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Safe Ground Homeless March-Sacramento-part 1
On December 23, homeless people and supporters took to the streets of Sacramento to protest oppressive laws and discrimination. Marching through the cold streets of Sacramento they demanded safe ground, the right to live without being arrested, fined, and their property being confiscated. In Sacramento there are more then twelve hundred people who go to sleep under the skies every night.
Sacramento lacks affordable housing and places to rent often require high deposits and credit checks. There are not enough shelters, and “anti-camping” ordinance is used to harass the houseless, despite the fact that they have no where to sleep. This law allows the police to arrest and fine people who are sleeping in the streets and to seize their personal belongings (blankets, personal documents, camping gear) making their survival even harder. A leaflet distributed by SHOC at the demonstration reads “the powers that be have ordained that rich and poor alike are forbidden to sleep under a bridge. The problem is that only poor need a bridge to sleep under on a rainy night”.
The march started on 12th street and ended at Caesar Chaves Park. Homeless people spoke about the condition they face every day, the difficulties of overcoming social barriers and their demand for a safe ground. At the end of the event the names of homeless people who died last year in Sacramento were read. This coincided with National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, a day dedicated to raise awareness of the homeless people who die every year.
The march started on 12th street and ended at Caesar Chaves Park. Homeless people spoke about the condition they face every day, the difficulties of overcoming social barriers and their demand for a safe ground. At the end of the event the names of homeless people who died last year in Sacramento were read. This coincided with National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, a day dedicated to raise awareness of the homeless people who die every year.
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These are great photos! I was handing out programs/song books as people started on the march so I got stuck way behind and missed most of the highlights. Thanks, MC!
MC, May I have permission to include one or two of your photos in Homeward Street Journal? shoc_1 [at] yahoo.com
thanks, Paula
thanks, Paula
In August 2007 attorney Mark Merin filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Sacramento naming Anthony Lehr and three organizations as plaintiffs and the City of Sacramento, its police agencies, and several county police agencies and individuals as defendants.
http://www.sacloaves.org/img/Press%20Release.pdf
http://www.sacloaves.org/img/Lawsuit.pdf
Merin in the press release above itemized the objectives of the Lehr lawsuit as follows:
Merin listed the primary goals of the lawsuit as follows:
1. A requirement that City and County law enforcement agencies provide actual notice to homeless people of an intended clean-up of camping sites in a reasonable period of time before a sweep.
2. A requirement that property taken from homeless people be stored at a location reasonably proximate to the place from which it was taken and that homeless people have an opportunity to retrieve their property within a reasonable period of time.
3. Compensation to homeless persons whose property has been taken and destroyed by City and County work crews.
4. A prohibition against citing homeless people for unlawful camping when they are sleeping on City or County property during the night or early morning hours.
5. Convenient, accessible, secure storage space in which homeless persons may temporarily leave personal possessions.
6. Clean, maintained portable toilets and sinks located convenient to where homeless persons sleep.
7. Easily obtained free public transportation passes for homeless persons.
8. Garbage dumpsters in which homeless persons may deposit their refuse convenient to where they sleep.
9. Funding for additional shelters, services for the homeless and permanent housing.
I understand the some SHOC members and perhaps some plaintiffs went into mediation to discuss these matters in December.
What's the status of the lawsuit and the mediation?
How are the police responding to it, if at all?
Thanks for the protest, the photos, and the struggle!
http://www.sacloaves.org/img/Press%20Release.pdf
http://www.sacloaves.org/img/Lawsuit.pdf
Merin in the press release above itemized the objectives of the Lehr lawsuit as follows:
Merin listed the primary goals of the lawsuit as follows:
1. A requirement that City and County law enforcement agencies provide actual notice to homeless people of an intended clean-up of camping sites in a reasonable period of time before a sweep.
2. A requirement that property taken from homeless people be stored at a location reasonably proximate to the place from which it was taken and that homeless people have an opportunity to retrieve their property within a reasonable period of time.
3. Compensation to homeless persons whose property has been taken and destroyed by City and County work crews.
4. A prohibition against citing homeless people for unlawful camping when they are sleeping on City or County property during the night or early morning hours.
5. Convenient, accessible, secure storage space in which homeless persons may temporarily leave personal possessions.
6. Clean, maintained portable toilets and sinks located convenient to where homeless persons sleep.
7. Easily obtained free public transportation passes for homeless persons.
8. Garbage dumpsters in which homeless persons may deposit their refuse convenient to where they sleep.
9. Funding for additional shelters, services for the homeless and permanent housing.
I understand the some SHOC members and perhaps some plaintiffs went into mediation to discuss these matters in December.
What's the status of the lawsuit and the mediation?
How are the police responding to it, if at all?
Thanks for the protest, the photos, and the struggle!
MC, I was hoping to use one of your photos in a National Coalition for the Homeless manual for setting up memorials in 2009. Please let me know if I have your permission (scai [at] nationalhomeless.org). Thanks!
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