The Man Who’s Trying to Clear the Tents from SF’s Streets
San Francisco Chronicle
By Kevin Fagan
August 12, 2016
The man tasked with leading the most ambitious effort in years to clear San Francisco’s streets of tents began his mission on his knees.
Jason Albertson knelt the other day before a wary crowd of hard-core homeless campers along the waterfront near Cesar Chavez and Indiana streets after asking them to gather together for a few moments, and as he opened his mouth they didn’t really know what to expect. They knew he’d come to tell them they had to tear down their sprawling camp by the end of August. But they’ve heard orders to clear out before, here and at other camps.
Would this just be a quick heads-up followed by an army of police and street cleaners tearing down their tents?
Not this time. What Albertson, head of the newly created city Encampment Resolution Team, brought to this colony of about 50 people was something new: a straight-up splash of reality, on-the-spot offers of shelter and counseling, and promises to help them get ready for the clear-out day.