Alaska ACLU concerned about seizure of homeless people's possessions

[ccharles000]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is worried about what happens to the property left behind at homeless camps. The ACLU doesn't want to see property that is valuable or sentimental thrown away when illegal camps are cleared out.

Right now, the company responsible for cleaning up homeless camps gives the Anchorage Police Department anything of value they find -- things like watches or rings.

The ACLU, however, would like people evicted from those camps to be able to retrieve all the things they've left behind, from tents to old photos. The group says it is working to better notify people evicted from the camps that they can pick up such items.

"What we've done is we've reached out to the Assembly, and the Assembly members are very cognizant of our concerns," said the ACLU's Jeffery Mittman. "And there are several Assembly members who feel the same way, and want to insure the people's rights are not being violated."

The spokesperson for APD says the problem is that the homeless often abandon camps when notified, without taking their things -- and police often have no way of knowing what belongs to whom.

"More often than not, when a camp is posted with the little ‘must vacate' signs, often people will just leave and they won't come back to retrieve anything," said Lt. Dave Parker. "They don't move the camp."

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=11333034

[asdjrocky]

1. What's really sad here is they are "evicting" homeless.

Seriously, these people are being "evicted" from parks, abandoned areas and parking lots.

[FreakinDJ]

2. Can't immagine "Camping Out" in MINUS 50 deg weather

some thing doesn't add up

[astral]

3. Many of these people do die from exposure. n/t