOT team is out here every single day.
Me: I know. That’s them.
Park Ranger lady: You know what i mean.
Me: I know.
Park Ranger lady: So last week I got a report there’s two 14-year-old girls making pornos in these tents.
Me: Oh bullshit. (laughs)
Park Ranger lady: When I find out minors are endangered in the park. It’s an issue.
Me: Yeah, I wanna see that. When did report come out?
Park Ranger lady: Came out four days ago and it’s inside one of these RVs.
Me: Inside RVs?
Park Ranger lady: Got poctures and video of it.
Me: Oh.
Park Ranger lady: It’s concerning to us. There’s minors.
Me: So that’s why you’re clearing then, because there’s another crime?
Park Ranger lady: Got permission to clear this park, so this part belings to Rec and Park okay? The fence belongs to Rec and park. The sidewalk belongs to the rest of the City of San Francisco.
Me: Uh huh.
Park Ranger lady: The decision for this area are not mine to make.
Me: I understand that.
Park Ranger lady: They come from bigger bosses.
Me: Gotcha. Any names you’d like to give me to put in my paper?
Park Ranger lady: No idea.
Me: Okay, so…
Park Ranger lady: We got word they were coming out here to clear the encampment out here. It’s been allowed to be here for seven months.
Me: A CDC resolution says they can’t be moved.
Park Ranger lady: We’ve had a lack of compliance.
Me: I understand that.
Park Ranger lady: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told fuck you.
Me: Okay. (groans)
Park Ranger lady: I’ve brought them dog food.
Me: Okay, yeah CDC says they have to have toilets, showers, handwashing, food.
Park Ranger lady: You gotta pick that up with somebody else.
Me: I know, but I’m just saying.
Me: They are being moved … because of the other crime.
Park Ranger lady: Park Rangers have come out to help because it’s right up against our park.
Me: So?
Park Ranger lady: We ask people to follow the Rules and Regulations. Bicycle chop shop stuff.
Me: You can’t move their tents though, you can clear everything else, you can investigate the crime.
Park Ranger lady: So that’s for the police department.
Me: I’m stopping the tape —
Me (speaking to Dept. of Public Works) : The guy here. The one in charge. No notice. Not following the CDC resolution. Not following your City’s. No notice for these people’s tents. None of them oh two of them want shelter. They are being taken to shelter against their will. And you’re violating the LAW. You are violating your own City’s resolution and there’s no written notice. No one got written notice. This is to announce you are all being filmed.
SFFD: We’ll be offering shelter—
Mitizi: Okay. Your shelter is what?
SFFD: Well. We’re gonna have different congregant shelters in the City.
Me: NO. That isn’t sufficient.
SFFD: City is offering shelter shortly after the morning meeting so I’ll know…
Me: So I’m on the HOT team list. They put me down on the list. You know, as in part of the system. So what’s being given to me?
Park Ranger lady: (mumbles) You gotta go TODAY.
Me: Right. Okay. I’ve already moved four days ago. I knew this was coming when they said it, so I moved already.
SFFD: Okay. So I have the Moscone Center.
Me: What’s that? I mean, I know what it is but what’s in it for homeless?
SFFD: I’m going to give you yhe whole spiel. Large convention center. City’s turned it into a shelter. Plenty of space. Plenty of air in there. Ummm. Large congregant shelter. It’s got —
Me: How many people are in there?
SFFD: I don’t know it all, not enough to offer any details, I can’t get into (it) off the top of my head I don’t know.
Me: Like is it more than a hundred?
SFFD: Off the top of my head. Just give me your birthdate and I’ll have a transport van here shortly and I’ll get you transported there. Sound good?
Me: So more wait I want to hear more about it though … how much of my stuff can i bring?
SFFD: So the uh uh uh shelter allows you to take two bags, a carry-on, a bicycle and a pet, if you have one. Sound okay to you?
Me: So it’s a shelter in a congregant shelter in the middle of a pandemic, sounds like genocide to me. But no thank you.
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