NOTES BY NORSE: L.A. Activists are targeting the politicians responsible for the most recent anti-homeless laws just three days after Santa Cruz activists did something similar with their nighttime sleepout at City Hall.
In L.A. they’ve gone directly to the home of the Mayor.
Here in Santa Cruz, it might be helpful to let the entire Council and particularly the rancid Council majority (Mathews, Comstock, Terrazas, Chase, and Niroyan) hear from the poor and their supporters and see them lined up on the sidewalk outside their homes.
After all, it’s this same City Council that has empowered P & R “Rangers”and cops to give hundreds of sleeping and “closed area” citations–as well as Instant Stay-Away Orders to those without shelter here in May alone–driving poor people away from their sleeping spots. This happened into the rain at City Hall during the Sleep-Out for the homeless people seeking sanctuary and/or solidarity with the protesters.
Note that in L.A. social service agencies and religious groups have joined these actions in Los Angeles, unlike smug gentrified Santa Cruz where even “liberal” groups like SCCCCR, NAACP, ACLU, have remained both silent and absent from this movement.
HUFFsters will be discussing ways to link our movements tomorrow at 11 AM 7-8 at 703 Pacific (Sub Rosa Cafe) with Care Pergolesi as a fall-back location.
Unhoused Activists from Venice and Downtown Los Angeles Remain Encamped at the
Mayor’s Mansion to Protest Anti-Homeless Ordinances LAMC 56.11/63.44
Activists and members of the unhoused community from throughout the City remain gathered in front of Mayor Garcetti’s mansion at 605 South Irving Boulevard to demand Mayor Garcetti veto LA Municipal Code 56.11 and 63.44 B & I, which, if allowed to become law, would allow the City and police to confiscate personal possessions from public sidewalks, parks, and beaches in posted areas and reduce mandated notice of removal from 72 hours to 24 hours in non-posted areas. Once tagged for removal, items could not be relocated or left elsewhere without risk of being confiscated by police or the City. Passed by the City Council 12-1 in June, the new ordinances do not require the Mayor’s signature to become law and would effectively prevent anyone from leaving items temporarily unattended in public spaces without risk of seizure by the City.
The new laws would significantly impact street vendors and members of the homeless community and would work to accelerate the criminalization of homelessness without providing any practical solutions such as safe storage or lockers. As written, the laws would make it impossible for people without storage access or homes to safely protect personal possessions and clearly target a specific population – the homeless. If fully enacted, the ordinances would also violate both guaranteed equal protection under the law and the 4th Amendment preventing illegal search and seizure.
Activists from the Downtown Women’s Center, Los Angeles Community Action Network, Venice Street Love, and Occupy Venice have been calling for Mayor Garcetti to veto the laws since they were passed by the council and have been organizing public outreach efforts since July 1st to demand a veto. Members of Occupy Venice and Venice Street Love will be camping in front of the Mayor’s mansion through Tuesday, July 7th and encourage others to join them in solidarity as they ask the Mayor to put a stop to new unconstitutional mandates, halt the effort to further criminalize the homeless, offer tangible solutions, and uphold his oath to protect and serve ALL the people of the City of Los Angeles, housed and unhoused.
Contact:
Press Conference: 7pm, Tuesday, July 7 at Mayor’s Mansion – 605 S. Irving Blvd.
Leaders
Of
Venice
Everlasting
Kimmy Miller
Founder