Public commenters urge city action after Dorsey Marketplace clearance; cite camps, vandalized cameras and fire hazards

Multiple members of the public addressed the Grass Valley City Council on June 24 to raise safety and fire-hazard concerns after people were moved from the Dorsey Marketplace area.

Matthew Colter, identified himself in the virtual public comment as "making public comment for the city council meeting on June 24, 6PM," and said he was "pretty sure that the folks moving in don't wanna be on camera" and that cameras at the corner of Centennial and Idaho-Maryland had been vandalized. Colter said the Rysegold property is under Nevada County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction and that camps are appearing there and elsewhere in town. He described the situation as "a big fire hazard" and asked the city to coordinate with the county and to provide a homeless liaison to work on the issue.

Colter said roughly 30 people had been moved off Dorsey Marketplace by the board of supervisors and that people were now living along the sound wall between Dorsey and Brunswick Road. He told the council, "There's camps set up in there. There's lots of camps that you guys are definitely missing on and need to be dealt with, for fire hazard for sure."

The public comment also included concerns about vandalized surveillance equipment and the need for city-county coordination; Colter asked that the city "deal with the county on that particular piece of land" because it is in county jurisdiction. Council did not take any formal actions on the topic during the meeting; the statements were received as public comment.

The comments indicate residents expect city staff to coordinate with the county and the sheriff's office on camp locations, public-safety risks and vandalism. No formal staff report or council direction appears on the record for this meeting; council members did not announce new assignments or votes related to the comments during the June 24 session.