Albany police begin enforcement at Bulb

http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_24760572/albany-police-begin-enforcement-at-bulb

On Monday, an amended lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of Bulb residents. The lawsuit, which names 29 plaintiffs as well as Albany Housing Advocates, was originally filed in November.

A previous request for a temporary restraining order preventing the city from using the anti-camping ordinance to remove people from the Bulb was denied Nov. 18.

The amended lawsuit, filed to reflect the enforcement action over the weekend, notes that the eviction is taking place as winter approaches and that reportedly five homeless people in the Bay Area have died because of exposure in the past few weeks.

The suit also claims that police in both Albany and surrounding communities have been directing homeless people to take up residence on the Bulb for years.

"Based on the understanding that the City (of Albany) and its police force approved of their presence on the Bulb, residents erected tents and other structures to shelter themselves from the elements and created an area of privacy for themselves," the lawsuit reads, adding, "These activities have been well-known to the City for many years."