One morning in October, a group of workers arrived at Rudy Ortega’s home in the Crash Zone, a camp near the end of the airport runway in San Jose, California. With jets thundering above, garbage trucks and police cars surrounded Ortega’s makeshift shelter.
Heavy machinery was ready to demolish the camp at a moment’s notice. As the workers closed in, Ortega became increasingly distressed. “They’ll have to drag me out of here,” he declared.
The camp, once one of the largest in California, had been gradually cleared between 2021 and 2023, partly by a company called Tucker Construction. Spending on private contractors for such evictions was on the rise across California.
Astrid Stromberg, in charge of encampment cleanups for Tucker, noted a significant expansion in their business since 2020. Starting with about a dozen workers, they now had 30, serving multiple municipalities and agencies across Silicon Valley.
Pete White, from the Los Angeles Community Action Network, observed a growing trend of privatized sweeps, expressing concerns about the loss of property and rights.
Legal battles ensued, with litigants arguing that sweeps violated constitutional amendments protecting against unreasonable search and seizure, due process, and cruel and unusual punishment.
Gabriella Aguirre, whose camp was cleared alongside Ortega’s, described the devastating experience of losing belongings, highlighting the emotional impact of losing the few possessions they owned.
The history of the Crash Zone revealed its evolution from a residential area to an uninhabitable zone near the airport runway. Ortega had moved there in 2015 amidst a small number of tents, but the camp’s population exploded during the pandemic, prompting the FAA to threaten funding cuts unless it was cleared.
California had allocated over $700 million for camp clearance, leading to the emergence of a lucrative industry dedicated to such tasks. Public records revealed significant spending on private contractors for these operations.
Sweeps took a toll on homeless individuals, with many experiencing repeated displacements and alleging mistreatment by private companies like Tucker Construction. Despite regulations meant to protect belongings during sweeps, residents reported significant losses and inadequate storage procedures.
Ortega pursued legal action to protect his belongings, representing himself in court. Though he achieved some temporary relief, ongoing sweeps continued to disrupt the lives of homeless individuals like him.
The struggle against sweeps highlighted not only the challenges faced by homeless populations but also the complex legal and ethical issues surrounding their treatment by authorities and private contractors.