Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/mohammed-aly/)
The top county officials are moving in a new direction to address the county’s growing homelessness, authorizing new housing and support services in a unanimous decision this week.
“There is not a board majority at this time” to support a permit for the restrooms, Spitzer told Voice of OC. He said he hopes to introduce an alternative idea Wednesday.
County officials say homeless people should use restrooms at the Courtyard shelter, more than three miles from the Santa Ana river bank encampment. But the shelter closes its doors at 8:30 p.m.
The policy resulted in a Voice of OC reporter being threatened with arrest for trying to report on officers removing a homeless activist from the Board of Supervisors meeting room.
Mohammed Aly refused to stop speaking when his three minutes were up. A sheriff’s deputy threatened to arrest a Voice of OC reporter who was filming Aly and sheriff’s officers when everyone was ordered to leave the board room.
Supervisor Shawn Nelson said homelessness should be treated as an emergency and directed staff to research ways to quickly provide a bed for every homeless person in Orange County, even creating campgrounds on county-owned properties.
The emails raise questions about whether Nelson also directed a similar removal this winter of a large homeless encampment along the river south of Angel Stadium.
Members of the public raised concerns about a shortage of housing options for homeless people, a troubling county economic future, and alleged improprieties by supervisors in choosing a major airport contractor.
With no place to go, homeless are removed by the county from their Skid River location. Yet as they are pushed out, it begs the question of where do they land?
More than 30 protesters gathered at the Santa Ana riverbed Monday to demonstrate against apparent plans by county officials to push out dozens of homeless people who live along its banks.