Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom Newspaper Archives
HUFF minimeet A HUFFster or two will be lingering at the Food Not Bombs meal today at 1 PM at Laurel and Front St. Goal: To demand vacant motel room options for those in crowded shelters or outside, to monitor police behavior, to link up with others
HUFF Huddle: Today at 1 PM at the Food Not Bombs meal at Laurel and Front Sts. Coffee unlikely.
Raising Our Voices Higher!
Expand and Extend the Protest to stop City and County Stonewalling:
the Second “Motel Rooms Now!” protest at Ocean and Graham Hill Road near Denny’s. See “Shame
on Santa Cruz–Hotels Not Hospitals” at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/21/18832547.php
for more information on the noon-2 PM Friday April 24th Protest
A Second Tour of Shame?
to demand and expose unspent
moneys, vacant hotel rooms, encampments without portapotties or
washstations, COVID-19 vulnerable shelters, etc.
Progress Reportson the 99%: on Encampments outside including San Lorenzo Park, Coral St., the Pogonip: What they need, how they’re faring, new contacts
Coronavirus Copwatch:
How are police/rangers/security thugs respecting the rights and
providing fair service to those with backpacks and ragged clothing
downtown and around the County?
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.
Still largely unanswered questions:
How many of those
crammed into unhealthy shelters have been offered the option of motel
rooms rather than the dangerous conditions
in the Vet’s Hall, the Armory, the Laurel St. shelter, Page Smith
Community House, and the Paul Lee Loft?
Will any City Council member be demanding these figures from the City Manager?
How many have been tested for COVID-19?
How many are sick?
How many have recovered?
Where’s the FEMA and Governor’s funding specifically for those motel rooms?
How much longer will city and county bosses withhold the $$.
How many motel rooms are being currently occupied?
How many kept empty while the virus spreads?
What is the timetable for occupying the vacant but “reserved” rooms?
What
are the priorities–are the most vulnerable but not yet ill or COVID-19
infected–to be last while waiting for the sickness to hit?
Still fenced off and vacant:
pseudo-triage centers around
town (such as Lot 17 near the sports stadium), the parking lot next to
the Calvary Episcopal (Red) Church, the area adjacent to Depot Park, the
parking lot next to University
Copy on Front St., and other such “holding pen” areas, an area in San
Lorenzo park. Why? To deter homeless people from setting up survival
tents as was the case around the Town Clock and next to the Post Office?
Metro and Park Bathrooms Still Closed?:
Even during the day? With so many people
sleeping in San Lorenzo Park? Some portapotties and washing stations
are reportedly insufficiently cleaned and often lack water, toilet
paper, and paper towels. The only disability portapotty in the City
that I’ve seen is along the San Lorenzo park path
next to the back of the County Building, open only 4-5 hours a day as a
convenience for those dumped from the Laurel St. cram-em-in shelter
program. The last time a disabled portapotty was publicly available
was at Camp Phoenix last November, when it was
paid for by FNB and the Santa Cruz Homeless Union before being hauled
away by the police under a hastily fabricated “trespass” complaint.
HUFF IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO DO A DAILY CHECK AND REPORT IN ON THE
VARIOUS PORTAPOTTIES AND PRIMITIVE GARAGE BATHROOMS
(often lacking privacy) throughout the City.. We checked a few during
the Tour of Shame last Sunday, but need to do so more thoroughly and
regularly.
Rent strike reports?: FNB
reports folks reporting illegal evictions continue. And vacant
buildings remain vacant as the virus spreads. Contact Tenant Sanctuary
with reports of illegal evictions
at (831)200-0740 .
HUFFMAY BE ORGANIZING BY
PHONE to support the demand for Motel rooms before the only option is
quarantine areas. CONTACT US AT 831-423-4833 OR RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL
IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP
OR WANT TO PROVIDE REPORTS.
Street Spirit
newspaper distribution operations
are currently suspended, but the Berkeley vendor center is still
reportedly looking for ways to provide some interim support for vendors
whose sales
lifeline has been cut off. No word yet.
Frequent local updates can still
be found on Facebook under Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs, Santa Cruz County
Homeless Advocates, Homeless Outside in Santa Cruz, SCCCP (Santa Cruz
and Central Coast Politics),
Monterey County Homeless Advocates, The Santa Cruz Community, (SF)
Coalition on Homelessness. More distant updates: homelesstimes.com and
http://homelessperspective.com