TimesOC: Don Lemly set out to feed the homeless and ended up arrested, bruised and bloodied

Good morning and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter.

It’s Friday, June 18. I’m Ben Brazil, bringing you the latest roundup of Orange County news and events.

Don Lemly and his wife, Kathy, have for years served food to homeless people at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.

The couple is guided by the simple principle that everyone is deserving of a decent meal. But not everyone buys into that seemingly uncontroversial maxim.

For years the Lemlys, who are members of the charity organization Welcome INN, have had to contend with neighbors and law enforcement trying to shut down their charity efforts. That came to a head in August 2018 when park ranger Nicholas Milward allegedly violently arrested Don Lemly.

Reporter Meghann Cuniff wrote this week about the conclusion to a lawsuit that the couple filed in U.S. District Court, alleging that Don Lemly was falsely arrested and was subjected to excessive force by Milward. Photographs showed that Don Lemly ended up with bruises and bloody cuts from the handcuffs.

Milward said that he tried to stop the daily food handout after he confronted an unruly man.

“I felt it was best to take away what was attracting him,” which was the food, said Milward. “I didn’t want him to come back and start another confrontation.”

But the Lemlys told Milward that they had a right to serve the homeless, referring to an American Civil Liberties Union settlement from 2008. Cuniff wrote that Milward called the ACLU a “freaking joke” and proceeded to handcuff Don Lemly and cite him for failing to comply with his orders.

Following a four-day trial last week in a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, a jury decided to reject each of the Lemlys’ claims.

“If people who are in comfortable circumstances like I am don’t stand up for what’s right and call out somebody who’s a bully in law enforcement, then our society is in big trouble,” Don Lemly told jurors. “I’m fortunate enough that I have the time and availability to be able to pursue this.”

Volunteers Jan Greenberg, Heidi Ryan and Jeanne Karcher of Welcome INN serve food at Doheny State Beach on Wednesday, June 16. The three attended the last day of the civil trial brought by fellow volunteer Don Lemly over his 2019 arrest by a state park ranger. The jury sided with the ranger.

(Meghann Cuniff)

NEWS

— The Santa Ana City Council authorized another $100,000 for a deportation defense fund as part of its approval of the city’s budget on Tuesday night, bringing the total fund to $300,000. The council also made the defense fund a recurring line item on each year’s budget. The city’s deportation defense fund, started in 2017, allows Santa Ana residents facing potential deportation to secure an attorney they would otherwise not be able to afford.

— The Laguna Beach City Council will finally reconvene in-person meetings with the public at City Hall at the end of the month. The meetings will offer a hybrid format for those who are comfortable with the online format. The Costa Mesa City Council returned to City Hall this week.

— As statewide COVID-19 rules ended this week, Ocean View High School and Fountain Valley High School students were able to celebrate their graduation this week at an on-campus commencement ceremony.

— An outdoor event where attendees can purchase handmade goods will return to Orange County on June 26 and 27. The Patchwork Show Modern Makers Festival will feature jewelry, art and clothing from independent artists and craftsmen. Attendees will also be able to try their hand at crafting at one of several DIY stations.

— An Irvine-based nonprofit is turning a motel into housing for the homeless as part of an Orange County effort to build 2,700 units by 2025. Half of the units of the facility are reserved for people with mental illnesses.

SPORTS

— The Marina High School boys’ basketball team lost in a regional battle to San Diego’s Francis Parker High School. The loss ended Marina High’s season in the first round of the CIF playoffs. Players were disappointed but hope to build on the potential moving forward.

— A roundup of high school sports from Orange County’s coastal cities, including golf and basketball.

OPINION

— Bill Shaikin wrote about the MLB’s crackdown on pitchers’ tendency to put sticky substances on balls to allow for better control. Shaikin said the league tried to scare pitchers last year when they forced out an Angels clubhouse manager who allegedly provided substances that could be put on baseballs.