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Is a SLO arsonist targeting the homeless?

March 21, 2016

SLO fire truckA fire that destroyed about $40,000 of sports equipment Friday evening may have been the latest case of arson in San Luis Obispo. The fire burned two maintenance sheds next to a baseball field, but an arsonist could have been targeting a homeless restroom, fire officials say.

The blaze broke out around 9:30 p.m. behind the San Luis Coastal adult school on Lizzie Street. Both sheds were completely engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived.

San Luis Obispo Baseball Club lost about $25,000 of equipment in the fire, and the adult school lost about $15,000 of equipment.

Dating back to early 2015, there have been numerous incidents of arson in San Luis Obispo. Fire officials said many of the fires were set in areas where homeless people congregate, and some have targeted homeless people’s belongings.

Fire investigators say there may have been a homeless restroom in between the two sheds that burned on Friday.

Last week, San Luis Obispo police charged a homeless man with arson after he allegedly set a small fire at a Shell gas station. The suspect has been in jail since Tuesday on a variety of charges.

More than 40 cases of suspected arson occurred in San Luis Obispo in 2015. Investigators have yet to solve most of the cases.


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Finally connected them there dots….did ya?


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Wait. A “homeless restroom?”


Just imaging waltzing into that by accident. I bet that all ends up in the river.


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Good point. I have never heard environmentalists complain about homeless or make them carry a sign that says “no dumping, drains to creek”.


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Bring up Trump and Soros in an article about arson? Seriously?


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One possible explanation is that someone in our local community now financing an arsonist campaign to scare the homeless into leaving SLO town, as billionaire George Soros is doing to upend Trump. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.


Most of the homeless are down and out single males with nothing but food stamps and handouts to live on, without a caring family to turn to, who have had to adopt camping as a permanent lifestyle.


When we look at affordable housing that does get built, such as the ROEM building behind the fire station at South & Broad and their latest one being built just down the street, we notice very few of the units are for singles.


It’s easy to conclude that people with children are given higher priority and have a greater chance to be housed. Particularly those of Hispanic origin, who have a 30% stake in bed reservations at some nightine homeless facilities such as the El Camino Homeless shelter (ECHO) in Atascadero.


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I think the more plausible argument is that there is a criminal person out there who does his destruction by setting things on fire and has an axe to grind with the homeless.


Arsonists don’t really need financing, particularly now that gasoline is under $3/gallon.


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Also, I didn’t know the homeless had their own restrooms. I thought those were public restrooms.


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I think they mean it’s a place where the homeless go to relieve themselves, not a real bathroom.


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So we call anywhere that they crap a restroom? I guess the world is their restroom, its certainly not their oyster.


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We have “Gender Neutral” restroom so its possible “Homeless Only” restrooms are being built, what’s next?


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achillesheal says: “I think the more plausible argument is that there is a criminal person out there who does his destruction by setting things on fire and has an axe to grind with the homeless.”


achillesheal says: “my solution is harass and make their lives miserable so they will leave this town. That’s a solution.

You have to make them so uncomfortable with their current lifestyle that they change it.”


You have been giving a lot of thought on this subject ” harass and make their lives miserable so they will leave this town”


Axe to grind indeed.


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By harass and make their lives miserable, I mean for the police to enforce vagrancy laws, overnight parking and camping laws, to eliminate taxpayer services that support their lifestyle and citizens to stop giving them money to purchase more drugs.


I don’t mean set them and their belongings on fire.


I do have an axe to grind with the homeless. It comes from their lack of respect for private property and having to kick them out of my doorway every morning, call the police to collect their belongings from our bushes where they camp, and read about all of the crimes they commit.


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like punching young girls in the face.


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“Most of the homeless are down and out single males with nothing but food stamps and handouts to live on, without a caring family to turn to, who have had to adopt camping as a permanent lifestyle.”


Talk about a sweeping generalization packed with basic untruths.


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You lost me at the words Trump and Soros. No need to bring politics into this.


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There is something uncanny about the way and location these fires keep breaking out… it’s as if they are designed to create a perception and draw attention to the area where the fire is. I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a hunch you’re on to something. I don’t think it’s quite so specific as far as which homeless it’s creating problems for, though.


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