A showdown appears to be brewing as Sacramento police officers evict 150 homeless people from an illegal campground along the American River.
While most of the homeless appear to be complying with orders to pack up their tents and move somewhere else, some say they will stand their ground and face arrest because they have no place else to go.
The confrontation started about 8 a.m. Wednesday when around 40 police officers arrived at the site near the intersection of North 10th Street and the American River. The campers were warned earlier this month that eviction was imminent.
"They asked me what I'm going to do," said "Brother" Eli, a camp elder. "I said 'I don't have anywhere to go.' "
Recent efforts by city officials have added nearly 60 additional shelter beds for homeless men and women, but more than that number are camping at the American River site.
"We are going to try to get everyone out peacefully," said Andrew Pettit, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.
So far Wednesday, it appeared things were going smoothly, but Pettit had no answer to the looming question. "Where are they going to go?" Pettit said. "We don't have the answer to that."
Pettit acknowledged that the campers will likely move to another wooded spot along the American River.
One of those campers, Raymond Dutrieville, 47, said today he would sleep outside somewhere else tonight. Dutrieville, who said he has a mental disability, lacks a security deposit to move into one accommodation and claims he is getting the run-around in his attempts to find a room at a downtown hotel.
Dutrieville said he has been camping at the site since October. He has two tents, one for sleeping, the other for storage.
"I have to go mobile," said Dutrieville.
The new beds offered by the city are the result of a meeting last week between City Council members Steve Cohn and Jay Schenirer, along with homeless advocates, members of the faith community and downtown business leaders.
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