The City of Sacramento, California, is taking heat after clearing out all homeless people from a downtown park area ahead of its use for the filming of an upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio movie.
The city started clearing out the homeless people living in tents in the park on Thursday after posting “attention to vacate” notices around the park, according to the Sacramento Bee.
City officials also placed bright green warning stickers on at least six tents even as the area was still being drenched in the massive rain storms that battered the west coast earlier in the week.
The warnings informed homeless people that they had 24 hours to vacate their areas in the park. Officials told the vacating campers that they could be sent to the Roseville Road shelter if they like.
However, some homeless people claimed that they were not told that they could relocate to the Roseville Road shelter when officials began posting the notices to vacate.
“It’s terrible,” said homeless man Anji Baker. “We have nowhere to go. All our clothes and shoes are wet. We have no food.”
“We’ve gotta put everything in the cart,” said Baker, a Sacramento native who became homeless four years ago. “It’s gonna be heavy,” he said of the rains.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, slammed the city for deposing the homeless just to film a movie.
“It is asinine in the midst of an atmospheric storm, against federal laws and protections unhoused people are being moved and placed in greater danger for Hollywood to roll footage in Sacramento,” Sanchez told the paper. “The city permit should have not been issued without appropriately placing individuals in shelter as the city is well aware of the homeless crisis in the area.”
The city is justifying the removal of the homeless by citing several ordinances that prohibits storing personal property on “critical infrastructure” and public property. The city also cites restrictions on setting up tents without a city permit.
The city reported that the movie will be using several parts of the downtown area and will be filming car chases, gunfights, and even using helicopters for some scenes.
“While the simulated elements may resemble real-life situations, the City and Sacramento Film + Media office wants the public to know that they’re are part of a controlled production for entertainment purposes only,” Sacramento Film Commissioner Jennifer West said in a public announcement.
The nature of the film, being labeled under the code name “BC Project,” has not been released, but it is known that it will star DiCaprio and being directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
Other cast members include Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Wood Harris, and Alana Haim.
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