VISTA — Fourteen people were arrested in Vista last week under suspicion of violating the city’s encampment ordinance following repeated contact with law enforcement and homelessness service agencies, the Vista Sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies with the Vista Sheriff’s Community Policing and Problem-Solving Unit, or COPPS, arrested the individuals on March 20 near the California Highway Patrol building along La Tortuga Drive, following repeated complaints regarding unauthorized camping and nuisance issues.
One of the arrested individuals, Shawney Young, 32, was already wanted under a felony warrant for suspected vehicular manslaughter. Young remains in custody under $50,000 bail. The other individuals were booked and then released from custody.
Sgt. Brent Longfellow said the COPPS team, San Diego Rescue Mission, and Interfaith Community Services had contacted these individuals many times to educate them about the encampment ban and connect them with services, but they continually refused to leave.
“We haven’t done anything like this since the ban went into place. Our outlook was education first, and then enforcement. We’ve been educating people for the last six months or so, trying to get people off the street,” Longfellow said.
In August, Vista enacted a total ban on homeless encampments on public property after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case declaring that clearing encampments does not qualify as cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.
The ban prohibits encampments on public property regardless of whether space is available in local homeless shelters. However, city leaders have emphasized continued outreach and service offerings to homeless individuals as a priority.
Longfellow said the city’s ban hasn’t changed how the Sheriff’s Department deals with encampments, but it does give enforcement more teeth by allowing law enforcement to cite individuals under the city’s civil code.
“The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to a balanced approach of outreach and enforcement, working closely with community partners to connect individuals in need with available services while addressing criminal activity that impacts public safety,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The Coast News has reached out to the city of Vista for comment.
