Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
The Coonerty Watch Continues: Upchucky Updates
Constitutional purists will gather again outside 1520 Pacific Sunday September 16 at 2 PM to debate Constitutional Lawyer, Vice-Mayor, Aspiring Mayor-to-Be, and Bookshop Impressario Ryan Coonerty. The topic: Is the City's Municipal Code 6.36.010a, (banning sleep outside or in vehicles after 11 PM at night) simply an unconstitutional nightmare from which we'll awaken soon? A clerical error? A misplaced police department wet dream? Join us to probe these mysteries. Warning: Vice-Mayor Coonerty is a perpetual no-show and may be represented by proxy.
More clips from last week's CoonertyWatch (of Sunday September 9th) can be found archived (soon) at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb070916.mp3 .
"Banned for Life at the Bookshop Santa Cruz" as well as "Not Yet Banned at the Bookshop Santa Cruz" buttonstickers will be available for those wishing to nudge the Bookshop management into the 20th Century.
New fliers will be available summarizing more succinctly the issue for politicians who find the "need to sleep" issue hard to grasp.
On Tuesday night, a day after Mayor Reilly stood up Homies for the Homeless for the third time [see "Mayor Bails Out Again; Homeless to Catch Her at City Council 7 PM Tuesday at City Hall" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/10/18446665.php],Reilly gave extra time to SEIU workers and other speakers, but then refused to allow me (as the last speaker) to speak for the two minutes allowed the other folks.
My speech I reprint in the next comment for those interested. (I'll also try to link it to this comment to download)
PUBLIC RECORDS STILL WITHHELD
Attempts to get the SCPD records were again stalled by SCPD Records Chief Trisha Husome.
A Public Records Act request filed August 20th for the week that the Homies for the Homeless [HfH]stayed at City Hall [August 12-18] was still unavailable on Friday in spite of numerous e-mailed requests.
In an article justifying the Sleep Stormtroops running the homeless away from their safe sleeping spot, Zach Friend accused HfH of numerous criminal actions ["Homeless camp-in booted from lawn in front of Santa Cruz City Hall" at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive /2007/August/19/local/stories/03local.htm] But, Trish has still declined to call me announcing the release of the records (in spite of a deposit of $35 left at the SCPD at her insistence).
Also still unrevealed are the records of Councilmember and ACLU Board Member Mike Rotkin's call to the police on August 26th. On that date Rotkin supposedly claimed criminal behavior by me and other activists who he personally blocked from entering a public ACLU meeting because we had some signs with us which we refused to relinquish or leave outside. (see "Rotkin Responds to the ACLU Scandal: Signature Hypocrisy of Phoney "Progressive" Politics" at http://www.indybay.org/ newsitems/2007/09/08/18446314.php] Did Rotkin make a false police report (itself a crime)? Only Trisha Husome knows and she hasn't yet released the info.
Steve Hammack, Parks and Recreation Superintendent, has made the rather implausible claim that absolutely nothing was written down when he and his department made the decision to exclude RVs from 4 coastal parking lots. (See "Superintendent Hammack Stonewalls on RV Ban in Coastal Parking Lots" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/12/18447267.php)
As more volunteers contact HUFF, we'll try to investigate this murky labyrinth of fabulous fairy tales. (Want to volunteer? E-mail me at rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com or call at 423-4833).
Coming Up Next Sunday September 23: a merry march to San Lorenzo Park to encourage the San Francisco Mime Troupe audience to Boycott Bigotry at the Bookshop Santa Cruz and also expose the Coonerty City Council's sweetheart deals with U.S. war profiteers (see "Desalination and War Profiteering in the City of Santa Cruz" at http://www.indybay.org/news items/2006/09/27/ 18314697.php as well as a radio interview with author Ike Solem at http://www.radiolibre.org/ brb/brb070913.mp3).
ELDERLY HOMELESS MAN HARASSED OUTSIDE LIBRARY BY COPS AND SECURITY GUARDS
Elderly Homeless Medical Marijuana Activist Craig Canada reported last night that he was harassed by two First Alarm security guards last night outside the library. He was sitting on a bench at 1 AM outside the library, working on his laptop, when two male guards, who refused to identify themselves, demanded he leave the public bench and public area saying it was "closed". They added that the City Hall grounds were also "closed" and that he couldn't go there. When he refused to leave, they continued to harass him and called the police.
SCPD officer Forbes then told him he would be charged with "theft" for using his computer and the library's wireless internet (which apparently extends out from the library). He was not plugged into any city power, and the charge sounded ridiculous to me, an attorney I spoke with, and a legal worker. In addition, when local RV dweller Shane Maxfield, parked nearby, came out of his van to support Craig, he demanded with a tape recorder on, for the officer to repeat his charge. "I'll be bringing out my computer as well," Shane said. At this point, according to Shane, the officer turned silent and retreated.
But they did succeed in upsetting and driving away Craig Canada, who has a psychological disability (doesn't respond well to threats of ticketing and jail at 1 AM).
NEW STREET SPIRIT AVAILABLE
The new Street Spirit with two articles on Santa Cruz should be available shortly in the Santa Cruz library and a limited number will be available at the Coonertywatch Protest tomorrow.
We are working to scan in and put on line older articles about the Santa Cruz Homeless Civil Rights Struggle from back issues of Street Spirit.
"Banned for Life at the Bookshop Santa Cruz" as well as "Not Yet Banned at the Bookshop Santa Cruz" buttonstickers will be available for those wishing to nudge the Bookshop management into the 20th Century.
New fliers will be available summarizing more succinctly the issue for politicians who find the "need to sleep" issue hard to grasp.
On Tuesday night, a day after Mayor Reilly stood up Homies for the Homeless for the third time [see "Mayor Bails Out Again; Homeless to Catch Her at City Council 7 PM Tuesday at City Hall" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/10/18446665.php],Reilly gave extra time to SEIU workers and other speakers, but then refused to allow me (as the last speaker) to speak for the two minutes allowed the other folks.
My speech I reprint in the next comment for those interested. (I'll also try to link it to this comment to download)
PUBLIC RECORDS STILL WITHHELD
Attempts to get the SCPD records were again stalled by SCPD Records Chief Trisha Husome.
A Public Records Act request filed August 20th for the week that the Homies for the Homeless [HfH]stayed at City Hall [August 12-18] was still unavailable on Friday in spite of numerous e-mailed requests.
In an article justifying the Sleep Stormtroops running the homeless away from their safe sleeping spot, Zach Friend accused HfH of numerous criminal actions ["Homeless camp-in booted from lawn in front of Santa Cruz City Hall" at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive /2007/August/19/local/stories/03local.htm] But, Trish has still declined to call me announcing the release of the records (in spite of a deposit of $35 left at the SCPD at her insistence).
Also still unrevealed are the records of Councilmember and ACLU Board Member Mike Rotkin's call to the police on August 26th. On that date Rotkin supposedly claimed criminal behavior by me and other activists who he personally blocked from entering a public ACLU meeting because we had some signs with us which we refused to relinquish or leave outside. (see "Rotkin Responds to the ACLU Scandal: Signature Hypocrisy of Phoney "Progressive" Politics" at http://www.indybay.org/ newsitems/2007/09/08/18446314.php] Did Rotkin make a false police report (itself a crime)? Only Trisha Husome knows and she hasn't yet released the info.
Steve Hammack, Parks and Recreation Superintendent, has made the rather implausible claim that absolutely nothing was written down when he and his department made the decision to exclude RVs from 4 coastal parking lots. (See "Superintendent Hammack Stonewalls on RV Ban in Coastal Parking Lots" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/12/18447267.php)
As more volunteers contact HUFF, we'll try to investigate this murky labyrinth of fabulous fairy tales. (Want to volunteer? E-mail me at rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com or call at 423-4833).
Coming Up Next Sunday September 23: a merry march to San Lorenzo Park to encourage the San Francisco Mime Troupe audience to Boycott Bigotry at the Bookshop Santa Cruz and also expose the Coonerty City Council's sweetheart deals with U.S. war profiteers (see "Desalination and War Profiteering in the City of Santa Cruz" at http://www.indybay.org/news items/2006/09/27/ 18314697.php as well as a radio interview with author Ike Solem at http://www.radiolibre.org/ brb/brb070913.mp3).
ELDERLY HOMELESS MAN HARASSED OUTSIDE LIBRARY BY COPS AND SECURITY GUARDS
Elderly Homeless Medical Marijuana Activist Craig Canada reported last night that he was harassed by two First Alarm security guards last night outside the library. He was sitting on a bench at 1 AM outside the library, working on his laptop, when two male guards, who refused to identify themselves, demanded he leave the public bench and public area saying it was "closed". They added that the City Hall grounds were also "closed" and that he couldn't go there. When he refused to leave, they continued to harass him and called the police.
SCPD officer Forbes then told him he would be charged with "theft" for using his computer and the library's wireless internet (which apparently extends out from the library). He was not plugged into any city power, and the charge sounded ridiculous to me, an attorney I spoke with, and a legal worker. In addition, when local RV dweller Shane Maxfield, parked nearby, came out of his van to support Craig, he demanded with a tape recorder on, for the officer to repeat his charge. "I'll be bringing out my computer as well," Shane said. At this point, according to Shane, the officer turned silent and retreated.
But they did succeed in upsetting and driving away Craig Canada, who has a psychological disability (doesn't respond well to threats of ticketing and jail at 1 AM).
NEW STREET SPIRIT AVAILABLE
The new Street Spirit with two articles on Santa Cruz should be available shortly in the Santa Cruz library and a limited number will be available at the Coonertywatch Protest tomorrow.
We are working to scan in and put on line older articles about the Santa Cruz Homeless Civil Rights Struggle from back issues of Street Spirit.
§The Speech That Mayor Reilly Censored
9/11 in Santa Cruz--Six Years Later
Speech to Santa Cruz Community and City Council by Robert Norse 9-11-07
In Iraq, the U.S.-funded murder machine as well as the number of U.S. mercenaries in and out of uniform continues to “surge”. From the City Council? Silence. No investigation of what city investments go to fund war profiteers, as I’ve repeatedly requested. No declaration of censure against Assemblyman John Laird for voting to join Bush’s propaganda war against Iran by disinvesting. No criticism of Rep. Farr who supported this year’s biggest-ever military appropriation. Why take a risk? After all, politicians Reilly and Coonerty seek higher office and need to keep their fund-raising sources intact.
What can we do to fight the phony hysteria of generated by the bogus “War on Terrorism”, the phony but fatal “War on Drugs”, and very real War on the Poor? Keep an eye on the armed police goon squads that hover in military formation this Halloween roaming the streets in packs to “protect” us. Raise your voices when they arrest the poor for a (triple fine!) open container that the wealthy drink freely from at sidewalk cafes that cater to their booze-soaked dollars.
Sleepcrime ticketing is up. More than ten times what it was in the summer of 2000. The police like to use the new tools and toys the Council has given them. Shelter space is stagnant or dropping. Space for 40. Hundreds and hundreds outside with no legal place to sleep. Less and less place to park legally at night. New hassles for RVs along Westcliffe. And, of course, no public bathrooms at night.
Hypocrisy coming and going from recycled rulers. Homeless people came together outside these chambers to set up the safe sleeping zone that this Council won’t. Mayor Reilly on three occasions ducked out of meeting with them. Mayor Reilly refused to meet with the homeless DeMon, a vulnerable but determined homeless woman, who tells me she was hospitalized last night for a seizure.
Reilly, the accessible Mayor, keeps her public appearance calendar secret and won’t reveal what lobbyists she’s met with. She won’t reveal the secret Barisone memo explaining why the City intends to spend hundreds of thousands defending an indefensible Sleeping Ban when its victims file a lawsuit for the tickets they were given, & the harassment they continue to face each night.
Los Angeles and San Diego let their homeless sleep at night. Not Dick Wilson’s Santa Cruz. We need to change that. We do. This Council has zero respect for the will of the voters. It met behind closed doors to drag the Measure K “Lowest Enforcement Priority for Marijuana” to court to sabotage the measure because the SCPD won’t stand for any oversight. Staff member Tina Shull can’t seem to schedule a meeting.
Shadow Mayor Rotkin--you know, the friendly guy who sets the real agenda at City Council?--tried to have me arrested at a local ACLU meeting two weeks ago. My crime: carrying several signs asking the ACLU to end its local 20-year silence around the Sleeping Ban. The ACLU in Los Angeles has. It supported a lawsuit there to end the sleeping ban. Here the ACLU backed Rotkin’s criminal behavior, blocking my right to attend a public meeting, because I had a sign, which he considered disruptive. When the police arrived, they recognized I had the right to go in--something the Rotkin-tainted ACLU had forgotten.
Vice-Mayor Ryan Coonerty banned activists Becky Johnson and Bernard Klitzner from his Bookshop Santa Cruz for peaceful picketing. Their “crime”: urging a boycott of that business. Either he and his father abandon their fondness for anti-homeless laws or give up their interest and involvement in a bookstore that advertises itself as progressive.
9/11 in Santa Cruz, six years later. More hysteria, hype, and hypocrisy. Beneath it, spiraling rents, escalating police power, more gentrification schemes, denying local workers a fair wage, and crapping all over the homeless. Oh, yes, all in a town with no 24-hour public bathrooms, but a ban on sleeping that Los Angeles, San Diego, and Richmond have all abandoned. Support the lawsuit. Support the protesters. Demand accountability and rationality in local government.
Norse Note: Part of this speech was given by activist Coral Brune as part of her 2 minute presentation at City Council on Tuesday September 11th. I was first told to go to the end of the line (a procedure frequently used by City Council which violates the Brown Act and penalizes activists who speak regularly). Then at the end of the line, I was told there was "no time", even though the Mayor had allowed a number of other speakers before me to go on for ten minutes beyond the 30-minute Oral Communciations period.
Speech to Santa Cruz Community and City Council by Robert Norse 9-11-07
In Iraq, the U.S.-funded murder machine as well as the number of U.S. mercenaries in and out of uniform continues to “surge”. From the City Council? Silence. No investigation of what city investments go to fund war profiteers, as I’ve repeatedly requested. No declaration of censure against Assemblyman John Laird for voting to join Bush’s propaganda war against Iran by disinvesting. No criticism of Rep. Farr who supported this year’s biggest-ever military appropriation. Why take a risk? After all, politicians Reilly and Coonerty seek higher office and need to keep their fund-raising sources intact.
What can we do to fight the phony hysteria of generated by the bogus “War on Terrorism”, the phony but fatal “War on Drugs”, and very real War on the Poor? Keep an eye on the armed police goon squads that hover in military formation this Halloween roaming the streets in packs to “protect” us. Raise your voices when they arrest the poor for a (triple fine!) open container that the wealthy drink freely from at sidewalk cafes that cater to their booze-soaked dollars.
Sleepcrime ticketing is up. More than ten times what it was in the summer of 2000. The police like to use the new tools and toys the Council has given them. Shelter space is stagnant or dropping. Space for 40. Hundreds and hundreds outside with no legal place to sleep. Less and less place to park legally at night. New hassles for RVs along Westcliffe. And, of course, no public bathrooms at night.
Hypocrisy coming and going from recycled rulers. Homeless people came together outside these chambers to set up the safe sleeping zone that this Council won’t. Mayor Reilly on three occasions ducked out of meeting with them. Mayor Reilly refused to meet with the homeless DeMon, a vulnerable but determined homeless woman, who tells me she was hospitalized last night for a seizure.
Reilly, the accessible Mayor, keeps her public appearance calendar secret and won’t reveal what lobbyists she’s met with. She won’t reveal the secret Barisone memo explaining why the City intends to spend hundreds of thousands defending an indefensible Sleeping Ban when its victims file a lawsuit for the tickets they were given, & the harassment they continue to face each night.
Los Angeles and San Diego let their homeless sleep at night. Not Dick Wilson’s Santa Cruz. We need to change that. We do. This Council has zero respect for the will of the voters. It met behind closed doors to drag the Measure K “Lowest Enforcement Priority for Marijuana” to court to sabotage the measure because the SCPD won’t stand for any oversight. Staff member Tina Shull can’t seem to schedule a meeting.
Shadow Mayor Rotkin--you know, the friendly guy who sets the real agenda at City Council?--tried to have me arrested at a local ACLU meeting two weeks ago. My crime: carrying several signs asking the ACLU to end its local 20-year silence around the Sleeping Ban. The ACLU in Los Angeles has. It supported a lawsuit there to end the sleeping ban. Here the ACLU backed Rotkin’s criminal behavior, blocking my right to attend a public meeting, because I had a sign, which he considered disruptive. When the police arrived, they recognized I had the right to go in--something the Rotkin-tainted ACLU had forgotten.
Vice-Mayor Ryan Coonerty banned activists Becky Johnson and Bernard Klitzner from his Bookshop Santa Cruz for peaceful picketing. Their “crime”: urging a boycott of that business. Either he and his father abandon their fondness for anti-homeless laws or give up their interest and involvement in a bookstore that advertises itself as progressive.
9/11 in Santa Cruz, six years later. More hysteria, hype, and hypocrisy. Beneath it, spiraling rents, escalating police power, more gentrification schemes, denying local workers a fair wage, and crapping all over the homeless. Oh, yes, all in a town with no 24-hour public bathrooms, but a ban on sleeping that Los Angeles, San Diego, and Richmond have all abandoned. Support the lawsuit. Support the protesters. Demand accountability and rationality in local government.
Norse Note: Part of this speech was given by activist Coral Brune as part of her 2 minute presentation at City Council on Tuesday September 11th. I was first told to go to the end of the line (a procedure frequently used by City Council which violates the Brown Act and penalizes activists who speak regularly). Then at the end of the line, I was told there was "no time", even though the Mayor had allowed a number of other speakers before me to go on for ten minutes beyond the 30-minute Oral Communciations period.
Comments (Hide Comments)
Wednesday Sep 19th, 2007 2:06 PM
I saw this article in the local paper, and actually went down that street to see this graffiti. It had already been painted over, and there was 'crime scene' tape all around. The spots with graffiti weren't that large. Is there any local angle on this? I would note that this is a very busy part of town, near many downtown attractions. Recently there have been a variety of accusations of the homeless movement people trashing things, particularly smearing poo. Yet in several of these cases, there was no incentive at all to do anything of the sort from the perspective of the sleeping ban position. People at the city hall sleep in didn't notice anyone smearing poo, but this was attributed to them. Similarly, it doesn't make sense that anyone would retaliate against the city council by causing destruction in Santa Cruz bookstore. Anyway, this all brings up the question of why someone would do this, when the key sleeping ban folks can't guess who it is.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/September/19/breaking/stories/01breaking.htm
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/September/19/breaking/stories/01breaking.htm
Thursday Sep 20th, 2007 3:48 PM
Unfortunately, things like the sleeping ban tend to create mental illness. As many of the people involved in these protests are mentally ill and unsupported by the system, it does not surprise me that some of them would be unable to control themselves. Making up conspiracy theories about how "the cops did this themselves" is not helpful. I'm sure Robert and Becky would report anybody involved in such destruction to the police if they find out who did it.
Friday Sep 21st, 2007 6:13 PM
Interesting line of argument there. So people become mentally ill because the citizens don't want them to pitch a tent downtown? Put another way, the solution to mental illness is to allow people to set up camp in the middle of the business district. Interesting. Hmmmmm.....
I'm equally sure that the Huffies would NOT turn in the perpetrators of the vandalism. For all we know, they actually do know who it /they were. They're not telling. Why would they? It's not like they care about the town or anything.
I'm equally sure that the Huffies would NOT turn in the perpetrators of the vandalism. For all we know, they actually do know who it /they were. They're not telling. Why would they? It's not like they care about the town or anything.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$ 117.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network