A monthslong battle over a waterfront homeless camp in Sausalito ended Tuesday as the city cleared out the site near Dunphy Park and moved the camp a half mile away.
The city served notice of the move on Friday. The action came in the aftermath of a federal court ruling that allowed the city to disband the camp and move it to Marinship Park.
It was the city’s second attempt to clear the site. It backed away from efforts in February while a lawsuit brought by a homeless rights group played out in court.
Tension ran high mid-morning as camp occupants and housing activists resisted the move, forming a line as they spoke though megaphones, carried flags and hoisted video cameras. People jeered at the police and demanded to see a warrant.
Protesters were pushed back into the camp by police. There, they clashed with a handful of Sausalito residents who opposed the camp, telling them to “go home” and that they need to “pay taxes like the rest of us.”
Longtime anchor-out Jeff Jacobs said, “Where do you want us to go? This is our home.”
As a city public works crew fenced off the area, the police ordered everyone to leave or be subject to arrest. Crews dismantled several tiny homes, large wooden structures, sculptures, a community garden, an outdoor kitchen and the camp lounge area with anchor-out artwork and dozens of books and instruments.
At one point, a small fire started on the outskirts of the camp near Locust Street but was swiftly extinguished by public works employees, camp residents and police.
Residents and housing activists referred to the effort as an “eviction” of the camp, known to occupants as “Camp Cormorant.” They said the move was illegal despite the federal ruling, which also prohibits the city from instituting a citywide daytime camping ban.
“Shame on the blue. Shame on you,” anchor-out Arthur Bruce said through a megaphone. “Marinship Park is full. There is nowhere else to go.”
Half of Marinship Park has been cordoned off for campers, with restrooms and mobile shower access. Camp residents and housing activists said the new site is nearly full, but Mayor Jill Hoffman said there is space. The campers’ belongings are being held at the police station for them to pick up, she said.
“We’ll evaluate what it looks like when the fenced area is nearing full capacity,” Hoffman said. “We’re not there yet. I don’t think we will be there until we see who is where in the fenced-off area. Then we will adjust if necessary.”
On Monday, campers delivered a letter asking for a meeting with City Council members, but they said they received no response. The letter also claimed that the 72-hour notice to vacate listed the wrong address.
“Your improper noticing gives you three additional days to come to an agreement with us,” the letter read. “We will continue to build our homes, as clearly you cannot evict us tomorrow if you follow your own ordinances and procedures.”
Hoffman said the council received the letter, but she said it was unclear what the city could do at that point.
“And it was not signed by anyone in particular,” she said. “It didn’t have the wrong address. It had the correct address.”
Activist Nick Goyhenetche, who helps build clusters of tiny homes through Oakland-based Artists Building Communities, said he and another activist were treated roughly by police. He was told to file a report and provide the department with the officers’ information.
Housing activist Robbie Powelson, who said he intervened to stop the detention of another camp resident, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a police officer, unlawful assembly and illegally camping, according to his attorney, Charles Dresow.
“The United States Constitution protects peaceful protest,” Dresow said. “The government isn’t entitled to keep arresting my client just because he is protesting their actions.”
Powelson was booked into Marin County Jail and released. He returned to the camp just as the police began ordering everyone to leave.
Poweslon said even though the camp is cleared, he will continue to work on the conflicts arising over boat seizures on Richardson Bay — the chief reason the camp was established.
“This camp was an act of God,” Powelson said. “The way it rose up was a way to shine a light down on an issue that had been swept under the rug for a long time. People’s homes on the water are being crushed. So to now see the camp get crushed is heartbreaking.
“But the main thing is we are staying intact over at Marinship Park. The community is sticking together through it. That’s the real power. That’s what they can’t tear up. They can clear our tents but they can’t clear our community.”