Long Beach : Homeless File Lawsuit Over Sweep by City

Attorneys representing a group of homeless people served city officials with a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming the Long Beach Marine Patrol illegally seized private property during a sweep of the Shoreline Village area last summer.

The seven were camped in a park for recreational vehicles on June 7, said Dennis Rockway, a Legal Aid lawyer representing the group, when Marine Patrol officers told them to leave. City workers removed all their belongings in a city truck, Rockway said.

The plaintiffs are seeking $4,414.96 in damages for the loss of articles ranging from sleeping bags and blankets to a dental bridge and reading glasses. The homeless people say they later found some of the items in ruins, discarded in a dump.

Rockway said the action by the Marine Patrol was a violation of state law and city ordinances, which require that seized property be tagged and stored in a secure place. Rockway and private attorney Ryan Hirota filed the lawsuit, which also claims unspecified punitive damages, in Long Beach Superior Court. A status conference on the case has been set for Sept. 9.

A spokeswoman for the city attorney’s office said city lawyers would not comment because they had not yet seen the complaint.