Homeless sweep irks TechCrunch
Tents have returned outside of 10 South Van Ness Ave. after a sweep by Non Plus Ultra. TechCrunch cut ties with the event firm after it ousted the homeless in a midnight sweep.
TechCrunch said Thursday it will no longer work with event manager Non Plus Ultra after the vendor swept the tents of homeless people and threw out their belongings last week outside of a venue used for the tech website’s Disrupt conference in San Francisco.
The sweep occurred shortly after midnight on Sept. 10 outside of the 10 South Van Ness Ave. venue where Disrupt is being filmed without an audience, according to a police report and a Facebook Live recording. The Facebook video posted last week shows workers putting tents, bikes and other items into a truck.
“This was not an action that we asked Non Plus Ultra to perform and is not something that we would ever ask them to do. Upon further investigation, we discovered that belongings and personal effects had been removed or discarded by a private company hired by Non Plus Ultra,” TechCrunch said. “This is absolutely unacceptable, and we’re working to take immediate action.”
TechCrunch, a subsidiary of Verizon
Media, said it would not work with Non Plus Ultra on future events.
San Francisco Public Press first reported the preevent sweep.
The private sweep is the latest clash between businesses and unhoused individuals in neighborhoods surrounding San Francisco’s Civic Center, after the city ceased the controversial practice of clearing tent encampments on public streets during the coronavirus pandemic. Tenderloin merchants and UC Hastings sued the city over what they called “dangerously crowded sidewalks,” settling the lawsuit in June. MidMarket restaurants including Montesacro Pinseria and Souvla sued the city over tent encampments in July.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights said it was investigating the incident.
“This homeless sweep is not only heartbreaking and disturbing, it is blatantly illegal. Every homeless person has a right to their belongings,” the group said on Twitter.
Non Plus Ultra said it would work with homeless service providers Community Housing
Partnership and DISH to support unhoused residents and try to return and replace property.
“Non Plus Ultra intends to learn from this unfortunate situation and regret any pain this might have caused to our community, as that was never our intent,” Lou Pizante, Non Plus Ultra’s chief financial officer, said in a statement. “We will continue to do everything we can to grow and learn as a business and be part of our community during this difficult time in our city.”
The company said the encampment had spread to the building’s loading dock and parking area along 12th Street in violation of city health and safety requirements. Non Plus Ultra said it had talked to encampment residents for weeks about needing to relocate while cleaning occurred, and would allow residents to move back after cleaning. People have since moved back to the area, as shown by recent photos.
The property was previously a Honda dealership and has been used as a temporary event venue. A large residential tower planned by developer Crescent Heights is approved for the site.
Non Plus Ultra also books events at the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco Mint and the Midway.
The San Francisco Police Department said officers met with a person on Sept. 11, the day after the sweep, who said a pickup truck arrived around midnight the previous day and loaded up property from the encampment. Police were told one of the encampment residents got in an argument with a person leading the cleanup and the resident was assaulted. Police declined to identify the alleged victims due to confidentiality.
“The challenging recent events on 12th Street represent yet another heartbreaking example of how much work our City has to do to ensure dignity and decency for our most vulnerable and least resourced residents. Housing is the only meaningful solution for those experiencing homelessness. All of us have more work to do,” Doug Gary, codirector of DISH, said in a statement, adding Non Plus Ultra was one of its biggest donors.