Redwood City stepping up security near homeless camps

“I know homelessness is a sensitive subject and I agree that it is in itself not a crime, but stealing and possessing stolen property is,” she said.

At first, random items including lost-and-found clothing and lights were stolen from MSI’s campus, Seiff said. Then on Thanksgiving, burglars tore down two doors and stole $15,000 worth of tools and educational equipment followed by another incident mid-December in which a 12-foot canoe used for the nonprofit’s programming was seen being towed away by two men on bicycles toward Seaport Boulevard.

The canoe and other stolen items, including a table saw and tent used for the nonprofit’s summer camp, were later found at the Seaport Boulevard camp, Seiff said, adding that homeless people also use MSI’s bathrooms during the day when children are around.

Seiff said the nonprofit is taking steps to beef up its security and urged the city to help.

After the meeting, Redwood City police Capt. Ashley Osborne said the department will deploy additional patrols in the area through the rest of the month, adding that criminals were likely emboldened to commit crimes during the holidays because nearby workers are home and away from the area.

“With a lighter daily population and a lot of businesses closed it’s an opportunity to go into those areas and commit crimes,” he said. “We’ll increase patrols over the next couple of weeks during the day and night and do what we can to prevent some of those crimes from occurring.” 

The largest of several homeless camps on Seaport Boulevard was dismantled earlier this month by Union Pacific railroad, which owns the land on which the camp sat for more than eight months. After the camp was torn down, its 10 to 15 residents relocated across Seaport Boulevard to city-owned property adjacent to a waterway where they’ve been living since.

The police department is currently building a case for dismantling that camp on the grounds that it poses an environmental and health hazard due to its proximity to a waterway.  

“We’re putting together a plan and making sure we’re working on solid legal ground,” Osborne said, adding that notices will likely be placed at the camp in the next few weeks warning residents of its impending removal. 

Seiff was not the only resident complaining of illegal activity associated with homeless people during Monday’s council meeting.

Victor Valdes, who owns V&V Brothers RVs and Trailers on Hansen Way, said the growing number of people living in RVs on the street is taking a toll on his business. 

“It’s causing a lot of stress to our business, our customers don’t have any parking and people are doing repairs across the street where we are,” he said, adding that crime and other impacts have significantly intensified within the last several months, forcing him to hire a security guard. “A lot of people are doing drugs in the RVs and they come out trying to steal things. … We need to get this under control.” 

Valdes’ business is located around the corner from Oddstad Drive where nearly every business on the block has complained of similar impacts associated with a growing presence of RV dwellers. 

The council formed an ad-hoc committee to explore a potential safe parking program for RV dwellers in the city, with proposals expected to be announced in the spring. 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102