Includes video and photos of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers while Stan was in the band. It's a hard day. Grateful to Stan for sharing this.
Ther
Imagine a world where time drifts slowly. Experience pure moods!
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Hey all!
I salvaged a letterman jacket and other items from a relative's house when they experienced a house fire. I was able to wash the clothing but need to dry clean her letterman jacket with leather sleeves. Anyone had to have smoke damaged clothing dry cleanimed and have a recommendation for where I could go? I'm not sure if this is something that can simply be done anywhere. Let me know!
See more info on these and more posts at fresnoarthopevents on Instagram
CALL TO ACTION!
Speak up to oppose Mayor Dyer’s budget proposal to fund a sergeant and 4 officers for a second Homeless Assistance and Response Team (HART) which would add hundreds of thousands in estimated staffing and equipment costs and demand accountability and alternatives to police enforcement of our unhoused,
City of Fresno Budget hearings are June 8-11, 9:00am. Public comment for the police budget is the second item on Wed., June 10. Speak up in person or email clerk@fresno.gov, subject “Public comment, Police dept.)
BTW, here is the agenda for Budget Hearings, which started today and eComments. These close 24 hours before the day of the item, but you can still email to clerk@fresno.gov. Note that if you want to see the presentations for different departments, they are posted in the link with each department by the day before.
Here is a Fresno Budget Process guide to hopefully help with the info needed
-Also give comment during/to Public Utilities after to oppose the use of sanitation crews for HART
-Planning and Community Development Dept. on 6/9to speak up on needs you want to see funded, like shelters and transitional housing, rental assistance, more money for the Eviction Protection Program, winter-long funding for warming centers, storage spaces, and more.
Dyer states that the additional HART police officers will result in “expanding capacity to conduct street outreach, resolving encampments, and connecting individuals to shelter and services.” FPD removes people from property generally without offering services, sometimes arrests them for camping, and discards all of their belongings, even if these are ready to be moved. Dyer claims the police provide safety for outreach workers, but no outreach teams do outreach with FPD present.
HART impedes people from getting on their feet by discarding living essentials, documents needed to get into housing, like ID cards, SSI paperwork, birth certificate, work necessities, and irreplaceable mementos. They inflict psychological harm through their inhumane treatment. I saw on video and spoke to a man who had his birthday food and belongings all on a little personal rolling cart and HART wouldn't let him take it. This was on Easter Sunday 2023. I watched as a man was shouting that all of his dead mother's belongings were on a personal cart that he could roll away and they refused to let him take it. A man was arrested for moving his belongings instead of leaving them behind during a sweep and it turned out that the only black and white photo of his parents was there. I watched HART pick through a man's backpack and then throw it away. A woman told me that here insulin was being thrown out and when she said so, they said "too bad." Another man said his prosthetic leg was discarded with the same response. Another woman said that her caseworker brought her antibiotics for an infection and HART arrested her for the No Camp ordinance (she said she hasn't been able to get into a shelter yet and didn't have a lot of possessions) and they threw away her purse and backpack with her antibiotics. In one instance, HART was "assisting" the Irrigation district in a sweep of a canal. An older, disabled woman asked for enough time to move her belongings. The irrigation district staff member allowed it. Then the HART officer talked to him and then that the irrigation district staff member said she only had five minutes (defying the right of those with disabilities to have adequate time). During the same sweep, someone placed their bicycle outside the camp and HART threw it in the crusher. I have been threatened with arrest another time when I offered to help a man move his bicycle while he moved his stuff and a HART sanitation worker said that I couldn't take the bicycle. And then they crushed it. I have so many stories. Everyone else has more.
Their practices goes against the 7 principles of Encampment Resolution, which literally state that such practices do not succeed (and the city is required to follow in order to have Prohousing designation) . I have spoken to many people who are service providers that say that HART police/public utilities set their clients back. They already operate seven days a week and holidays and have a budget of over $10 million. Adding another team will not accomplish anything more.
This doesn’t reduce homelessness and is costing us more than if we focused on sustainable solutions. A 2nd team also requires more personnel hours from public utilities. With the No Camp ordinance, we are incurring greater costs to arrest and take our community members to court and jail, than if housing was provided.
There is also crews in the city that do clean ups in encampments without displacement and they have told me that those in the camps help them. Meanwhile, after a sweep, our unhoused community members noted that debris outside of their belongings are often left behind.
Note that Dyer claims that they put a lot of money into helping those unhoused, but until we have permanent solutions as far as housing, shelters are a good, but temporary fix, and many of our community members have been retraumatized by returning to the streets after their time is up.
They also claim a low percentage of people accepting services, as if bullying people will get them into services, but this is not true. MAPS (The multi-agency program at Poverello House where people go to get a caseworker and get services they need) has a line of people more than they can serve a day every day (you have to go early to ensure you will be helped). People are saying yes multiple times to outreach teams offers for services, but people simply cannot leave the streets until something becomes available. I met a CNA (and many people with jobs) who was in one of the camps, trying to find housing. The Coordinated Entry System for May reports show a Rapid Re-Housing Priority List of 691 person. That is 691 persons that are housing ready and waiting It is meant to be "rapid," but is limited to what is available. Permanent Supportive Housing Priority List 263, which is housing in which supportive services are needed, and Community Queue Reporting 1,337 total of those awaiting services just in the CES.
The highest growing demographic is those who are elderly and others on fixed income (those with disabilities). Our service providers state that the issue is income. (Ie. SSI is in the $900s, but there isn'y housing available at that cost)
This HART increase won't go towards meet that need. It is possible that what was offered to them wasn't helpful or viable. I have been present when they threw away all of a person's belongings and then offered to take them to the Poverello House on a Sunday (MAPS isn't open that day) This doesn't solve the issue that the person has no where to go and their belongings are discarded, and they likely already have a caseworker, so they may decline that disingenuous offer, and the officers can record that as "refusing service."
One person I spoke to in the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care noted that the need, outside of house, is longer term shelter and transitional housing until more affordable housing opens up. I know of several people who have been waiting to get into a shelter, but haven't gotten that services
We need the city to change it practices when it comes to our community members and we need the city council to hold HART accountable and actually follow the principles that they are required to follow under their funding.
However, a very simple change in the proposed budget is simply to not add a second HART officer force and not take from our already stretched general fund.
The latest by u/buyingastairway. Excellent illustration of Labryinth.
I'm pretty stoked that I get to post one of Scott's creations. I usually go to the WinCo by Sunnyside or Shaw/99, but happened to be nearby. Wasn't expecting this surprise. Might try to go more often as I'm reminded of this phenomena.
Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Hands Across America!
THIS IS A FREE EVENT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Monday, May 25, 2026
3:00pm-6:00pm
Wesley United Church, 1343 E Barstow Ave, Fresno
Free Market:
Take what you need! Donations of clothing, home goods, food, and hygiene supplies are welcome.
Resource Fair:
Connect with local support organizations.
Fun for All:
Live music, local food trucks, and inspiring guest speakers.
