Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe is telling other Bay Area cities that his city “will not be a dumping ground.” He is pointing the finger at San Francisco and Oakland, specifically.
Contra Costa County Resident Dolores Brown said the rise in homeless encampments in the city of Antioch has her feeling frustrated and scared.
“If you’re out walking, you’re afraid to go down the trails cause you don’t know if one of them are gonna attack you or whatever,” she said.
People in Antioch said the homeless situation has never been worse. Antioch’s unsheltered population has risen 24% according to the county’s recent count, making it the city with the most unhoused residents in Contra Costa County.
“We shouldn’t have encampments on our trails and waterways because that poses a public threat that’s not right,” Hernandez-Thorpe said.
Hernandez-Thorpe met with reporters on Tuesday morning to highlight steps the city is taking, like considering strengthening its no camping ordinance and expanding its program aimed at converting hotels into transitional housing. But the mayor also took aim at Oakland and San Francisco.
“Don’t push people into our communities and expect us to be the dumpsite for all your problems. That’s not fair and that’s not right,” he said.
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Hernandez-Thorpe said he believes the unsheltered are moving to Antioch from bigger cities as those cities clear them out.
“All you’ve got to do is drive around and see the new RVs that are coming to Antioch. We all know where they’re coming from. They’re coming from other cities that are deliberately pushing people out,” he said.
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A spokesperson from San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s office told NBC Bay Area San Francisco isn’t sending people to Antioch.
Meanwhile, volunteers are doing their best to help those without homes, providing showers, clothing and support.
