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From: Kyle Sweeney <ksweeney42@gmail.com> <br />Sent: Friday, December 9, 2022 6:53 PM <br />To: CityClerkMbx <City_Clerk@riversideca.gov>; Cervantes, Clarissa <CCervantes@riversideca.gov> <br />Subject: [External] For the City Council <br />Dear City Council, <br />Attached is the perfect example of how funding meant to end homelessness is being used to criminalize it. This is why <br />cops should never be a part of outreach. Law enforcement is not compatible with safety. <br />F Riverside Police Department Q <br />PSET TEAM ARRESTS MAN FOR POSSESSING <br />LOADED FIREARM AND ILLEGAL DRUGS <br />A couple days ago on Wednesday morning, the <br />Public Safety Engagement Team (PSET) <br />contacted a person camping along the railroad <br />tracks behind the 3500 block of Merrill Avenue. <br />During their encounter, they found this homeless <br />man to be in possession of a loaded handgun and <br />illegal drugs. <br />36 -year-old Zachary Spence was arrested for the <br />felony weapon and drug violations, along with <br />trespassing on railroad property and camping on <br />public property, both misdemeanors. He was <br />booked into jail and being held on $25,000 bail. <br />This entire problem would have been solved with housing, but now a person who cannot afford shelter is in debtors <br />prison. He is likely to lose any job he had, and if he ends up with a felony on his record his access to housing and <br />employment with be heavily impacted. He has gone from living in a tent to an even worse position due to our PSET <br />team. Not just for him, but more costly to us. We will pay a huge sum to keep a person who has harmed no-one <br />imprisoned. <br />This is the opposite of housing first. This is the opposite of harm reduction. All data shows that this is the most harmful <br />and ineffective approach available. We have forced people into dangerous violent situations, and are arresting them <br />when the seek the capacity to defend themselves. It is not the governments business what anyone does with their own <br />body, but we are imprisoning someone over it. <br />This is inhumane and wasteful. This is what happens when you use police to address a health and human rights problem <br />instead of ensuring people have what they need to survive. <br />Ward 2 <br />Kyle Sweeney <br />cc: Mayor <br />City Council <br />City Manager <br />City Attorney <br />ACMs <br />OHS <br />