This morning the Rancho Cordova (near Sacramento) police arrested a homeless man for attacking a bicyclist with a machete. It was at a popular park along the American River. The bicyclist is not expected to live.
The homeless man took the bus to the college near the park. The police found evidence on the grounds of a preschool. Let that sink in: a college and a preschool.
I live not too far from there. In fact, I live along the American River Parkway and Bike trail. I used to feel comfortable roaming the trails with my dog, or alone. Now I do not.
A woman in Sacramento was raped and murdered and her two dogs were killed by a homeless man. An autistic girl was murdered and raped by a homeless man along the bike trail. A woman and her baby, having a nice day in a popular park were attacked by a homeless man. My husband has been attacked twice by homeless men. A friend had a knife pulled on him in his own backyard by a homeless man who was camping behind his house and trying to come into my friend’s yard. I was at a traffic light in Sacramento when a homeless man came out of a tent and exposed himself to me – yes he pulled out his penis and waved it at me. This is just a short list. An extremely short list.
Unfortunately unless someone is sent to the hospital or morgue NOTHING is done about it. Good luck if you’re in the City of Sacramento because you’re totally out of luck. Ask any business owner or person who has been attacked or bothered by homeless people.
The homeless camped around my home. Around almost every home in the area leaving garbage, poop, and needles. They camp, poop, and leave garbage around our museums, along every major road, by businesses, in front of homes, and everywhere else. Business owners are hit hard by mentally ill or tweaked out people coming into their businesses, shitting on their doorways, and driving customers away by camping in parking lots and behind buildings. The rest of us have no recourse. A couple of years ago a homeless couple lived behind a Taco Bell in my neighborhood. They had a pit bull dog that would attack anyone coming near them. The couple would strip down and have sex all hours of the day right out in public. The police or other city and county services won’t remove the homeless. Nobody will relocate them. A lot of talk and money is going into the issue but NOTHING has been done.
I usually don’t get political but the piece of shit local politicians have done NOTHING but talk. If you are in Sacramento City good luck because NOBODY will help you. In fact I think most of them are welcoming druggies and tweeters and homeless people to the area. There are never enough facilities for the mentally ill. The drug problems are getting worse. The public health issues are impossible.
The streets are unsafe for anyone to live on, especially for young people and women and the elderly. They need help. They need REAL help.
Businesses are leaving the area. New businesses take one look here and don’t want to come to the area. Tourists don’t want to come to our area which is rich in historic sites, music, and art.
Yeah, I get to vent. I get to have a morning where my compassion goes to the 60 year old man who was riding his bike on a beautiful late fall day and was attacked by a crazy homeless man. My compassion goes out to everyone who can no longer go to parks or feel safe anywhere in the Sacramento area due to our street, parks, and every single public place being over run by the homeless.
Other cities have come up with solutions. They’ve come up with tiered programs to get people off of the streets and into programs. These programs help them get off the drugs, get mental health services, and LEARN how to live normal lives (things like budgeting, job skills, life skills.) Why can it be done here? One reason is that every time someone tries to do something a slew of lawyers come around and say everyone should be able to live in a dirty tent and be on drugs and poop in the streets in front of homes. Where do these lawyers come from and who is paying them?
So I’m done for the day. Sorry if this wasn’t what you expected here today. I don’t expect to find needles in the park at the end of my street and human poop and garbage on the beautiful trails where I walk my dog.
~ Juliette
Vampire Maman 
You have nothing to apologize for, been there seen that back in Sacramento. We have our homeless here in Santa Cruz, but at least things are being done. So sorry to hear that lawyers come out of the woodwork to halt attempts to help these folks. You’re absolutely right, that is simply sickening. Those folks need help, and screaming they have rights while ignoring what those folks really need is ridiculous if they become a danger to themselves or others. So sorry you’re having to go through this. Hugs.
Thank you. The whole situation is heartbreaking.
We have the “tiered” program and it’s not working. I went to several meetings with the City about coordinating services and helping build relationships so those who are vulnerable and need that connection to trust someone enough to take the offered hand can do so. We’re modeling our program in part after the San Antonio community called Haven For Hope. THAT program is working but it took several experienced business executives from companies like Bank of America to coordinate the 20+ acre campus, community services and multiple charities.
It can be done but a city alone can not do it. Helping the destitute, despondent, frustrated, sick, addicted and/or ill to take the offered help is a long rough road.
https://www.havenforhope.org/
The mayor of Sacramento lives in his gated community and can’t relate to any of it. I think we should open his gates. I’ve heard of the program in San Antonio. Yes, it works. I don’t know why other cities aren’t doing this. There are too many egos involved in trying to help others – that is unfortunate and just makes me angry.
The coverage in the local press is they’re making the mistakes made decades ago if highlighting the murderer rather than the people murdered.
Let’s talk about Timothy and his goodness that I overheard as Sacramento family members, coworkers and cyclists had to say as they mourned the world without their family member or friend who was a good man, good citizen, good friend, and so many other personal attributes.
Let’s see pictures of Timothy, to raise the specter of what and who was lost.
Thank you so much Deborah for your comment. My heart goes out to Timothy and his family and those who love him. It just breaks my heart.