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El Cajon Drops Charges Against a Dozen People Arrested for Feeding Homeless

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Demonstrators protest El Cajon's city ordinance banning people from feeding the homeless in public spaces, Nov. 24, 2017. (Matthew Bowler/KPBS)

Officials for the city of El Cajon said they will not be pursuing any charges against a dozen people arrested at Wells Park on Jan. 14 for feeding people who were homeless.

In a statement to KPBS, a spokesman for the San Diego County city said, “In light of the lifting of the declaration of the public health emergency by the County of San Diego which occurred shortly after the citations were issued, the City Attorney’s Office has determined that dismissing the charges is appropriate since there is no longer any need to obtain compliance with the City’s Urgency Ordinance.”

Those arrested were part of a homeless advocacy group called Break the Ban.

After the incident, they promised legal action against El Cajon. But a city spokesman said they are not currently involved in any pending lawsuits. Break the Ban organizer Mark Lane was one of those arrested, and he said he was afraid El Cajon could set a precedent.

“If you let one city do that with no push back, other cities are watching and other cities are paying attention,” Lane said.

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The Urgency Ordinance was enacted last October in the middle of a countywide hepatitis A health emergency. The ordinance specifically banned feeding homeless people at Wells Park. After the hepatitis A health emergency was lifted, so was the food-sharing ban.

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