07/31/26 Update on Willy / Baldwin Protest Area

At 8am this morning, County Supervisor Yogesh Chawla and I were onsite as St. Vinnie's regained access to their parking lot / loading dock and unloaded their first truck in a week. At 10am, they reopened to the public.

A dozen or so people are moving out of the apartment building at 320 S Baldwin St today and have clear street access. New neighbors are moving in tomorrow and should have the same.

With the forecast showing steady rain over the next couple of days, we are trying to get hotel vouchers for the unhoused folks on site to get shelter and move out of the street where tents and sleeping bags would be inundated by rain runoff.

This is a developing situation -- things are changing by the hour. My goal remains a peaceful resolution for activists and neighbors alike, along with continued work with the community on a memorial honoring all those who have lost their lives to police violence.

I am also trying to put together a relief fund for employers in the area who have been closed for the last week or have been otherwise affected. On Wednesday night I met with the Williamson-Atwood Business Alliance (WMBA) and around 60 employers from the area. They shared how foot traffic has suffered over the past week, looked for ways to collaborate and help each other, and asked how the city might be of assistance. I encourage you to patronize the businesses of Willy Street and support our community.

This past week has been difficult for everyone. Amid the pain and anger, I've also seen real solidarity, people showing up for one another, and communities coming together. I hope we hold onto that as we do the harder, longer work of fixing the systems that allow injustice to continue.