While other counties have been using federal and state funding to house vulnerable homeless people, Santa Cruz has not–in any appreciable numbers. While the broader community is directed to shelter in place and not gather in groups larger than 10, homeless “shelters” unsafely cram folks into one or two rooms. I asked specific questions and got unsatisfactory answers.
On Friday April 10th, after a massive outbreak of COVID-19 in two San Francisco shelters, health professionals held a Press Conference demanding motel/hotel shelters immediately:
https://www.facebook.com/CoalitionOnHomelessness/videos/2954977444559143/

On Friday April 17th, I e-mailed a letter to city officials and health workers including Mayor Cummings and City Manager Bernal asking a series of questions.

On Saturday April 18th, Mayor Cummings responded by forwarding me the city latest “update” which answered almost none of the questions and indicated no intention of stepping up any attempt to house even the more vulnerable homeless people in any numbers.

I followed up with a letter urging more information. (reprinted below)

On Saturday April 18th, Governor Newsom called on all counties not using the FEMA and roomkey funding to do so immediately: https://www.facebook.com/fox5sandiego/videos/533233420715199/ See also https://calmatters.org/health/coronavirus/2020/04/newsom-cities-blocking-hotels-for-homeless-will-be-judged-by-history

I’ve done several netshows (4-12, 4-16, and 4-19) on the subject, which can be found at http://www.huffsantacruz.org/Lostshows.html .

Today Alicia Kuhl of the Santa Cruz Homeless Union and Keith McHenry of Food Not Bombs announced a Physical Distancing Picket noon tomorrow 4-20 outside the Hampton Inn next to Denny’s at 1505 Ocean St to demand the City and County authorities follow the CDC/Newsom guidelines. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158028273318820&set=gm.229151128428242&type=3&theater

The HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) members I’ve contacted support this protest. I and others will be there.

TO READ THE DOCUMENTATION AND COMMENTS GO TO https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/19/18832493.php

HUFF tech-challenged activists are working on a conference call later today to discuss the Posner/Norse plan for an Easter Sunday Direct Action to get motel rooms open immediately.  E-mail rnorse3@hotmail.com if you are interested in learning about or want to be a supporter of this action. Or if you wish to be included on the HUFF conference call.

Updates: 

• Food Not Bombs [FNB] is still serving daily under the parking garage in lot #10 facing Front St. (technically 124 River St.) across from the Bookshop Santa Cruz 1 PM to 6 PM.
  
• Food prepster Keith McHenry has put out an emergency call to find additional kitchens as India Joze’s is being overburdened; he also needs volunteers and donations (tents, clothing, books, and staff).  Bring them to the daily meal.
  
• City Council declined to follow up on the current shelter crisis for those outside, refusing to allow discussion of necessary shelter-in-place options NOT BEING MADE AVAILABLE in spite of available funding, vacant motel rooms, CDC guidelines, and growing illness nationwide.
• City Manager Martin Bernal announced that in spite of the closing of all City and County parks and beaches starting tonight at midnight, folks outside in those areas in encampments will not be ticketed.  This, of course, doesn’t mean they won’t be swept, harassed, or driven out into the rain as has been the case during the last week.
• Conditions have thinned out slightly but not significantly at the Salvation Army’s Armory, Laurel St., and the new Vet’s Hall mini-shelters.  There are rumors of some similar “thinning” at the Paul Lee Loft.  No clear information on Page Smith Community House, River St. or River St. Shelter.  Current conditions violate CDC shelter-in-place standards that are now being attempted in other cities like San Francisco after similar resistance from their mayor.  They risk everyone’s health speeding disease transmission.
• Meals are being provided for the relatively few people in these crowded “have some COVID-19” “shelters”; police are promoting their PR by handing out a few bag lunches; bag lunches for seniors may still be available at the (otherwise closed down) Louden Nelson weekdays; get-em-at-the-door sparse bag lunches up at St. Francis Soup Kitchen on Mora St. weekdays.

• If anyone has reports on the Association of Faith Communities mini-mini-shelter-together-while-we-cough-at-one-another program, please call 423-4833 with reports.   Ditto with their vehicular “safe parking” program.  Santa Cruz Homeless Union activists report continued marking of tires by cops and auxiliaries in possible violation of persuasive court rulings in other jurisdictions (https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/24/chalking-unconstitutional/   ).
  
• Government “health authorities” with the collusion of governments have shut down all city/county parks and beaches as of midnight tonight; not sure what the status is of the Farmer’s Market downtown today.
• McHenry said yesterday parking structure bathrooms have been shut down with portapotties overflowing or poorly maintained.  HUFF is still seeking volunteers to do a daily check and report on various portapotties and washing stations city-wide.
  
• There are no vulnerable unsheltered people in motel rooms as of a day or two ago, according to McHenry.
• Anyone have reports on the national Rent Strike and any local actions that were announced to begin April 1st?  Renter-unsheltered coalition is vital in these times.
• Stipends for out-of-work Street Spirit distributors are still “being worked on”, according to Berkeley’s J.C. Orton.
• Frequent local updates are still appearing on Facebook under SC Food Not bombs, SC County Homeless Advocates, Homeless Outside in Santa Cruz, at huffsantacruz.org and at indybay.org/santacruz .
  
•  
  

ACTIONS, RESOURCES, & CONSIDERATIONS from a HUFFster’s perspective​

• Check at http://www.huffsantacruz.org/Lostshows.html to hear a series of phoned-in reports from different activists and workers–which should be posted shortly and will be updated daily if possible.
• City Manager Martin Bernal provided a handful of portapotties  City-wide and cold water washstands after refusing to do so for months, but maintained nighttime closure of bathrooms in parks in spite of the emergency situation and repeated calls and e-mails.   Nor has the County acted to provide basic sanitary facilities for the poorest outside, though it has financial and organization resources to do so.
  
• City agencies are still refusing safe concrete space for Food Not Bombs to provide food and other services. their attempts to establish such vital resources.  With the massive (and arguably illegal) fencing off of the Post Office, Town Clock, Scope Park, and other sidewalk areas, reaching the FNB meal has become more difficult.
  
• Continued shutdowns at the Library, Louden Nelson, the Metro, the publicly sponsored Bookshop Santa Cruz, closed restaurants, coffee shops and businesses make this situation ever more dangerous both for folks outside and the broader community.  No alternate provision has been made for laundry, storage, phone-charging for the great majority of unsheltered people.
  
• Very very few motel or hotel rooms are yet available for the 1000-2000 homeless outside who want and may need them to shelter more safely and securely in spite of government directives and financial grants.  With City and County authorities refusing to act, the Community must make sure these spaces are opened up by any means necessary.
  
• The inadequate “normal” charitable activities of those working with churches, social services, etc. have been cut back or closed–many of the staff of these organizations are over 60 and particularly vulnerable to the corona virus.
• Normal donations to those directly seeking survival money through “panhandling” have been discouraged or criminalized under the new emergency regs, enacted without public discussion or vote.  The 6′ distancing rule makes exchanges more difficult and less likely even though more necessary than ever.
• Public transportation options have been restricted or shut down, making access to what limited resources there are even more problematic.
• Mayor Cummings has issued no calls for an emergency Council meeting to pass elementary measures already done in other cities like a moratorium on rents.  A weak Santa Cruz moratorium eviction law provides little protection as workers are encouraged to work under unsafe conditions to pay rent.
  
• City Manager Martin Bernal & the City Council majority continue a long history of resisting the expansion of basic services for the less privileged in town.
• Supervisor Coonerty and the Board of Supervisors have declined to provide county-wide resources in an equitable and sensible fashion.
  
• The health of the community depends on our community action through a direct and united response by Direct Action.
  
• Up to now we have seen how “concerned” and “effective” local authorities have been in meeting the needs of renters and those outside.
• Meekly following the dictates of authority in this crisis has not in the past, nor likely in the future, to be a wise, health-providing, and productive course.
• We must confront directly, clearly, persistently, loudly and immediately to secure the basic survival needs of the community in the current crisis.  Join with others to take peaceful Direct Action independently and this Sunday.
• With washed hands and care to keep physical distance, bring food and yourselves to the 1 PM -6 PM FNB meal to sustain the survival effort and take the necessary future steps.  Support the SC Homeless Union legal action (if it ever comes) and the Footbridge Services (Brent Adams Day/Night Storage).
  
• Contact Food Not Bombs (575-770-3377), HUFF (831-423-4833), or the Santa Cruz Homeless Union (831-431-7766) if unable to come for health or other reasons. (454-2200) and you wish to help.

An Immodest and Long Overdue Proposal by Robert Norse (rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com)
Tuesday Apr 7th, 2020 8:45 AM Please post your reactions to this proposed protest, which mirrors actions undertaken by nurses, unions, and homeless advocates in other cities. An earlier version of these suggestions was originally posted on facebook. RESTATING THE OBVIOUS
The virus spreads as City Council and the Stupes continue to ignore CDC guidelines and hoard funding. Waiting until actual symptoms and/or positive test results finally appear to open up those rooms to the vulnerable outside is obviously too late. We all know this, so do they. Time to stop knowing and bleating and start organizing. If Food not Bombs waited for authority approval or action, there’d be substantially more hunger, illness, and hopelessness in our community. Past time for US to act.

CITY COUNCIL TO FIDDLE TODAY AS THE CITY SICKENS
City Council agenda is at http://www.cityofsantacruz.com/…/city…/council-meetings for the 6 PM meeting tonight. They have graciously provided their usual token public comment before the rubberstamping period. Phone numbers are · . 1-669-900-9128 1-346-248-7799 1-301-715-8592
1-312-626-6799 1-646-558-8656 1-253-215-8782
If one is busy, try the next one (sez the printed agenda on line).
· Enter the meeting ID number: 379-565-623
When prompted for a Participant ID, press #.
Press *9 on your phone to “raise your hand” when the Mayor calls for public comment.

” It will be your turn to speak when the Mayor unmutes you. You will hear an announcement that you have been unmuted. The timer will then be set to 2 minutes” Of course, you’ll be “allowed” to speak on two items: the Election results (i.e. Real Estatesters recall of Krohn and Glover) (item 1) and more power to police agencies to shut down dissent (item 3). The comments of the vultures who are replacing Glover and Krohn (Beiers and Golder) will stand unchallenged. And there will be “off topic” Oral Communications.

The point is not that this charade has any more meaning than City Council meetings in the past (less, with the amputation of Glover and Krohn). But rather that this is an opportunity for us to organize and focus around this basic issue: immediate provision–or seizure–of Motel rooms for shelter-in-place for the good not just of the homeless, but for everyone.

SPEAK OUT TO ORGANIZE SAFE PROTEST
In other words, speak up under items 1 and 3 to demand immediate action and announce protest actions–not because the Council will do anything other than rubberstamp the staff’s proposals, but rather to get the word out and encourage others who feel isolated to band together in solidarity.

USING CARS TO PROTEST SAFELY
I propose a safe-and-peaceful but loud-and-prominent protest in vehicles focusing on the City officials with power (Bernal, Mills, Cummings, O’Hara) and County officials (Elissa Benson, Jessica Scheiner, and Tatiana Brennan ) as suggested at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/06/18832134.php “Lobby for your Life: Suggestions from Laura”. Give the babbling bureaucrats and the hotel hoarders an immediate demand to act within 48 hours or face strong direct peaceful (and hopefully constitutionally protected) protests.

THE CITY’S CURRENT “DIE SOONER, SAVE MONEY LATER”
SHELTER HUDDLED TOGETHER TOKEN ACTIONS
While we wait and worry, vulnerable asymptomatic homeless people are squeezed into the Vets Hall, the Armory, and Laurel St.—all large contained rooms that violate CDC guidelines. Meanwhile motel rooms and real estate properties sit empty as Santa Cruz Homeless Union activists like Alicia Kuhl, Food Not Bombs workers like Keith McHenry, and alternative social service providers like Brent Adams expose the toxic absurdity of preserving privilege as the community ship sinks.

The dangerous psuedo-shelter plan is happening as police, deputies, and security thugs run homeless people out into the rain and harass encampments–again, violating the CDC guidelines and threatening community health.

Waiting for this to spread as facilities are kept empty is cruel, crazy, and costly—to the entire Community. WE must act now to stop this by whatever means are necessary.
TO COMMENT GO TO:  “An Immodest and Long Overdue Proposal” at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/07/18832146.php

Updates from the “Ignore Them Until they Disappear or Die Off” Genocide Zone by Robert Norse (rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com)
Monday Mar 30th, 2020 5:47 PM
While City & County officials who live indoors postulate, ponder, and predict, no safe shelters, sanitary shithouses, or reliable food services have opened up to replace those shut down. HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) critic passes on some updates and the latest in-the-field reports from Food not Bombs still-serving-under-fire foodster Keith McHenry. Chief Andy Mills’ police and Sheriff Hart’s deputies keep flouting federal and state guidelines by “moving along” homeless survival-in-place encampments and food servers with threats and arrests. City Manager Martin Bernal’s Bureaucrats lock bathrooms, and preventing those outside from taking shelter. City leaders remain silent or facilitate this toxic insanity.

Homeless folks are crowded into the few shelters in conditions that spread COVID-19. We must do what the leaders only talk about before it’s too late.

UPDATES FROM A LOCAL FOOD NOT BOMBS ACTIVIST

Yesterday [3-29] “Amazon, Instacart Grocery Delivery Workers Demand Coronavirus Protection And Pay” on East Coast at https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/823767492/amazon-instacart-grocery-delivery-workers-strike-for-coronavirus-protection-and-?

Today [3-30]
11 a.m. Join the Global Rent & Mortgage Strike April 1st
see “Rent Strike Nation” at https://newrepublic.com/article/157081/rent-strike-nation-coronavirus?

3:55 p.m. We need books for people to read since those of us who live outside cannot charge their phones. We also have a lot of bread that is amazing at the Benchlands behind the Santa Cruz County building. Thanks

4:10 p.m. Still at the Benchlands sharing food. We are almost the only food and water in Santa Cruz for the hundreds without housing. The city portable toilet is overflowing so we are using the bushes until we dig a pit toilet. Tell people in Santa Cruz that we have food, water and lots of bread in San Lorenzo Park behind the county building near Water Street. We want to end service at 7 today. Thanks

HUFF Howlings
Coming Tomorrow: Community Health Demands Immediate Occupation of Vacant Buildings to Stop COVID-19 Outside

Endless promises and reassurances, evasions and lies, by the highly paid homelessness “experts” who have funneled money into very limited and expensive homeless “services” that exclude or recycle the majority of the 1000-2000 homeless people outside in the City.

These excuses and justifications–and those in power who use them–now threaten the health of the entire community.

At the national level we have two sold-out national parties that have passed another huge corporate trillion dollar giveaway. (See “Why Are Progressives Voting For Ultimate Screwing Of America?” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfOPSq705To,
“How Bernie and Warren Sold Us Out Over Stimulus Bill” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsPjPmDzN8w)

We’ll no doubt hear more reassuring words from Supervisor Zack Friend. he’s “hosting” [and you’re paying for] a telephone town hall with Mimi Hall, director of the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency, to discuss the latest updates on COVID-19 and take your questions. The session will run from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday. Information: 831-454-2222 and use meeting ID 145384.,

….But are the County Buildings bathrooms, sinks, and showers open for community (and particularly homeless) use while Zack comfortably relieves himself on the community while the officials he funds continue to deny vital services?

Needs: While we’re waiting for shelter-in-place access to the many vacant motel rooms,
…..a regular check on the availability of toilet paper, towels, soap, water at the few portapotties outside.
…..the immediate 24-opening of parking garage bathrooms, and other more civilized facilities currently unused,
…..and, of course, occupation of vacant office, apartment, and other buildings as emergency shelter-in-place, and quarantine space,
…..the release of prisoners from the local jail in the current crisis before they become the epicenter of a new epidemic,
……commandeering and distribution of vital food and supplies to unhoused, renters, and others growingly in need in the current crisis. See https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/this-is-life-or-death-homeless-families-reclaim-vacant-homes-to-survive-virus-outbreak?

Do we wait for the concentration zones for the homeless–frightening alternatives reportedly being set up in other cities such as Las Vegas? See https://www.fox5vegas.com/coronavirus/parking-lot-at-cashman-center-opens-as-temporary-homeless-shelter/article_613927c0-7139-11ea-a802-536e3067a76c.html?fbclid=IwAR1MDfnuaoleJgkgn-PXXH8Yk9j3KwX85NMHtl2_0epKK6WLi7ZdOkBtu0o

On the other hand, psuedo-shelters such as the Salvation Army’s Laurel Street serve as useful containment and quarantine centers when the inevitable COVID-19 cases break out–cases that could yet be prevented with adequate distancing–say in motel rooms.. Seattle’s KIRO news reports on this crisis at https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/three-seattle-area-shelters-close-after-resident-tests-positive-covid-19/Z3YXVZPJ2BG3DNUN4QYPQX7LZM/?fbclid=IwAR3SsHfm-5uVrXAy5Sh68eq4abTUrhdSt7qIl3SRPmRInmg1zqHN9a6OWOE

LOOKING BACK IN DISGUST
XXXX Homeless providers Cooper and Russell were arrested and released several days ago to move them along from their (legal) sidewalk spot at the complaint of the nearby bank. Their survival gear was seized and has not been returned.

XXXX Mills cops posted the Town Clock and served McHenry with a Cease-and-Desist letter, then fencing off to stop food serving there. On 3-28, they served McHenry with a letter demanding he stop feeding until “getting a permit” in the San Lorenzo Benchlands, after forcing the meal from its safer location in back of the courthouse to the marshy rainsoaked Benchlands.


WHAT WE CAN DO
We need to distribute maps of vacant buildings, unused restrooms, and provide an honest listing of actual food and survival equipment spaces.

Volunteer at noon at the Vet’s Hall to help cook for the Benchlands meals.

Democracy Now gives a (very) brief mention of authorities ignoring these needs in New York City at https://www.democracynow.org/2020/3/30/nyc_homelessness

Check out Facebook for Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs, Santa Cruz County Homeless Advocates, and Wes White (for Salinas & National Updates)

Free Radio Santa Cruz on-the-Net Interview with Keith and others outside at http://huffsantacruz.org/lost/1%20FRSC%203-29-20.mp3 Regular updates at http://www.huffsantacruz.org/Lostshows.html .

MAKE AND READ COMMENTS AT  https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/03/30/18831951.php