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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25- DECEMBER 01, 2024
San Bernardino clears Perris Hill Park encampment
San Bernardino County puts out call for homeless count volunteers
By Staff
By Staff
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s the Jan. 23 date of the next Point-InTime Count to assess the local homeless population, San Bernardino County put out the call for volunteers Wednesday. The annual census of people experiencing homelessness gathers data that will be used to determine the county’s share of funding to address the issue from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Officials said a special focus for volunteers will be on offering supportive services to unhoused people
Outreach workers participate in a Perris Hill Park encampment cleanup. | Photo courtesy of the city of San Bernardino
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ollowing weeks of outreach, San Bernardino crews began a two-day encampment cleanup of the city’s Perris Hill Park last week. This marked the first encampment cleanup in San Bernardino since a judge recently lifted an injunction that stopped such operations. “We have compassionately cleared the Park and will be restoring it for use by our residents and families,” Mayor Helen Tran said in a statement. On Thursday morning city staff members “began systematically reminding unhoused individuals that the 64.4-acre park on Highland Avenue was to be cleaned up for health and safety reasons and they would need to leave,” according to a city statement. City agencies involved in the cleanup included the Housing, Public Works, Police and Animal Services departments, the statement reported. Homeless outreach workers, park rangers, representatives from the Salvation Army and San Bernardino City Unified School District
and Burrtec sanitation crews also were part of the effort. The cleanup staff worked with the individuals living in the park “to identify items that could be disposed, items that they would take with them, and items that the city would temporarily store for up to 90 days,” according to the city statement. “This is a high priority. We wanted to make sure that our first cleanup went smoothly, and it did,” Acting City Manager Rochelle Clayton said in a statement. “The cleanup only took two days, but this operation has been underway for over a month.” In the weeks leading up to the encampment clearing, the city and county staff along with area nonprofit organizations conducted multiple outreach events at the park to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with local service providers. Officials said city homeless outreach staff were at the park every day for more than one month. The outreach efforts
led to a noticeable reduction in the number of tents compared with the area prior to the encampment clearing, officials said. More than 30 unhoused individuals were placed in programs that included family reunification, drug rehabilitation, transitional and permanent housing and room and board assistance. Shuttles transported the people who were living in the park to local hotels and shelters or nearby pharmacies to fill prescriptions, city officials said. Some of the individuals called friends and family to request help moving.Accommodations also were provided to disabled individuals who needed specialized assistance. Since the January court injunction preventing the city from clearing encampments, the number of people living in Perris Hill Park dramatically increased, causing health and safety concerns for both people living in and visiting the park, according
to the city. As a result, officials announced that a large portion of Perris Hill Park will be closed through Dec. 1 for additional cleanup, landscaping, maintenance and repairs. The Jerry Lewis Family Swim Center, tennis courts and Senior Center will remain open. Officials noted that new signage at the park indicates operating hours, parking rules and the city’s camping laws. “The city will be enforcing these restrictions at the park following the temporary closure,” according to the statement. “I’d like our residents to know that this is just the first park cleanup we are doing,” Tran added. “More will be coming soon.” Perris Hill is the largest park in the city. Additional features at the park include the Fiscalini Baseball Field, the 1,800-seat Roosevelt Bowl, the San Bernardino YMCA, tennis and pickleball courts, hiking trails and playgrounds.
in real-time alongside teams of outreach workers from county agencies. In addition to determining federal funding allocations, the Point-in-Time Count “provides a snapshot of the county’s homeless population, which enables officials to track progress toward reducing homelessness and ensure resources are being directed where they are most needed. ... (and) also serves as an opportunity to mobilize county departments and partners to serve the most vulnerable populations in real time,” officials
See Homeless count Page 27
Students sue school district over transgender policy, free speech concerns By City News Service
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wo Riverside high school students who faced repercussions for wearing T-shirts expressing opposition to a transgender student receiving accommodations on the girls’ trackand-field team are federally suing the Riverside Unified School District over alleged freedom of speech and other civil rights violations, it was announced Wednesday. “We will not allow boys to take over girls’ sports, or let woke policies silence young women fighting for fair competition,” Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith & Freedom attorney Julianne Fleischer said.
See School suit Page 28
“This case is about protecting equal opportunities and the freedom to speak out — values that should be upheld, not suppressed, in our schools.” The civil suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Riverside, requesting injunctions against the school district, particularly Martin Luther King High School, alleging First and Fourteenth Amendment violations. RUSD administrators did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suit. The plaintiffs were identified only as “K.S.,” a ninth-grade cross country