Homeless Advocates Stage Protest At SF Powell Street BART Station
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- Advocates for the homeless staged a symbolic sleep-in at a downtown San Francisco subway station to protest a new police practice of rousting and citing people who bed down in Bay Area Rapid Transit stations.
The San Francisco Chronicle says about 30 people carrying placards and pillows participated in Saturday's protest at the Powell Street station.
BART police Lt. Tyrone Forte told the newspaper about the same number have been arrested since the policy was adopted as a safety measure in July to keep station exits clear for emergencies.
Coalition on Homelessness Executive Director Jennifer Friedenbach says the crackdown indiscriminately targets transients who are not blocking passengers or do anything wrong.
Jack Holmes regularly sleeps in the station. He says he hasn't been cited yet, but thinks police shouldn't focus energy on people who have nowhere else to go.
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