| Title: | Freedom Sleepers Outside and Inside City Council |
| START DATE: | Tuesday August 11 |
| TIME: | 3:00 PM – 3:00 AM |
| Location Details: | |
| The event will run from 3 PM on Tuesday to 8 AM on Wednesday. Santa Cruz City Hall Courtyard festivities begin around 3 PM, outside the first City Council meeting of the fall (well, late summer). It’s across from the Main Library and the Civic Auditorium. in the Council courtyard area | |
| Event Type: | Protest |
| BACK FROM VACATION AND STILL EMPTY-HANDED The City Council is back after its six weeks of sunny summer vacation. During the Budget hearings, the Council did nothing about the “Homeless Services Center” [HLOSC] Shelter Shutdown and cut-off of all Emergency Servces (meals, laundry, showers, bathrooms). Nothing is on their Tuesday agenda to lift the Sleeping Ban, modify that law or any of the other anti-homeless laws. Nor is there any provision for opening up walk-in campgrounds or legal places for overnight survival sleeping in cars. 1500-2000 homeless people in Santa Cruz for the general population face $157 citations and harassment for sleeping in parks–but have no legal place to go. U.S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TAKES THE LEAD There homeless advocates sued cops and their bosses to end police harassment of sleepers and secure restitution for past injuries and amnesty for past false convictions. The federal government’s intervention is a historic action and one we will urge them to do in Santa Cruz as well in future lawsuits. SOAP-BOX AND SIP SOUP Advocates also plan a Press Conference (probably after the City Council’s Oral Communications period at 5 PM). There we’ll update folks on the current situation and announce future plans for actions to educate and activate the community. There’ll be coffee and soup in the mid-afternoon, a mid-evening snack later, and morning coffee at 7 AM after the sleep-in. Activists will be gathering information on sleep deprivation cites, medical turnaways, and other discriminatory behavior throughout the afternoon and evening. NO MORE WALK-IN SERVICES AT CORAL ST.– NO DISMISSAL OF TICKETS FOR “BEING ON THE WAITING LIST” Further the HLOSC will not be providing walk-in services at all to any homeless folks, except those referred by other agencies. Prior word from the River St. Shelter indicates they only take people with a social worker, a referral, or out of the hospital. With no waiting list for the Paul Lee Loft and a highly restricted list for the River St. Shelter, sleepers will no longer have the protection of those lists and will have a harder task confronting these cruel “drive the homeless out of town” tickets. This essentially means the end of all Emergency Services in Santa Cruz–other than those with religious requirements or the limited help provided by Food Not Bombs and other samaritans. LAST SUNDAY Nor did policed ticket activists reading posted agendas outside City Council though they were standing “in a closed area”. Instead they drove them away with threats. How City officials can allow police to ban people from reading publicly posted city agendas at night is still a mystery to many of us. Particularly since state lazw requires the agendas be publicly available 24-hours-a-day for 72 hours before any public meeting. GET READY TO BED DOWN! For die-hards and a third round of coffee, HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) will be meeting at 703 Pacific at the Sub Rosa Cafe (next to the Bike Church). More info at http://www.indybay.org/ This description reflects my perspective and hopefully that of other activists. Living it is better than reading about it. Come and do your part. |
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Author Archives: huffsantacruz
The Federal Government Says Being Homeless Should Not Be A Crime
NOTE BY NORSE: Tip of the hat to Peggy Lee Kennedy down L.A.-way for passing on this encouraging “Statement of Interest” brief filed by the federal government against a Boise, Idaho Sleeping Ban.
Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Meanwhile in Santa Cruz, we are preparing our next daytime/nighttime Sleep Protest at City Hall for Tuesday August 11th–when the City Council returns from its restful vacation. Folks are invited to wear Sleepware and cast a few yawns of wisdom at the Council during the 5 PM Oral Communications period. More info on the SleepOut (#5 in a continuing series) on www.indybay.org/santacruz shortly.
Homeless people–even an elderly disabled woman with a service dog–continue to be harassed and ticketed for Sleepcrime when Santa Cruz has no shelter for 95% of its homeless. Food services at the Homeless (Lack of) Services Center continue to be a preserve of those “in programs” with “a pathway to housing” (whatever that means).
Additionally HUFF was told this week that so-called emergency medical providers like Dominican Hospital, Emeline, and Planned Parenthood turned away a homeless woman recently raped in search of medical examination, advice, and treatment. Please report difficulties you or homeless friends are having obtaining services–the more specific the information, the better.
HUFF at mid-Summer: Still scheming sleepouts and sipping coffee 11 AM 8-5 Sub Rosa
Bubbling up in the HUFF cauldron this time: Police High Command Orders and Procedures Around Stay-Away Law; Supporting the Sunday SleepOut?, The Tuesday Day-and-Night Sleep-About at City Hall with the Freedom Sleepers; Dogging Disability Discrimination; The latest Ha-ha from the Homeless (Lack of) Services Center on their Admission Policies…and whatever blowsin the door…
Grab Your Blankets and Join Us–4th SleepOut at City Hall 7 PM 8-2 Main Post Office
| Title: Freedom Sleepers Resume Protest at City Hall | |||||||||
| START DATE: Sunday August 02 | |||||||||
TIME: 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM
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Posted by: Robert <rnorse3@hotmail.com |
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HUFFlle along to the Sub Rosa 11 AM 7-29 Wednesday
Likly to be on the agenda: Expanding the Sleep Out Foot Print Next Sunday and Beyond!…Weekday Warrioring at City Hall and Restoring The Right to Be Homeless and Visible…Latest SCPD updates (and non-updates)…Court stratgegies for housed activists to deal with homeless citations…plus coffee and cranky conversation.
Survival Sleep-Out Round Three: Coming Up This Sunday in Santa Cruz !
| Title:3rd Sunday Night Sleep-Out at City Hall | |||||||
START DATE:
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| TIME:7:00 PM – 7:00 AM | |||||||
| Location Details: | |||||||
| Main Santa Cruz Post Office at Front and Water. To be followed by a march to 809 Center St. at the City Hall Courtyard | |||||||
| Event Type: | Protest | ||||||
| Contact Name | Phil Posner (posted by Norse) | ||||||
| chatrabbi [at] aol.com | |||||||
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HUFFing Again! 11 AM 7-22 Wednesday at the Sub Rosa!
Looks like another HUFF hoedown at the Sub Rosa with a focus on the ongoing Community Campout, which is informally slated to kick off another Sunday night at City Hall (or perhaps a mystery spot TBA!). Reports will be coming on the latest ticketeer-monitors who are talleying up the many anti-homeless P & R cites for the last few months. We’ll be discussing daytime actions at City Hall to hold the City accountable and expose ongoing anti-homeless schemes–like the “No Parking for the Poor” program near the now closed-to-the-general-
Return of the Stubborn Sleepers: Sunday July 19 6:30 PM Main Post Office
| Title: | Community SleepOut Will Slumber Again This Sunday |
| START DATE: | Sunday July 19 |
| TIME: | 6:30 PM – 6:30 AM |
| Location Details: | |
| Beginning at the Main Post Office after the Sunday night meal, activists from Food Not Bombs, the Camp of Last Resort, HUFF, the Homeless Persons Legal Assistance Project and independent supporters will gather on the steps in front of the main Post Office, choose a Safe Sleeping Spot and make their way to that place for the night. | |
| Event Type: | Protest |
| SERVICE SHUTDOWN Services for showers, bathrooms, laundry, and food have now been cut off for half a month with no chance of immediate restoration. There is no indication of a reduction of the harassment and citing of Santa Cruz’s 1500+ homeless people outside for the “crime” of sleeping at night. NO SHELTER While there is lots of talk about providing “a path to housing” and fund-seeking for social service programs that do not provide the actual housing, there has been a cutback in real emergency services for food and shelter. LOTS OF UNUSED SPACE AT NIGHT Nine were given costly citations two weeks ago for simply being at City Hall at night petitioning the government for a redress of these grievances. MOONLIGHT MEAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE PETITIONS We hope city authorities, recognizing the emergency, will allow folks to sleep without harassment and invite the community to join us as participants or witnesses. Folks are also invited to bring their vehicles if they have them. Caution: MC 6.36.010 makes it “illegal” to sleep after 11 PM at night anywhere on public property in Santa Cruz. MORNING FEED FUTURE PROSPECTS We will also be scheduling events at City Hall itself urging the restoration of constitutional rights for those outside. More info: “Community Campout Ends with Citations” at http://www.indybay.org/ |
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HUFF again Wednesday 11 AM Sub Rosa 7-15
Devoted HUFFsters have been gathering P & R info around Stay-Away’s and harassment infraction tickets; the immiseration scene downtown and around the town has increased with the shutting down of services at Coral St., Campout #2 is coming up this Sunday at the Main Post Office. Discussion coming up of what to do to pry loose important information from the City Staff. Non-lethal forms of protest to draw attention without resulting necessarily in tickets. Talk and maybe some action…along with cups of coffee and the occasional crunchable.
Santa Cruz 11 Court Date Earlier 8:15 AM 7/14 Dept 6
UPDATE: COURT HEARING WILL BEGIN AT 8:15 AM NOT 9 AM
https://www.indybay.org/
NOTE BY NORSE: At least two HUFF members (myself and blogger Becky Johnson) were targeted as part of the Santa Cruz Eleven group, requiring dozens of hours of court time, jobs and income lost, and perhaps most important a freezing fear descended on the community around Direct Action organizing. I encourage folks to show up in support of the Final Four of the Santa Cruz Eleven.
The four are charged with “felony vandalism” for having been in a vacant Wells-Fargo bank bujilding (still vacant four years later), some as journalists, some as supporters of housing for the homeless and a community center, some in opposition to Wells Fargo’s still unpunished foreclosure fraud, some as observers. No evidence has been presented since this case was first charged in 2012 that any of the SC-11, or any of these four committed vandalism. Instead the prosecution will argtue that simply being in a building after a trespass warning is given where others commit vandalism “aids and abets” the vandals. The prosecution is using a strategy where “the process is the punishment” by making the defendants appear again and again.
It’s a phony and dangerous trial being used to silence dissent and spread fear among activists. And perhaps curry favor with the Wells Fargo Bank and the police–who were forced to back down and may have felt they had egg on their face.
Robert Norse
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