Homeless Issues #14

TV coverage in channel 13 a few days ago.

Tent City in Placerville.

1. Picture showing TV. reporter behind a drug store, not K-Mart.

2. In my three years of going to the encampments behind that shopping center, at least 3 days a week and now in the last 3 months, having the representatives of “Jobs Shelters of the Sierra,” or myself visiting that location 6 days a week, there never was and are not now 40 people living there. When at the fullest, we have counted 22.

3. There are 5 distinct communities/groups living behind that shopping center. Each with a leader of sorts, each with a different personality, each with a different make-up.

4. “Feeding And Inspiring The Homeless” (FAITH) is a group of many organizations, working together, collecting, preparing, and delivering the food 7 days a week.

RE: The shooting. I was there the day after and everything was the same. Each group was mourning in their own way in losing a long time resident. Just the same as you would find in any community like ED Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville etc. Otto was a long time resident, and well liked. Ken was a transient with a hot temper. Otto happened to be in the wrong place at the time. Otto was holding as collateral for $1??.00, a cross bow that Ken wanted to use to go shoot someone. Ken shot Otto when he would not give it up. Ken was really drunk at the time and had been “mouthing off” about “his” cheating girlfriend and a mutual friend of them both.

It had a woman, triangle, money, alcohol, and a nice guy getting caught up in it. Same, same, as any community.

There are NO winter shelter for singles in ED County. Churches provide a dry, warm, place to sleep only 2 nights a week. Tuesday and Wednesday. Cold Springs Community Church and Foothills United Methodist Church provide a dry warm place on those nights. That is it for now.

United Outreach of ED County has been working on it for years. Progress,??????? They did get permission to house 6 people. They have facilities for 40-50 overnight guests.

And now a TV report that does not show the problem or gives the correct information.

BTW I passed the above information on to Channel 13 news room.

I just wanted to clear the board of misinformation.