BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield City Council meeting turned tense Tuesday night after Councilman Zack Bashirtash delivered an emotional and controversial speech criticizing the city’s homelessness response programs and the people living in encampments across the city.
The comments came after a staff presentation on the Bakersfield Clean City Initiative and Community Vitality Initiative, which outlined the number of homeless encampments cleared and thousands of pounds of trash removed over the past year.
While Bashirtash initially thanked city staff for their work, he quickly shifted to frustration as slides showed an increase in encampments and cleanup sites compared to previous years.
“I’m enraged that we prioritize homeless degenerates over our children in our community,” Bashirtash said, raising his voice while referencing encampments near parks and elementary schools, including Wilson Park.
A Bakersfield City Council meeting turned tense Tuesday night after Councilman Zack Bashirtash delivered an emotional and controversial speech criticizing the city’s homelessness response programs and the people living in encampments across the city. PHOTO: YouTube, City of Bakersfield
Bashirtash argued the city has spent millions of dollars on cleanups he says have failed to address the root of the problem, pointing to areas that are cleaned only to see encampments return within days.
“We’ve wasted millions of dollars on treating a problem that’s not doing anything,” he said. “Our community is crumbling before us.”
A Bakersfield City Council meeting turned tense Tuesday night after Councilman Zack Bashirtash delivered an emotional and controversial speech criticizing the city’s homelessness response programs and the people living in encampments across the city. PHOTO: YouTube, City of Bakersfield
The councilman repeatedly called for increased enforcement, saying people experiencing homelessness should be held criminally accountable for theft, trespassing, and drug-related offenses. He said the city should stop what he described as “coddling” and focus on incarceration and accountability.
During his remarks, Bashirtash referenced a visit earlier in the day to the Lerdo detention facility, claiming staff told him 50 to 60 percent of inmates are struggling with mental health issues, which he attributed to drug use.
“The longer we let homeless people sit on the street, the closer they get to being completely destroyed,” he said.
Bashirtash said the issue extends beyond downtown Bakersfield and affects neighborhoods citywide, warning that children are being exposed to encampments and crime on a daily basis.
“Our kids deserve better. Our business owners deserve better. Our families deserve better,” he said.
A Bakersfield City Council meeting turned tense Tuesday night after Councilman Zack Bashirtash delivered an emotional and controversial speech criticizing the city’s homelessness response programs and the people living in encampments across the city. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
He also expressed doubt that help would come from the state, citing prison closures and a lack of mental health facilities, and urged the council to stop approving funding for unrelated agenda items until homelessness is addressed “the right way.”
As of the time of this publication, the City of Bakersfield had not issued a response to Bashirtash’s remarks, and it is unclear whether the council will consider changes to its homelessness strategy following the meeting.