New Street Spirits and Street Sheets available as well as coffee and the usual snacks. Masking optional, depending on the needs and wishes of the group.
Concerns to Consider for this week’s (4-7-22) Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom Meeting
+++ Disability Rights California holds a Friday April 8Zoomed critique of the proposed “mandatory treatment” CARE Courts 10 AM-1 PM at https://zoom.us/j/84955316722
+++ WRAP’s Latest View on the “Sweep ‘Em Into Survival Camps & Shelters” State-Wide
+++ Resuming Benchlands Organizing? Fight Camping Ban Enforcement
+++ Arming Those Outside with Legal & Documentary Tools to Resist the Ongoing Sweeps: Reviewing some proposals
+++ Tenant Terror Escalating as Rental Eviction Moratorium Lifts April 1st: Updates if Any Have ’em.
+++ Reports & Contacts with 1220 River St. “Transitional Encampment”; Hell’s Trail; and Armory Area
+++ Legal activist Steve Pleich may offer advice to those anti-homeless citations at 10 AM-12:30 PM M-F at 903 Pacific 458-6020 where folks who miss the HUFF meetings may be able to pick up Street Spirit and Street Sheet for April.
+++ Footbridge Services activist Brent Adams provides tangible resources and info at 150 Felker 8-10 AM 5-7 PM Daily
+++ Peer chatter and real experience as well as free food at Food Not Bombs Town Clock noon-3 PM daily.
+++ Register your opinion for issues to be raised at the forthcoming Koffee Klatch at City Hall; pick up and fill out your poll at the Food Not Bombs literature table and leave off your completed suggestions there. Poll can also be downloaded at https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2022/04/05/koffee_klatch_poll.pdf .
With the increased sweeps against those outside in Santa Cruz, HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) is checking out unhoused and sympathizer support for a regular daytime presence at City Council offices to lobby the Council for some fundamental policy changes.The regular gathering would include coffee and munchables as we seek to speak to the unspeakable.
On Tuesday, April 5, HUFF tabled at the Food-Not-Bombs meal downtown to sample opinion for the latest proposed protest lobbying effort to educate and press City Council to end the ongoing homeless sweeps.
The three flyers describe the reasons for the Koffee Klatch and some of the background which has prompted it.
Results of the poll will be released in the near future.
Have a cup of coffee and a pastry with us at City Hall.
Ask the City Council and Its Staff What the Hell is Going on?
Tell the Deaf-to-Compassion Bureaucrats the Score!
Coming Soon
Koffee Klatch at City Kouncil
What gives? Group Encampments & Single Survival Campers now face “Move to the Benchlands” orders from SCPD & Cal-Trans. Yet the Benchlands is scheduled to be “cleared” this summer, according to the March 3 report to City Council from City Manager Matt Huffaker .
Camping Ban Ready to Rampage The new camping ban (the CSSO MC 6.36 law) prohibits putting up a tent or laying down a sleeping bag during the night if there is either “an overnight sanctioned sleeping location or available 24/7 sanctioned sheltering location” for 150 people. The OVO [Oversized Vehicle Ordinance] threatens those in RVs and cars.
The new Ban requires carrying your possessions and bedding with you through the day if and when limited storage facilities are “available” if you can’t or won’t use their facilities.
New Camping Ban Being Enforced The 3-3 City Manager’s Homeless Quarterly Update & Encampment Management prepared by Homeless Response Manager Larry Imwalle states “Until additional programs are operational, the encampment at the Benchlands in San Lorenzo Park continues to serve as an alternate location for individuals as the CSSO is enforced in other areas of the City, such as recently closed areas at Lot 27 (northeast corner of Laurel and Front Streets) and behind the Santa Cruz Memorial cemetery. Benchlands…[will be] closed in Summer 2022. ” [City Council Agenda 3-8]
City Authorities are happily violating the Martin v. Boise court decision which supposedly protects those outside, given Santa Cruz’ failure to establish shelter, campground, and storage facilities. The woefully underfunded and crowded Benchlands has longstanding health and safety problems that the City has ignored.
Illegal sweeps have been standard policy as hundreds were driven from the Pogonip, the encampment along Coral St., the “Housing Matters” corner along Hiway 1, the Hells Trail, Camp Paradise, the 2nd Hells Trail Sweep, the Levee Sweeps, and recent the Branciforte Creek sweep. Huffaker’s expanded emergency powers are a special threat.
Camping Ban Enforcement Without the Camping Ban City anti-homeless authorities have long used other laws than the Camping Ban to harass, threaten, and displace those surviving outside such as “blocking the sidewalk”, “closed area”, “public nuisance”, (spurious) “fire danger”, & other pretexts. Bucks for bullying instead of for real services is the true crime.
Community and SC Union Support stopped the San Lorenzo Park clearing in the Winter of 2020. Resistance works if folks organize, do outreach, and educate the community and the neighborhoods. It takes housed and homeless in community to beat back the bureaucrats.
Legal and activist action established and fed the Benchlands encampment with little support from the City other than insufficient portapotties, closed bathrooms, fenced off areas, threats to those seeking to escape the winter flooding, one water faucet, and phone charger.
City Council and City Staff are betraying even those in the community who want the homeless gone. The Benchlands was never presented to the community for discussion and input. There has been no clear accounting of where funding for those outside has actually gone. Endless promises by former assistant City Manager Susie O’Hara, former City Manager Martin Bernal, and the current crew of Lee Butler, Matt Huffaker and Larry Imwalde have been outrageously optimistic in their claims and inaccessible on the details.
Real services that might deescalate or assist folks with disabilities, mental crises, drug recovery are woefully underfunded. Policing services get extra funding.
The City should not be cooperating with the new “Normal” which requires those outside to be grouped under “mentally ill”, “drug abuser”, or “service-resistant” labels to receive basic aid. Gov. Newsom’s latest “obligation to accept shelter’ and “forced treatment” proposals are an ominous direction that needs to be fought. Inclusion, not coercion!
HUFF opposes City laws (CSSO and OVO) that punish those outside for being homeless. We oppose compulsory treatment and feel existing laws, properly enforced, are adequate to deal with real health and safety concerns.
Come Demand Real Answers
Huddle at City Hall Until They Provide Them !
Time and Date to be announced.
Flyer by Norse of HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) 423-4833 www.huffsantacruz.org 309 Cedar PMB #14B Santa Cruz 4-2-22
Koffee Klatch at City Hall ?
Poll for Your Opinion
Get-together at City Hall (perhaps daily—if enough people are interested) during business hours.
Perhaps walk there from Food Not Bombs through downtown.
Try to talk with City Council members and/or Staff about problems outside and grievances.
Sip coffee while we’re waiting.
Share concerns with media—if any show up.
Hang out until those in power start to notice.
Keep coming back—the problems aren’t going away.
Confront those responsible for the recent sweeps, misuse of money, and other abuses against the poor outside.
Tell the real facts to them, the media, and the community from the people being pushed around.
Flyer by HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) www.huffsantacruz.org 309 Cedar PMB #14 B S.C 4-5-22
Koffee Klatch POLL
City Manager Huffaker signed a March 3 staff report to the City Council stating the new Camping Ban was now “enforceable” because the Benchlands was adequate shelter in spite of the Martin v. Boise [no tickets without shelter for all] decision. Police and city workers under his direction have been sweeping other large encampments, dispersing them and directing them to the Benchlands under theat.
Huffaker’s Quarterly Update also announces the Benchlands will be “cleared” this summer. Sources close to Benchland management confirm this deadline. Benchland residents report being told the eviction deadline is imminent. All this with no place to go.
HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) proposes regular coffee at City Hall during business hours to wait to speak to individual City Council members and Mayor regarding the problems of living outside.
Please give your reaction to these demands. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most disagreement, and 5 being the most agreement.
an accounting for the millions supposedly spent for “the homeless” over the last few years; _____
(b) give the unhoused a voice on how to spend the millions;_____
(c) end the sweeps of ground sleepers, encampments, and car folks _____
(d) more services in the Benchlands other encampments; ____
(e) results of the housing “successes” of the last few years have been; _____
(f) immediately move funding from the SCPD to real support services._____
+++ Oldtimer Andrew on vehicular harassment for 3+ decades and his response. +++ “Just Tryin’ to Sleep” Jeff on fireworks foolishness +++ Gregory Dewey Crawford: Survival Benchlands Tips
+++ “Saint George” George notes removal of the Branciforte Creek encampment.
+++ Theodore “Hug Monster”H. on this and that
+++ Kevin of the Goats has a smiling update.
FLASHBACK to October 15, 2001 : [Caution: later segments of the show have low volume] +++ In-studio guests Veronica & Kiko accuse SCPD “towtime!” terrorists of racially-motivated stop.
+++ Phone interview with attorney and activist Larry Hildes defending Columbus Statue smasher Jim Costner.
+++ Beggerbacker Becky Johnson on SCPD expansion
+++ Discussion of Green Party groupies ignoring Green Party mayor Tim Fitzmaurice’s betrayal on the Sleeping Ban
WANT TO RESTORE OUR PHONE LINE, STUDIO CAPACITY, AND TRANSMISSION? 300 BUCKS FINDERS FEE FOR A SUCCESSFUL YEAR-LONG RENTAL STUDIO LOCATION TIP. BACK ON THE AIR IF YOU FIND US A TREE OR BUILDING TO PLACE OUR ANTENNA AND WE’LL BE BACK ON THE AIR ! CALL US WITH TIPS.
HUFF STILL MEETS EVERY THURSDAY (NEXT MEETING 4-7) TO SCHEME & STARGAZE. COFFEE & CONTROVERSY AT THE SUB ROSA COURTYARD 11 AM-1 PM THURSDAYS NEXT TO THE BIKE CHURCH AT 703 PACIFIC AVE.
HATE MEETINGS? NO PROBLEM. CALL US TO HELP FROM AFAR. HUFF line: 831-423-HUFF (4833)
VIEW VIDEO FROM WES WHITE on his You-Tube channel (John Doe13K): THEN POST SOME OF YOUR OWN ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA.
OTHER OPTIONS: FACEBOOK, CALL HUFF FOR FRSC INTERVIEW, WRITE ESTABLISHMENT OR ALTERNATE MEDIA.
KEEP YOUR PHONE CHARGED AND HANDY TO RECORD UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS OR INCIDENTS YOU WITNESS ON YOUR PHONE PARTICULAR IF AND WHEN POLICE WARN YOU YOU’LL BE SWEPT.
TELL THE WORLD! CALL HUFF INTERVIEWED AND “IMMORTALIZED” IN THE HUFF AUDIO ARCHIVES: Contact Bathrobespierre Robert at the HUFF line or rnorse3@hotmail.com.
DON’T WAIT FOR THE ACLU TO TURTLEWALK INTO ACTION. LEARN YOUR RIGHTS, USE THEM, TALK WITH OTHERS, & PUBLICIZE.
COMMENT on the Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom facebook page or at www.indybay.org/santacruz where Bathrobespierre posts occasional announcements and stories.
FOOD NOT BOMBS still meets at the Town Clock for its daily noon-3PM meal. Ask how you can help.
SANTA CRUZ HOMELESS UNION MAY RESUME FRIDAY 5 PM MEETINGS. Call 575-770-3377 or 431-7766 to learn the latest. Volunteer–they need new blood with the passion to organize! And new leadership with the time and resources to lead.