Although un-sanctioned tents (and people) are back in the Ross Encampment, things are different this time. The inhabitants of the “Ross Survival Camp” say that tents need to be set up in neat rows, with 5 feet buffers between tents, as per fire code. Signs posted outside the entrance to the camp include some rules (that people wanting to stay there have to agree to in-writing before entering). They include: no violence to yourself or others, no theft, no alcohol/illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia on-site (or within a 1-block radius), no constant disruptive behavior….and each inhabitant must do 10-hours a week of volunteer camp maintenance and operations work. Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills wrote in an e-mail that “while police will continue to enforce other laws, the impetus for the former camp’s removal — public health hazards — does not exist……and there is insufficient alternative shelter space to send people to at this time”. Organizers of the new version of the Ross Survival Camp plan to bring in 2 portable toilets and a hand-washing station.
