It's a piece of empty land about the size of a city block, with some fig and oak trees and overgrown weeds.
On Friday evening, dozens of homeless campers moved into the lot off of Richards Boulevard in Sacramento, prompting a confrontation with police that was peacefully resolved when the campers were allowed to stay for the night.
"We just need a place to sleep," said John Kraintz, a member of the newly-formed "Council of Elders" that oversees the group of about 60 homeless campers.
Sacramento Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said police did not have enough resources on a Friday evening to force the campers off the property on North D Street between North 10th and North 11th streets, but said the campers can't stay there permanently.
"We empathize with their situation, but camping is not the solution at this time because it's illegal in the city of Sacramento," Leong said.
Kraintz said the group fears that police might return Saturday morning to evict them from the site, but Leong said "the decision as to when and what we are going to do has not yet been determined."
Since the homeless shelter at Cal Expo was closed July 1 for budgetary reasons, more than 200 homeless men, women and children were left with no legal place to reside. Kraintz said the group has been moving from campground to campground.
Homeless advocates are pushing for "Safe Ground" sites that would be legal campgrounds for the homeless.
For about a week Kraintz said the group researched city properties at the tax assessor's office. They found the property, which Kraintz said is vacant for a while and has been earmarked for use as an emergency shelter.
"What we have is an emergency," Kraintz said.
The property is also close to Loaves & Fishes, where the homeless can access services.
Leong said authorities have not yet determined who owns the property, but long-term camping in the city poses a public health hazard, which first prompted city officials to dismantle tent city along the American River.
Kraintz said the group brought in water, pitched in some money to rent some portable toilets and will take care of their own trash. If they are allowed to stay long-term, the group will even cut down the weeds and maintain the land "like caretakers would," Kraintz said.
It'll cost the city next to nothing to set the property up as a legal camping area, Kraintz said.
"I think this could be a solution," he said.
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