The following was first published in the Voice of OC.

Driving to work every morning, I’ve watched as the homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River and the 57 Freeway has mushroomed. I know its days are numbered.

Orange County and almost all its cities criminalize homelessness, forcing people out of city centers into remote places like the riverbed. The county usually tolerates such encampments until they get large and visible. Then, it swoops in under the pretext of maintenance work and displaces them.

But last week, the county didn’t just order people in the encampment to move. In an astonishing turn of events, it also erected six-foot chain link fences and cement blockades around the encampment, effectively entrapping the residents in an open-air prison.

When I went to check on the situation on Wednesday, February 8, about 100 people in the encampment between the Orangewood Avenue and Chapman Avenue bridges were unable to get out to access food, water or restroom facilities. And those outside of the fence were unable to get in to access their belongings, including life-saving items like medication. One woman who was fenced out exclaimed, “It’s like a hostage situation!”

The county had posted notices informing people that the area is a construction zone and ordering them to clear out of the encampment, but the fencing made it impossible for them to comply.

Out of desperation people were cutting holes in the fences to get out, and workers were coming by and patching them up almost as fast as they were created.  Meanwhile, the county was moving in large boulders and spreading them out, effectively making the area uninhabitable.          

I found that the barricades and fences were taking a toll emotionally, mentally and physically on the residents of the encampment. I witnessed one elderly gentleman with a broken wrist struggling to scale a fence and falling over the other side. I talked to a mother with two young daughters. The daughters needed to go to school, but when they tried to scale the fence to get out, their mother realized that trying to do so was too dangerous.

A man called 9-1-1 when a young woman with epilepsy had a seizure. He stated that the paramedics were prevented from entering the encampment because of the blockade. They had to wait for a more distant gate to be unbolted and were forced to take a circuitous route that took at least another ten minutes. The firetruck was unable to reach the woman at all. The firemen parked along the side street and then walked through the now-unbolted gate to reach the woman.

The ACLU immediately sent a letter to the county demanding that it remove the barriers and communicate to residents where the access points are.

Because the county did not respond to the letter, the ACLU filed a temporary restraining order asking a judge to order the county to comply with the demands.

The day before our court date, the county reached out with a settlement proposal. Our plaintiff, Michael Diehl, is satisfied that the settlement addresses the concerns laid out in the demand letter, and we agree. The settlement ensures that access points in the encampment area are kept open for entry and exit, and that the county will provide transportation to its storage facility, where people can keep their belongings for up to 90 days.

We continue to monitor the situation, reaching out to impacted people and letting them know that the ACLU has intervened on their behalf.  We will continue to work alongside impacted people and to demand that the county treat them with dignity.

Of course, the settlement is a bittersweet accomplishment, at best. People will still have to pack up their large tents, furniture and other everyday necessities. It will not be easy, especially for people with disabilities.

And where will people in the encampment relocate? They are living in the riverbed in the first place because the board of supervisors insists that the county cannot afford to end homelessness.  Yet, the county is willing to spend considerable resources to displace people with boulders, and fence them into “construction zones” if they do not move out fast enough.

In fact, the board of supervisors has the resources to end homelessness. It governs one of the most affluent counties in the nation, with an overall budget of about $6 billion. Moreover, it has promised to end homelessness; in 2010, the board approved a Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness that calls for permanent, affordable housing as an immediate response to peoples’ needs.

A report released by the ACLU Foundation of Southern California estimates that it would cost the county just $55 million per year to implement its ten-year plan and house every resident experiencing homelessness. That is just a drop in the bucket for Orange County.

In the end, the entrapment of people in fences, locked gates and cement barricades is just the latest chapter in the county’s history of careless disregard for the dignity and wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness.

We send the following message to the Orange County Board of Supervisors: Stop persecuting people who have nowhere to live. Keep the promise you made when you approved your ten-year plan. Fund your plan. End homelessness now. 

Yesterday, the Departments of Justice and Education rescinded Obama-era guidance clarifying that transgender students are protected from discrimination by Title IX, the federal law that bars gender discrimination.

Facts:

1. This isn't about bathrooms

This is a shameful attack on vulnerable children and goes far beyond trans students’ ability to use restrooms. The guidance on restroom policies, requiring that transgender students be afforded access to restrooms consistent with their gender identity, became the main talking point. But the overall aim of the guidance was to make sure transgender young people, like all young people, were safe in school and have a fair opportunity to succeed and get an education. It provided a concrete roadmap for schools on how to keep transgender students safe from bullying and harassment, and how to ensure they were respected in the school community for who they were as people.

By rescinding that guidance, the Trump administration is basically saying that the safety and dignity of transgender youth do not matter and that they are not worthy of protection. To say that to any child is horrific. To say that to children who are already targeted and vulnerable because of difference is unspeakable.

2. It doesn't actually change the law

This does not actually change the law or the legal protections transgender youth have: the law is on your side and groups like the ACLU will continue enforcing your rights. Rescinding the Obama-era guidance does not change state or federal laws. Here, in California, transgender youth enjoy some of the clearest and strongest legal protections in the country. The current administration cannot change that. You have the right to have your identity acknowledged and respected in all ways at school, and you can use facilities and participate in gender-segregated activities and programs in a manner consistent with your gender identity. You have the right to gender and trans-inclusive sexual health education. That’s the law. And not just according to us but the California Department of Education and California School Board Association.

As the state's superintendent of public instruction said yesterday, “California students will continue to have their civil rights protected [...] regardless of any misguided directives by the federal government and the Trump administration." You should not face problems at school as a result of the administration’s cruel action but if you do, please contact the ACLU or other organizations fighting for trans rights. (And by the way, if you’re not getting LGBTQ-inclusive sex ed in your school, fill out our survey because we want to know!)

On a national level, the Trump administration cannot undo federal statutes and what they mean. Title IX’s protections are still here. They still mean what they said yesterday and we will still be enforcing those rights for people who need them.

3. Protect trans kids - #StandWithGavin

This action makes the ACLU’s Supreme Court case on behalf of Gavin Grimm all the more important and you must #StandWithGavin. While the current administration can’t change Title IX, the courts can and do interpret it. In Gavin’s case, the Supreme Court will be deciding the scope of protections for transgender individuals under federal law. As Laverne Cox said so beautifully on Stephen Colbert’s show, this case is not just about the right to use a restroom but the very right of transgender people to simply exist and be in public spaces.

4. Don't panic! Take action

You should not panic but you should be angry and channel that anger into action: 

• Tell Attorney General Sessions to put students first and reinstate the guidance.

• Learn more about Gavin Grimm’s case and #StandWithGavin. 

• Call your representatives to tell them how terrible it is to attack transgender youth. 

• Go to protests and rallies. 

• Learn how to be a good trans ally and act on it daily. 

• When you talk to family and friends who might not be as knowledgeable about trans people and trans issues, send them to the Transform California campaign website where they can see beautiful videos to educate themselves and take action. 

5. This proves the Trump administration will be anti-LGBTQ

If you are holding on to delusions otherwise, let them go. Now. 

And know the ACLU is here if you need us.