SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In Midtown and South Land Park, the issues residents are facing surrounding the homeless population are very similar. Some worry that it’s reaching a tipping point.
Juan Lao has owned his 1967 Chevelle since he was a teenager; it's a classic car that he's since restored. However, it recently took beating that he never expected. His security camera captured what Lao, a Midtown resident of 15 years, said is an issue that has gotten dramatically worse in the past several years. The video shows a woman beating the car.
“That lady shouldn’t be walking the streets,” Lao said.
He said that he's also caught transients stealing and even sleeping on his front porch.
It's an issue extending across the city in South Land Park. Allie Gibson bought her home three months ago. She’s had issues with the encampments up against her home ever since.
“When we bought the house, I did not think to look behind,” Gibson said.
She’s called the authorities numerous times for fires, trash, and drug use. The most recent call being Thursday, Oct. 7, when transients began to throw items over the fence.
“It feels like a pit. Just a trash pit that’s kind of a forgotten space,” Gibson said. “You just don’t feel safe."
Sacramento city leaders are making plans to establish sites for homeless across the city.
“I can assure you and everyone that I am working day and night with the city officials to get these projects under the comprehensive siting plan up and running as quickly as possible,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg sad.
The projects are at least months away from completion. Meanwhile, frustrated residents say the issue is nearing a dangerous tipping point.
“There’s going to be a point where, if nothing gets done and it just keeps getting worse and worse, we’re gonna start seeing people take matters into their own hands,” Lao said.
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