They were the ones with the tools and plywood, assisting local business owners secure their properties as Sacramento experienced protests and demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd.
Inspectors from the City of Sacramento’s Housing and Dangerous Buildings, a section within the Code Compliance division, recently were recognized by Council member Steve Hansen for going above and beyond to help his downtown district during days of social unrest.
“Departments stepped up like never before, and I am proud of the work the Code team accomplished in the middle of the night when the city needed them the most,” said Hansen, who sponsored a resolution to recognize the work of the City employees. “This helped to save businesses, gave the community confidence that things would be OK and helped to secure our streets for the next day.”
Housing and Dangerous Building inspectors in late May helped to secure structures and conduct safety evaluations on nearly 140 buildings. Inspectors worked long hours from night to day to support business owners and community members as they covered windows and doors with plywood and other materials.
HDB inspectors also worked with local lumber companies to distribute donated materials for boarding up windows and doorways. These donations were crucial as demand throughout the region made supplies difficult to obtain. It has been estimated that nearly 1400 sheets of plywood were installed in the midtown and downtown areas during the late May-early June protests.
Housing and Dangerous Building staff, as well as other City Compliance employees, also assisted in clean-up efforts following the demonstrations, helping to remove graffiti.
“This is something we do every day, and we would show up no matter what,” said Peter Lemos, City of Sacramento’s Code and Housing chief. “But it is greatly appreciated to be recognized for the efforts of our inspectors.”