Isla Vista Recreation and Park District (IVRPD) will be evicting our houseless neighbors from Anisq’Oyo Park on Monday, December 21st. For the posted reason of unspecified “public health and safety issues,” IVRPD will be sweeping Anisq’oyo Park, forcing people to vacate the area, and removing their personal belongings. Please sign below to show your support for our community members and to demand that IVRPD rescind their intent to remove people from the park.

The houseless community has a right to shelter and personal belongings under any circumstances, but the timing could not be worse for this park closure. California is under a stay-at-home order and expecting people to relocate during a pandemic is a danger to public health. While some temporary tiny homes have recently been erected in Anisq’oyo Park, and are available to houseless folks wishing to occupy them, residents should have the freedom to remain where they are in order to remain safe and autonomous. 

The CDC specifically recommended that houseless people’s encampments not be removed so that their occupants may have the chance to shelter in place. The CDC’s Interim Guidance on Unsheltered Homelessness and COVID-19 emphasizes that that all relevant agencies should “...allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.” Despite this guidance, IVRPD is clearly prioritizing the appearance of local parks over the needs, wishes, and safety of the houseless community.

The houseless community is particularly vulnerable to the virus: statistically, a disproportionate number of houseless people are disabled and lack access to healthcare. It is deplorable that IVRPD would choose this arbitrary timeline to force people out of their homes, just in time for the holidays, winter, and the peak of a pandemic.

IVRPD is a public entity and, according to its mission statement, it is supposed to “encourage public participation in its functions.” Yet IVRPD staff have left the wider IV community in the dark regarding the park closure. IVRPD has refused to be transparent and instead taken clandestine action, knowing its anti-houseless agenda would find little support from community members. Notice was given by placing small signs in the park on Wednesday December 9th, a mere 11 days before residents are expected to move or be removed. The park closure and encampment removal were not on the agenda of the most recent meeting of the IVRPD Board of Directors on Thursday December 10th. Despite this, 14 people submitted public comments (transcriptions of all comments) in opposition to the park closure and sweep. Furthermore, IVRPD did not collaborate with other County agencies, including the County Encampment Working Group of which they are a member. The IVRPD staff, knowing that they would be criticized for their blatant disregard for community members who have clearly refused to consent to their plans, have betrayed public trust by forcefully removing people who are sheltering in place in Anisq’Oyo Park.

The eviction notices in Anisq’Oyo Park state, in a vague manner, that the sweep’s goal is to “abate certain public health and safety issues, as well as remedy, repair, and maintain park resources”. These maintenance projects, while not specified on the eviction notice, are described in IVRPD’s Covid-19 Encampment Management Policy (CEMP). IVRPD plans to mow the lawn, audit irrigation, trim trees, collect trash, and set gopher traps, among other tasks. These projects should not take precedence over respecting houseless people’s autonomy, yet IVRPD prioritizes grass above the right to shelter in place. IVRPD has not made any significant effort to involve the houseless community in decisions regarding the park’s maintenance. Furthermore, the CEMP itself was approved internally this August despite a multitude of concerns from the public. It’s simple: we are making this petition because the houseless community is more important than a few acres of lawn.

We are in favor of houseless people’s right to sleep and set up shelter without fear of removal or arrest. The IVRPD is disregarding the health, safety, and basic dignity of our neighbors. We will deliver this petition to the IVRPD to express our strong opposition to sweeping camps during COVID-19. 

If you agree that people residing in Anisq’Oyo Park should be left alone, please add your name to the petition.