I recently wrote an article concerning the possibility of homeless veterans and civilians being forcibly removed from Arizona land before Christmas by the Arizona Department of Transportation under Governor Doug Ducey.
Veterans on Patrol, a group of all volunteers who operates under the Good Samaritan Law, providing homeless veterans and civilians with shelter, food, clothing and other necessities, was recently told they must vacate the property by Saturday, December 19, 2016.
Founder Lewis Arthur indicates the following occurred:
“…they (VOP) received word on Wednesday from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) that they must vacate the land they claim they have occupied for the past 16 months by Saturday or face possible arrest and charges for criminal trespass..
Since ADOT posted their “No Trespassing, No Dumping” sign recently warning homeless veterans and others they are trespassing and that “violators will be prosecuted,” homeless veterans have been immediately cut-off from vital VA assistance because VA personnel and other organizations will not risk being cited or arrested for trespassing.”
After unsuccessful attempts to receive assurance from ADOT or Governor Ducey’s office that homeless veterans and other homeless individuals would not be removed from the land, I spoke with Daniel Scarpinato, Deputy Chief of Staff and Spokesman for Arizona Governor Ducey by telephone on Friday.
I asked Mr. Scarpinato for a written statement from his office, assuring those concerned that the homeless veterans and civilians would be allowed to stay on the land and that services would once again continue being provided by the VA and other organizations.
The following is the email that I received from Mr. Scarpinato at 3:15pmPT, Friday afternoon, following our telephone conversation:
“Susan —
The State of Arizona is committed to protecting our veterans. The desire is to assist the individuals in this area, located near the Loop 202 and McKellips, by helping to find them shelter and assistance. No one has been removed, and there are no plans to do so. On Monday, Arizona Veterans’ Services will be on site to help connect vets with services. Our social services agency will also be on site to assist non-veterans.
We thank Mr. Scarpinato for his attention in this matter and as I assured him, the American public will continue to monitor the treatment of our veterans in Arizona and elsewhere to ensure they are shown the dignity and respect they deserve.
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