Sacramento CA. Thank you to our union lead for taking that photo just days before he died because otherwise, some would act like he was never here at all. His life mattered.
Within the last two weeks, Caltrans and the city stormed Roseville Road with the same tired orders: go to the shelter, go to jail, just get the fuck out. But the new shelters don’t allow multiple dogs. He wasn’t going to abandon his dogs his family just to squeeze into a place that wouldn’t take them.
So he was forced out into a deadly storm with nowhere to go. And as if that wasn’t enough, the city confiscated all of his belongings and dumped them. Everything he owned gone. No shelter, no safety, nothing left.
All the while, Caltrans and the city were busy posting their before-and-after “clean up” photos on social media, bragging about erasing people from sight. Meanwhile, people are dying because of these policies.
He finally got his Section 8 voucher. He was so close to getting inside. Instead, Sacramento’s actions took away even the little he had left.
We’re sick and tired of watching people die on these streets because of cruel, impossible rules.
Thousands have died in the last decade. Sweeps kill. Bad policy kills. And this time, you’re not hiding from it. We have the photo, we have the proof, and we’re not letting it go. There will be accountability. The city and Caltrans will answer for this. And even though Newsom will be leaving office soon, he will be named in any actions moving forward.
Crystal Sanchez is with the Sacramento Homeless Union.
