Officials flush homeless Californians out of furnished caves hidden along river



Gov. Gavin Newsom's California leads the nation in homelessness. Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that the Democrat-controlled state is home to at least 28% of the nation's homeless — roughly 181,3999 people. HUD indicated further that 123,423 people in the state were "unsheltered."

In an apparent effort to avoid being counted among that second cohort, some Californians have literally gone underground.

Officials in Modesto recently ousted homeless people who had been living in several elaborate and furnished caves along the Tuolumne River. Some of the caves carved into the riverside bluffs sat around twenty feet below unsuspecting motorists and quiet neighborhoods.

"They're building some interesting caves," Brian Brandenburg, a nearby resident who takes his dogs along the river,told KXTV-TV. "Honestly, I just started laughing and said how creative they were."

Photographs taken inside the caves show silty ceilings laminated with plastic sheeting; painted walls; blanketed bedding and nooks to sleep in; tables; decorations; and shelving units.

A nearby resident, Tracy Rojas, told KOVR-TV that drugs and weapons were also found in the caves.

"I know it's dangerous, but they're also out in the elements," said Brandenburg. "What's (more) dangerous? Freezing or starving, or living in a cave that I'm sure they know how they build an they know how sturdy it's going to be?"

Granted the dwellings were illegal, structurally unsound, and brimming with filth, officials were forced to take action over the weekend. The Modesto Police Department worked with a local community volunteer group to clean up an area especially pockmarked by the "vagrancy and illegal camps."

According to police, the troglodytes dwelling in the subterranes around the Crater Avenue and Dallas Street area were notified well in advance of the clean-up operation. Modesto Police’s Community Health and Assistance Team also reportedly offered those in the caves assistance with their transition.

The clean-up crew ultimately found and disposed of 7,600 lbs of trash along with two truckloads and a trailer of garbage.

KXTV reported that the clean-up crew ultimately found eight caves, some as wide as 10 feet.

Barricades have since been installed to prevent people from returning to the caves.

The City of Modesto said in a statement, "In addition, the area will see an increase of law enforcement, fire department, and City staff to assist in monitoring the area. Upon request, City personnel can provide information and resources to those who may need shelter and social services."

"The City recognizes the importance of not only addressing the immediate safety risks but also working towards a comprehensive solution to permanently eliminate these caves. Our commitment is to navigate this situation with diligence, taking into account the structural safety of the surrounding areas," added the city.

This is not the first time in recent years that vagrants have created tunnels and caves in the area. After discovering hazardous shelters carved into the embankment, Modesto cleared out the riverside in 2022.

"A fence is not going to stop this," Sean Sisemore, a resident nearby, told KOVR. "Give them a place to live."

According to Stanislaus Community System of Care, as of May 2023, there were over 2,000 homeless people living in the Stanislaus County, where Modesto is based. 1,642 of the homeless were located in the City of Modesto.

45% of the homeless surveyed indicated they had spent time in jail or prison. 101 veterans were among the homeless population. 23% of the adult homeless population was mentally ill; 16% were addicts; 12% were victims of domestic violence; and 2% had HIV/AIDS.

Here's a look at homeless-constructed caves found along Tuloumne Riveryoutu.be

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California mother killed by lawnmower, family demands justice from city



A California woman was killed after being run over by a lawnmower. The woman's family is demanding justice over the tragic death.

Around 12:00 p.m. on July 8, a homeless woman was run over and killed by a lawnmower that was part of a landscaping contractor hired by the city of Modesto.

The body of Christine Chavez, 27, was found in Beard Brook Park in Modesto, California.

Chavez was reportedly sleeping in a patch of tall grass at the park. A landscaping employee was driving a John Deere tractor with a pull-behind mower and allegedly ran over Chavez. The unidentified worker called 911. When first responders arrived, Chavez was pronounced dead.

The New York Post reported, "The unidentified worker said he didn’t see the sleeping woman until he 'noticed a body in the grass he had already made a pass through,' Modesto police said."

The victim's family said Christine's body parts were left in the 12-acre park.

The woman's father, Christopher Chavez, told KTXL, "There were many pieces of (her remains) around there and I called the police. I went there and I still have pieces of bones, like pieces of her skull and some teeth. It's terrible."

Christine’s sister, Rosalinda Chavez, explained, "They left big (pieces) of her all over the place, just covered up with the grass. We have to go see the place because we wanted some kind of closure, and to be right there, looking at the ground, and then all of a sudden, seeing (pieces) of her, is horrible."

Josefina Chavez, Christine's mother, said, "I am sad for what happened to my daughter, and we want justice for the way that she died."

Christine's older brother, Randy Chavez, said, "She didn’t deserve that for that reason, for being homeless. My sister was loved. The only thing she wanted was to be free.”

"We want ordinances to change so it doesn’t happen again," he demanded. "Regardless if they are homeless, they are still people and should be treated the same as any other people."

Grover Landscaping Services, Inc. said in a statement: "In a dry, overgrown area, our operator discovered the body of a woman impacted by the pull-behind mower, at which time he contacted the Modesto Police Department."

Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen said, "I'm truly sorry about what happened."

Dez Martinez, founder of the Fresno-based homeless advocacy group We Are Not Invisible, said at a recent Modesto city council meeting, "What I would advocate for right now in Modesto is a safe camping site, immediately. Safe camping for people who want care, who want help. They need to be safe from being raped, safe from being murdered, safe from being beat up, safe from being run over."

Chavez leaves behind her 9-year-old daughter.

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Woman run over by lawn mower at Modesto park, police say www.youtube.com

Antifa, radical leftists try to shut down 'straight pride' event. But cops in riot gear fire pepper-spray bullets at enraged, retreating counter-protesters.



Antifa and radical leftists descended upon a "straight pride" event in Modesto, California, over the weekend in an attempt to shut it down — but cops in riot gear also showed up and reportedly fired pepper-spray bullets and beanbags at the enraged counter-protesters who were forced to retreat from their "unlawful assembly."

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320

Here's a video montage showing in part what went down:

\u201cI would love to see what @benshapiro or @MattWalshBlog would say about the far left at the straight pride parade outside planned parenthood in Modesto. As a conservative, it doesn\u2019t surprise me that the left use violence despite being against violence.\u201d
— \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcfc\ud835\udcfc. \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcea\ud835\udced\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf5\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcf7\ud835\udcee\u2122 (@\ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcfc\ud835\udcfc. \ud835\udcdc\ud835\udcea\ud835\udced\ud835\udcee\ud835\udcf5\ud835\udcf2\ud835\udcf7\ud835\udcee\u2122) 1661684424

What are the details?

Interestingly, police estimated the straight pride crowd at “30-ish” people and their opponents at 125 to 150, according to the Modesto Bee.

No surprise as local Antifa got itself into a lather, gleefully tweeting about how to "shut down straight pride!" prior to the event:

\u201c\ud83c\udf08 It's almost time! \ud83d\udce2 Here's more info on how to counter "Straight Pride," the upcoming homophobic, anti-abortion hate rally in Modesto. \ud83e\udd2e Let's get ready to drown them out and shut them down! \u270a\ud83c\udffb\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u270a\ud83c\udfff No tolerance for hate and bigotry - we'll see you in the streets.\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\u201d
— Antifa Sacramento (@Antifa Sacramento) 1661483596

It was the fourth consecutive year that straight pride demonstrators gathered in front of the Planned Parenthood building on McHenry Avenue, the Bee said — adding that like last year, violence broke out.

In fact, the paper said things got physical nearly two hours before the event, which was scheduled for noon Saturday.

The Bee reported that a scuffle broke out when a Proud Boy tried pushing past police, citing a straight pride supporter named Richard who didn't identify as a Proud Boy. Counter-protesters threw water bottles in retaliation, the Bee said, adding that a blast and fireworks went off.

Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear told the paper a smoke bomb caused a bush to catch fire, leading cops to declare the event an unlawful gathering.

More than 25 officers in tactical gear soon arrived, the Bee said:

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Medgirl320

Police fired pepper-spray bullets at counter-protesters, reportedly injuring at least two people, the paper said, adding that cops also used beanbag guns, which looked like orange shotguns:

\u201cModesto, California, Earlier today: Pepper Balls deployed against Antifa protesters who are countering a "Straight Pride" rally\u201d
— Tony (@Tony) 1661632669

Three people were arrested as of Saturday afternoon for “failure to disperse,” Bear told the Bee, adding that two were aligned with straight pride and one was a counter-protester.

None of the arrestees are local to Stanislaus County, the paper added.

“They came at us with batons, they jabbed us, they hit the crap out of out us,” according to one counter-protester who got nailed by a pepper-spray bullet, declining to give his name to the Bee and continuing to wheeze even after volunteers flushed his eyes with water.

The presence of Modesto police and Stanislaus County sheriff’s personnel grew, the paper said, adding that officers formed a line and pushed counter-protesters back, while the police force's armadillo — a black SWAT-style truck equipped with cameras — pulled up.

\u201cLeftists and Antifa show up at a Straight Pride Event. Harrass anyone who showed up in support of the rally they were completely outnumbered by the counter protestors. Why isn't Instagram and Meta deleting hateful terrorist Antifa members? Modesto Ca\u201d
— Duncan Maclachlan (@Duncan Maclachlan) 1661655092

Straight pride supporters moved behind the police line and stood in a Wendy’s parking lot, the Bee reported, adding that one nearby person was loaded into an ambulance.

'We have to deal with the cops attacking us'

Naomi Bingham Walker and Odette Zapata arrived from Sacramento in the morning as part of a caravan of supporters of LGBTQ and women’s issues, the paper said, adding that Bingham Walker — a queer black woman — said she wanted to fight against “the increase in white supremacy and hatred in our country.”

Zapata — wearing a bulletproof vest — added to the Bee that "we have two armies to go up against when we stand for our rights: We have to deal with the cops attacking us and we’re about to get a second wave of right-wing extremists. We’re fearful of them attacking us as well.”

The straight pride supporter named Richard confronted police, the paper said, yelling at cops to "remember me" and "see what the repercussions were when they protected Antifa."

Richard also displayed a flyer for the straight pride event, the Bee reported, which called it a celebration of heterosexuality, masculinity, femininity, babies born and unborn, Western civilization, Christianity, and “our wonderful country."

Annual Modesto straight pride event met with backlashyoutu.be