More Fences, More Tickets, Less Winter Shelter, More Cruelty

More Fences, More Tickets, Less Winter Shelter, More Cruelty

Make your voice heard at City Council – Tuesday, October 23, 2018
4:00PM - Santa Cruz City Hall – 809 Center St, Santa Cruz
Free meal provided

Santa Cruz awarded $3.3 million for homeless…Closes the River Street Camp and pubic parks?

On October 17th, Sentinel journalist, Jessica York, reported that the River Street Campground will be shut down in November, with some of its members relocated into a scaled down Winter Shelter program at the VFW Hall on 7th Avenue. The VFW site will sleep  60 people and open only during evening hours, with a first-come, first-served model that does not allow pets and has limited possession storage.

On the same day that the Sentinel announced the closing of the River Street Campground city officials fenced off San Lorenzo and Grant Street Parks, closed its bathrooms and posted signs saying “PARK CLOSED Until further notice for – Focused Maintenance – Public Safety”. Workers started to replace the fence at the Post Office with a permanent iron fence  on Monday, October 22, 2018.

Private security guards were busy rousting homeless people from the San Lorenzo telling them to cross the river into downtown. The city has already fenced off Garfield, Star of the Sea, and Laurel Parks, closed the Louden Nelson bathrooms  and is stepping up harassment of those without housing seeking a place to rest downtown.

Santa Cruz currently has no walk-in shelter with long waiting lists for programs at the Homeless Services Center.  Police and rangers are also violating the Martin v. City of Boise – Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against ticketing and arresting people who have no place to sleep subjecting local homeless community members to what the court says is cruel and unusual punishment. The waiting list at the River Street Shelter is closed.

The County of Santa Cruz was just awarded  $3.3 million in State and federal grants to help house homeless individuals and families yet few are being housed and instead they are being fenced out of public space.

Join us and speak out at City Council.  – Call 1-800-884-1136 to get involved

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