Advertisement Homeless return to Sacramento City Hall under political, legal cloud Attorney calls city ordinance prohibiting camping unconstitutional, vows lawsuit Share Shares Copy Link Copy

More than a dozen homeless people are back at Sacramento City Hall on Sunday, continuing their camping protest despite weekend arrests.Homeless advocates told KCRA 3 at least four homeless campers were arrested by Sacramento police.Mohammed Abughannam, who was among those arrested, said the city's plan is get homeless advocates off the grounds "because we're an eyesore."Abughannam claims he broke his arm while police enforced Sacramento's anti-camping ordinance.More coverage: Homeless demand change in Sacramento's no camping ordinanceIn a statement to KCRA 3, Sacramento city spokeswoman Linda Tucker said: "The Sacramento Police Department takes any complaints or allegations of injury very seriously and conducts thorough investigations following all allegations. As of today, we have not received any reports or observed serious injuries related to the protests at City Hall. All arrests were digitally recorded up until the arrestee was booked into the Sacramento County Jail."The city offered shelter for the campers, but Abughannam said it was not an option for everyone."Some people can't get in because they are susceptible to getting sick. They have anxieties about being around other people," Abughannam said.The homeless are supported by civil rights attorney Mark Merin, who won a multimillion settlement from the city several years ago over the confiscation of homeless property.Merin said he plans to sue the city again for what he calls an unconstitutional anti-camping ordinance."It doesn't make any sense to treat homeless people that way," Merin said. "We need wiser decisions. We need a more enlightened leadership. And we need the public to come forward and say this is idiotic."The homeless protest has now become a hot-button political issue for candidates running for mayor, including Tony Lopez.Lopez said he supports the city's enforcement of the no-camping ordinance."What they're doing is actually illegal," Lopez said. "So the cops have to be cops. Just because you're homeless doesn't mean the laws don't affect you."Lopez is not alone. Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby, who's also in the mayoral race, supports the city's ordinance, calling it an effective tool for outreach to the homeless."What we're really trying to do in Sacramento, I think, is not accept sleeping outside as an acceptable form of living," Ashby said. "We really want to get people into housing and that requires that we're able to talk to them."Former Senate President Darrell Steinberg, also a candidate, said he has no problem with law enforcement officials doing their job."But this all misses the point," Steinberg said. "The real point is we must have a policy in the city of Sacramento, and our greater region, that puts housing first."A fourth candidate for mayor, Russell Rawlings, told KCRA 3 that the city ordinance must be repealed.On Monday, the state Legislature returns to the state Capitol with a new budget proposal designed to tackle the issue of homelessness statewide.