Former NBA star Bill Walton proposed building a town to house the homeless population in San Diego, California.
Walton and business owner George Mullen, San Diego natives, co-authored a Times of San Diego opinion column in which they promoted a grassroots effort to build a site called Sunbreak Ranch.
"Most of us can no longer walk or bicycle our downtown city streets, sidewalks, and parks without facing an obstacle course of tents, bodies, human excrement, needles, trash, and a slew of walking-zombies who are impossible to distinguish between those just down on their luck and others who are out-of-control substance abusers about to attack us," Walton and Mullen wrote in a column published Sunday.
"In San Diego, we have had enough. We are no longer going to follow other once-great American cities into the abyss of homelessness, lawlessness, and roadside shantytowns."
Walton and Mullen said that Sunbreak Ranch, with a "New Beginnings for Homeless People in Transition" motto, would help deal with a problem comprised of "more than 580,000 persons currently living and sleeping on the streets and canyons of the United States today.
"Sunbreak Ranch is designed to be a large-scale temporary ranch in the layout of the old California ranchos. It will be a creative, one-of-a-kind location featuring 35-plus amenities and benefits that strive to make the ranch the best possible temporary home for our homeless fellow citizens.
"Sunbreak Ranch will maintain a 'clean, healthy, safe and secure environment' for everyone at all times."
Walton and Mullen called on the federal government for assistance.
"We need the federal government to partner with us in the launch of Sunbreak," they wrote.
"Once launched though, the role of the federal government ends. From this point onward, the locals (who always best understand their communities) take full operational control and responsibility of Sunbreak."
Walton and Mullen called on President Joe Biden and the federal government to lease 2,000 acres of unused lands on the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at $1 per year, and to designate the land as a temporary "federal emergency homeless help zone" to help eliminate red tape and opposition.
They also want Biden to deploy the military and security services to build a tent city for Sunbreak Ranch with surplus equipment from the Afghan and Iraq deployments.
"Our military and security services have the manpower, expertise, and equipment to build out this entire tent city within weeks," Walton and Mullen wrote.
Walton and Mullen said Sunbreak Ranch, which would be located 12 miles from San Diego, would include:
- Portable toilets, portable showers, mess halls, medical tents, and storage facilities. Also, dedicated teams of mental health professionals, substance abuse rehabilitation specialists, and vocational trainers.
- A free daily shuttle service going to and from downtown San Diego.
- Private security and a permanent 24/7 public police station in order to maintain a "clean, healthy, safe and secure environment."
"Individuals can reside in a community tent, or camp on their own in a series of designated and protected areas for families, single mothers, elderly people, veterans, those with dogs, and others as needed," Walton and Mullen wrote.
Sunbreak Ranch's goals would be to provide "real help" to the homeless, clean up cities, and return cities "to the Rule of Law, which is the key component of our social compact and all great civilized and sustainable societies."
Walton and Mullen called on Americans to help address the "number one issue of our day" because "civilized taxpayer" are "being forced to cede our cities and parks to lawlessness."
"We can either rise to the occasion and tackle this challenge, or we can let the destructive, cruel, and inhumane downward spiral continue," they wrote. "We have a choice."
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