Calexico Police Department Clears Homeless Encampments

Calexico, Calif.- The City of Calexico is cracking down on homeless encampment sites. The Calexico Police Department, along with community workers, cleared several homeless encampments earlier this week. Calexico Chief of Police, Armando Orozco, says this is part of an ongoing effort to clean up the city.

“We try to do details on a regular basis to you know, again, offer services. That’s always gonna be our primary mission is to offer services. Try to help people out and then, you know, obviously people have the right to refuse services,” Chief Orozco explained.

The effort aims to enforce state and city bans on "urban camping" The Departments issued multiple citations during the encampment sweeps.

“But now we also have an ordinance on camping on private property. So, because that ordinance and the governor’s direction, you know, starting to enforce those ordinances and establish those ordinances, citations are starting to be issued," said Chief Orozco.

However, William Cooper, Executive Director of The Becoming Project, a local non-profit, says that citing and arresting unhoused individuals doesn't solve the problem, it just makes it worse. Williams raised ethical concerns, stating, “First of all it makes no sense to fine and cite and penalize people who have already proven that they don’t have the means to pay a fine or the means or the transportation to show up to court.”

Meantime, Chief Ozorco says the City will continue the encampment sweeps, and try to keep downtown clean and safe.