HUFF Contact for Reports: There will be a rep to gather any street reports and check-in’s today at 1 PM at the Food Not Bombs meal at Laurel and Front Sts. No coffee (sigh). No paper Street Spirits yet nor financial assistance for vendors. If you can’t make it and at other times if you have reports, questions, or complaints, please contact me by phone at 831-423-4833. I will continue netcast reports on Thursday and Sunday as long as information comes in. Keep it coming!
UPDATES ON ONGOING ISSUES
- Retaining COVID-19 Campground Gains: Glover and Krohn couldn’t even get real survival camps on the agenda; now there are two of them, partially city supported near Coral Street’s “Housing Mutters” and in the Benchlands.
- Expanded Police
Powers: Reining
in “emergency” powers seized by Bernal, Mills, and
City Department Heads. Anticipating and preempting the return of the
Mills/Condotti Police Powers 8-point Repression program as well as the
“improved” Camping Ordinance slithering its way through the CACH
committee.
- Report on Local
Motel Room Stats for the Vulnerable: No
new word from Mayor “NoJustice”
Justin Cummings (other than “tell it to the County workers”), county
worker Jessica Scheider, and other local Project Roomkey fund fondlers.
- Resuming Direct
Action Protests: Corporate
and conservative “Lift the Shelter in Place
& Open the Public Beaches” protesters are slated to be at Cowell’s
Beach 3-5 PM on Friday May 22nd. HUFFsters might consider a
socially-distanced picket line or honk in outside the residences of City
and County officials to demand immediate action to occupy
and open Motel rooms for vulnerable folks outside.
- Prep for Any
5-26 Council Meeting “Action” Who
knows what wonders are likely
to be lurking on the agenda (out by Friday the 22nd) and posted
on-line? Council and its City Staff bosses may not be listening, but
some in the community may be. If we speak out loudly, visibly, and
persistently enough.
- Support for Possible
City Action Against Food Not Bombs No
new hostile actions have been clearly signaled, but the temptation for
the City to use its “emergency powers” to further harass one of the few
food providers in the City must be vigilantly monitored.
- Reports from
Other Homeless Activists Elsewhere (Salinas, Berkeley, Marysville, Monterey)
Go
to
http://www.huffsantacruz.org/Lostshows.html for the latest shows. Check
http://huffsantacruz.org/wordpress/ for the content of the shows.
- Researching
During the Lockdown–Tracking Those in Power: Who are our Key Powerbrokers in Santa Cruz:
Real
estate interests, the Canfield Company, the University, Swenson, et.
al.–let’s expose the facts and let them speak for themselves.
- Progress Reports on the 99%: on Encampments outside including San Lorenzo Park, Coral St., the Pogonip: What they need, how they’re faring, new contacts I’m gathering contacts. If you have ’em, phone me at 423-4833 or e-mail me at rnorse3@hotmail.com.
- Lost Lawsuits: Remember the chatter about follow-up lawsuits after the City’s slamdown closure of Camp Ross and then the Desiree memorial campground? The Santa Cruz Homeless Union, the local ACLU, and Disability Rights groups have made claims. What’s up?
- Mills
Breaking His “Word” on Vehicle Harassment: Nothing
new here, but recent reports of vehicle harassment and seizure, not to
mention the officially-sanctioned vandalism of “tire chalking” continues
in spite of court prohibition in other states (see
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/23/716248823/court-says-using-chalk-on-tires-for-parking-enforcement-violates-constitution
).
- Coronavirus Copwatch: Reports on Police, Ranger, Security Thug, and Business Behavior Towards Those Outside The Coral St. sweep, constriction of the San Lorenzo Benchlands camp, lack of available drinking water, absence of portapotties and washing stations in the Felker St. area, as well as Mills’ illegal “move along” of street musicians and others—call it in, call it out
- Still Relevant and Telling:
SF Coalition on Homelessness panel of medical experts demands testing now, and immediate movement of crowded shelter residents into
individual motel rooms. Still relevant is the press conference & discussion at
https://www.facebook.com/CoalitionOnHomelessness/videos/2954977444559143/?
- SC Homeless Union Looking: …for blankets, tents, and other survival gear. Leave them at the Food Not Bombs meal (see below) or call Alicia at 431-7766. …for medical professionals working in respiratory therapy, nursing, other life-saving professions willing to write, e-mail, or call city, county, and state officials to open up the motel rooms.
- Food Not Bombs [FNB] meal and clothes distribution is still daily 1-6 PM at the parking lot next to the Santa Cruz Community Credit Union at Laurel & Front. Weekends the meal will be 4-6 PM. Food preppers wanted at Vet’s Hall weekends noon.