11 Nov 24th–Nov 30th, 2022 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | people in the Zone that experienced the same problem. “Just about anything and everything that would make life out on the streets bearable. We’re talking clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, hygiene, medical paperwork, legal paperwork, medications. Anything and everything,” he said. New Protocol for Abandoned Property The city’s draft plans outline a new protocol for unsheltered people to reclaim their property to address concerns from past cleanups. A Human Services Campus outreach team will assist people with moving their property if they struggle to do so on their own before and after a cleanup. “We’ve heard that concern, and we’ve got the resources to be able to meet that need,” Hall said. Any unclaimed property that remains after a cleanup will be tagged and “clearly wrapped with caution tape,” according to the city’s protocols. After seven days, the city will declare the belongings abandoned and remove them. The tags will direct the owner of the belongings to the welcome center of the Human Services Campus, which is located in the Zone, to claim the property. Abandoned property removed from the Zone will be “stored in a closed, locked, storage container for an additional 30 days,” according to the city. After that, the city will dispose of it. Back when the cleanups were being conducted in 2021, there were no clear protocols, Maatsch said. “No seven days, no 30 days,” she said. Venable applauded the property notifi- cations but said she’s not convinced that the new protocol will solve all the issues surrounding the cleanups. “There are some things that we have questions about. And we want to hold them to their word, too,” she said. Thirty days struck Venable as too short a period of time to store the belongings. In a 2011 court case regarding the seizure of property of unsheltered people by the city of Los Angeles, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals required the city to store seized property for at least 90 days. She hoped to see the city of Phoenix follow that precedent. ‘They’re Living in Shantytowns’ Hall said that city staff have received a positive response as they notified people living in the Zone about the return of the cleanups. “Most people are agreeing that this is a good thing, and they want it them- selves,” he said. Hall added that he did not expect to see the resistance to the cleanups that occurred last year. Venable, who regularly distributes food and other items in the Zone, said many people she had spoken with there weren’t aware that cleanups were restarting. And she was doubtful that the reaction was universally positive. “There’s a complete lack of trust because it’s been violated so many times,” she said. Property and business owners in the area, however, have complained about the lack of extensive cleanups over the past nine months. Some 15 property owners in the neighborhood sued and said the trash and pollutants in the area amount to a public nuisance. While it’s not clear how much the lawsuit factored into the decision to restart the cleanups again — Hall said he couldn’t comment on the litigation — the city did present the plans as part of its defense in a hearing in October. But Venable said that even if the cleanups are well received, it’s simply a band-aid for a bigger problem. “The city doesn’t have a long-term solution for these things, you know,” she said. “And people have to live. So they’re living in shanty- towns, and it creates harm.” As the city starts the cleanups again, she added, “We’ll be out there watching them.” | NEWS | When cleanups restart, unsheltered people in the Zone will be directed to the welcome center at the Human Services Campus to reclaim their property. Matt Hennie Cleanups from p 9
