Category Archives: HOT ISSUES

Action Alert: Protest & Signature Gathering at Homeless (Lack of) Services Center 5-5 at 3 PM

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“No Parking For Homeless Vehicles”?NO!

Without notice to or input from the Unhoused Community, the Public Works Department is planning to ban all parking on Coral Street, Limekiln Street, and Fern Street.

 

Currently there are already severe restrictions limiting parking during the day and banning it after midnight on those streets.

 

This will significantly impact unhoused and disabled individuals using the services of the Paul Lee Loft, the Page Smith Community House, the Rebele Family Shelter, the Homeless Persons Health Project, the River St. Shelter, and the Homeless Services Center.

 

There has been no documentation provided, nor public hearing held around this issue.

 

Regular users of these services will be significantly impacted by these changes in their attempts to secure life-sustaining assistance.

Has the management funded to provide for services and security for homeless people spoken up about this or quietly agreed to proceed with a homeless-vehicle-exclusion program?

JOIN US TUESDAY MAY 5th at 3 PM

to find out!

Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom will be serving coffee at Cafe HUFF and gathering signatures opposing the proposed Parking Ban.

 

We will also be collecting information on the flood of Sleeping, Blanket, and Camping tickets being issued, whether the Homeless (Lack of) Services Center []HLOSC] and River St. Mini-Shelter is issuing documentation for those on its waiting lists so that police and rangers can be encouraged not to harass, cite, and issue stay-away orders.

 

Under MC 6.36.055, such behavior is already illegal, but police have continued to do so–and the HLOSC have encouraged this practice by declining to regularly issue evidence that those who have signed up are on the waiting list.

 

In addition we will be investigating concerns that the HLOSCis refusing to put in badly needed storage lockers, created a jail-like atmosphere at the center, and ignored other problems.

SCRAM bans HUFF

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HUFF voted last week to support SCRAM’s 3-10 protest at City Council and urge folks to attend. They rejected my proposed amendment to encourage SCRAM to become more specific and local in its concern about local police abuse, militarization, and lack of transparency.

HUFF has in the past few months, hopeful of raising a real activist and community focus on local police abuse, held four protests at Cop Corner (Laurel and Center–next to the SCPD station) urging an end to racial and class profiling, concealing stats on use of force, and political backroom power in city government,. We have documented disproportionate racial citations by Officer Bradly Barnett. We continue to press for more information on what contracts the SCPD has made with other agencies (still held back by City Hall).

Though we’ve been doing this for many years, the recent Ferguson protests seemed a particularly important time to raise these issues. It’s also been part of HUFF’s continuing concern about the blatant homeless profiling going on downtown and elsewhere.

I provided writer, FRSC broadcaster, and police accountability activist John Malken with Public Records Act information, finally wrested from the bowels of the SCPD, that seemed to indicate the stated “deadline” of December 31,2014 was not a real one, i.e. that there really was no hurry to order the BearCat.

At the Louden Nelson forum on the BearCat, I arranged with KSCO owner Michael Zwerling to put BearCat opponents on a two-hour KSCO show. I was able to provide missing audio from the 1-13 meeting missing from the City’s official recordings at the risk of potential arrest and seizure of my equipment under the Council’s new “decorum” rules.

Ironic.

Yesterday I had to announce to HUFF members at our weekly Wednesday meeting that HUFF had been dropped from the SCRAM Coalition and removed from its literature as a support organization in a closed door meeting to which HUFF had not been invited.

I was told afterwards by phone that I personally “twisted people’s words” and “had burned my bridges”, apparently tainting the HUFF organization. When I asked for more specifics, particularly about anything having to do with the BearCat issue, I got none. No one in HUFF was given any credit or acknowledgment for their work.

Sherry Conable, principal spokesperson for SCRAM, declined to give any specifics when I confronted her at the Tuesday meeting. Other members were similarly silent or vague. In the past, Conable has made it a point to try to exclude me from various groups she’s led, so perhaps this is simply part of a continuing pattern.

I have concluded–though given the blanket of silence, it’s hard to know with any certainty–that SCRAM wants to appeal to local Democratic Party folks like Rep. Farr and the Democratic Central Committee (from which it recently received endorsement) and present a smooth image that does not seem broadly or deeply critical of the SCPD and its political allies on more fundamental matters.

Farr initially backed this backdoor/backroom initiative by the SCPD initiative and did not inform the community. Yet at the Council meeting SCRAM activists took time to read his letter in its entirety–including Farr’s false statement that there was a December 31st deadline. While much of Farr’s letter was positive, Farr essentially passed the buck to a hostile City Council.

I’ve suggested that SCREAM needs to be more creative, direct, outspoken and high-profile in its protests. I’ve suggested they have to move behind the BearCat issue to address local police abuse specifically and the need for deeper change here. There are diminishing numbers and an increasingly tamed group at the biweekly protests at City Hall. Opponents are settling for half an hour of speakers with Mayor Lane ignoring those waiting to speak before an oblivious City Council. Why not expose the real powers in the Community behind the BearCat decision more directly and visibly like the City Manager, the Police Chief,and Farr himself.

I as an individual and HUFF as a group certainly supports such liberal projects as declaring Santa Cruz an NDAA-free zone, dumping the license surveillance software, and, of course, returning the BearCat. However, as national Black Lives Matter activists have repeatedly pointed out (and Michelle Alexander eloquently discussed on the 3-4 Democracy Now! show at http://www.democracynow.org/2015/3/4/michelle_alexander_roots_of_todays_crisis )–strong action in the streets and at the grass roots is key.

Berkeley activists recently got its City Council to make (on paper at least) some significant changes to its department (See http://www.thestreetspirit.org/berkeley-city-council-takes-action-on-police-abuse-finally/).

We certainly need to dump the BearCat, but dumping those who support more necessary fundamental changes, is a step backwards.

And, of course, elitist smears of more radical activists either out of personal animus or an attempt to move to the center pisses me off. It’s particularly loathsome when it happens behind closed doors in a group preaching to the Community about transparency and due process.

These are my views though, I believe, they reflect the opinion of some others in HUFF. Some prefer to keep this issue quiet in the interests of solidarity around BearCat opposition. I believe it has significance for both activists and the broader community.
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/03/11/18769805.php?show_comments=1#18769836 Continue reading →

BearCat Buffoonery Bumbles On: Santa Cruz Police Policies & Planned Protests

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https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/27/18769263.php

Latest Update to the SCPD Policy Manual including Use Policy on the Bearcat
by Robert Norse (and the SCPD) ( rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com )
Friday Feb 27th, 2015 10:38 PM

After several requests and considerable delay, assistant City Attorney Reed Gallogly finally coughed up the recent additions to the SCPD Policy Manual. I previously posted the full manual as of 2011 at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/05/19/18713791.php and the new one as of November 2014 is posted below as well as a January 2015 addition, included the day after the City Council meeting where Mayor Lane gave special time to Police Chief Vogel to read his policy.

An updated list of SCPD Officer names and numbers as of November 2013 can be found at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/11/01/18745758.php .

THE MAYOR PROVIDES THE POLICE CHIEF A PROPAGANDA PLATFORM
Chief Vogel insisted at the January 13th Council meeting that he would not make this policy statement public It was, of course, available on video and audio–especially for those who (“illegally”) recorded it as I and John Malkin did.

Vogel read off his description of the policy at the end of the Oral Communications period pmn 1-13 in the special time allowed by Mayor Lane apparently designed to deflect and calm the concerns of the largely anti-BearCat crowd that tried to speak. Vogel’s apparently created this “policy” without any input from critics or the community generally. It’s been included in the SCPD Policy Manual by Vogel’s fiat. With no dissent so far from anyone on the Council.

Lane, however, did not allow the public to conclude its input nor invite any critics to express their concerns at that meeting.

Nor did he direct Vogel to respond to questions about the supposed “deadline” date which he and Deputy Chief Clark falsely claimed required accepting the Bearcat before the end of 2014. Members of the audience who shouted out these questions were hushed into silence. Decorum, after all, must be preserved.

FITTING INTO THE POLICE BAKER-BUTLER GLORIFICATION AGENDA
Instead of marching to the police station, sitting in at the City Manager’s office, or taking other forceful direct action, SCRAM (Santa Cruz Resistance Against Militarization) deferred any protests, originally scheduled for the February 24th meeting. Food Not Bombs did not provide food at the event–which had previously been scheduled. The purpose of ducking the meeting seemed to be to avoid offending middle class police patrons who were attending a round of SCPD glorification with yet another memorial to former cops Baker and Butler. These two are well-known in the homeless community for their abusive behavior towards the poor.

Meanwhile the struggle for the cash being collecting using the Butler and Baker deaths as fund-raisers is chronicled in the rapidly-shrinking Sentinel at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/general-news/20150213/legal-battle-in-santa-cruz-fallen-officers-fund-extended-to-city .

BACK TO THE REAL ISSUES
There is however, I’m told, a march against police brutality being scheduled by UCSC students on Wednesday afternoon from the Quarry to the SCPD station against police violence as oart ofthe 96 Hours of Action around tuition hikes and such.

HUFF continues to urge a broader attack on local police abuse, as described at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/12/13/flyer__for__12-17.pdf … http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/04/18765028.php …and … http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/12/03/grand_jury_protest_updated.pdf . Sending back the BearCat and refusing License Recognition software as well as establishing an NDAA-free zone in Santa Cruz seem to sell more tickets than stopping the SCPD attacks on poor and minority people, demanding transparency from the SCPD, and dislodging the SCPD from its privileged position in the political process.

For a reminder that I’m not the only one concerned about these issues, see “Police Injury of Homeless Man Still Unresolved” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/18/18768736.php and “City Bicycle Program Dysfunction Continues” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/13/18768472.php –stories suppressed by the Good Times but posted by writer Steve Schnaar. Schnaar has also written “Santa Cruz Police Department: Political Smears, Unfair Profiling, and Harassment” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/28/18766107.php .

BEARCAT USE POLICY
For some reason I was unable to download the individual page describing the BearCat Policy in the updates I received, so I’ve copied it below:

706.2.7 BearCat Rescue Vehicle

The BearCat rescue vehicle is specialized equipment designed for specific purposes. The vehicle is not intended to be used for routine patrol or day-to-day operations. Only properly trained and certified personnel may operate the BearCat rescue vehicle.

The Santa Cruz Police Department is obligated to make the BearCat rescue vehicle available to other law enforcement agencies upon request. Any request ofr use of the BearCat rescue vehicle requires review and approval from a police manager. In the event the request is approved, the Santa Cruz Police Department will provide our own personnel to safely operate and deploy the vehicle.

Use of the BearCat rescue vehicle is restricted to those situations where the utility and capability of the vehicle are necessary and when the capabilities of other department vehicles are insufficient for those situations as determined by the chief of police or department designee. This includes, but is not limited to public safety emergencies, where life threatening conditions exist, the extraction of persons at risk, the need to insert police, fire, and emergency medical services into a dangerous environment, ballistic or projectile protection, high-risk vehicle stops, high-risk warrant service, active shooters, unsecured crime scenes.

This policy recognizes that it is not possible to catalog or anticipate all situations where the BearCat rescue vehicles capabilities are necessary and/or appropriate. This policy acknowledges that it is not the intent that the BearCat rescue vehicle be used in an offense manner where no threat to the public or first responder personnel exists. such situations would include, but are not limited to parades and peaceful demonstrations where violence is not threatened towards the public, property, or law enforcement personnel.

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Striking Back at the Stay-Away in Santa Cruz

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In a preview of protests scheduled for the next Council meeting and thereafter, “Push-Back” Pat Colby and fellow HUFF activists set up a table with coffee, brownies, petitions, orgami paper cranes and fliers on Pacific Avenue on Martin Luther King Day. This was the first in a series of demonstrations raising awareness of poor people being turned into criminals at night for sleeping, smoking, being in parks, sitting down near a building, recycling, playing a guitar for donation outside the bracketed performance pens on Pacific Ave, gathering in a group along the levee, etc.

Three flyers on the issue

§Moving Beyond Tokenism

by Robert Norse Tuesday Jan 20th, 2015 10:16 PM

 

In other cities, activists continued “Black Lives Matter’ demonstrations blocking freeways and demanding an end to police business as usual. See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/01/18/18767109.php

§Bringing It Home to Santa Cruz

by Robert Norse Tuesday Jan 20th, 2015 10:16 PM

 

The obscene abuse of those without shelter outside continues in the dead of winter. Neither Lane nor Posner have anything on the agenda to address this for next Tuesday. Nor have they agreed to direct the staff to confirm the stats that Raven Davis presented, he declined to do that as well showing no public safety concerns of any substance in the parks and the focus of the attack being against homeless survival behavior.  Instead they intend to “wait until next September” to view alarming figures that are already available and have been carefully analyzed.

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Back to Cop Corner: Police Abuse Protest Resumes in Santa Cruz 1-7 2 PM

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Web Clip
The Official Google Blog – Hallo, hola, olá to the new, more powerful Google Translate app – 20 hours ago
to HUFF, Kevin, City, Jim

 

Title: “Poor People Matter!”: Round Four at Cop Corner
START DATE: Wednesday January 07
TIME: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location Details:
Sidewalk outside the Santa Cruz Police Station at Center and Laurel along Laurel St. across from the Louden Nelson Center
Event Type: Protest
For those who have suffered and don’t want to suffer again the experience or the sight of over-policing, racial and class profiling, militarization, abusive threats and use of force downtown and elsewhere in town–

For those who want to show solidarity with the national movement against police brutality generally.

For those who are tired of the passivity and silence of local organizations who receive complaints, but do nothing.

This is the 4th in a series of public protests demanding radical reform in the Santa Cruz Police Department and calling the community to speak out about the encounters they’ve had with the armed and uniformed “protect and serve”–ers of Santa Cruz.

The SCPD has still not made available the racial ticketing record of Officer Bill Azua, as repeatedly requested under the Public Records Act Though required by law, Azua’s arrest and citation record has been stripped of any information regarding the race of those he cited.

It took months to get the record of Officer Bradly Barnett. When we looked it over, we found he was citing African-Americans at 7 times their rate in the population. (See Barnett’s complete record of Racial Citations at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/10/21/barnett_cites_including_race.pdf )

An earlier protest on December 17 made this same demand along with other long-standing concerns. Like letting the public know which officers have been using tasers, choke-holds (allowed in Santa Cruz, banned in New York City), pain compliance holds, weapon draws, baton strikes, and so forth.
See “Keeping Up the Pressure: Wednesday Protest at Cop Corner ” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/13/18765489.php .

For more info and a peek at the last protest, see “”Homeless People Matter” Protest Gets Honks, Volunteers, at Cop Corner” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/22/18765911.php

Return Engagement at Cop Corner

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“Homeless People Matter” Protest Gets Honks, Volunteers, at Cop Corner
by Robert Norse
Monday Dec 22nd, 2014 12:57 PM

Following up on concerns about SCPD racial and homeless profiling (where groups are targeted or selectively ticketed) Cafe HUFF returned to Laurel and Center Streets right outside the police parking lot Wednesday afternoon (12-17). Numerous new and young faces joined the familiar HUFF regulars to hold up signs, give out flyers, offer brownies and coffee passersby, and gather signatures. Additional concerns of the protesters were the slippery process used to acquire the “Bearcat” armored personel “rescue” vehicle and SCPD’s withholding of when, where, and by whom it used tasers, batons, choke holds, and other such tactic. In the wake of Ferguson, our purpose was to focus on specific local concerns that seemed missing from larger protests.

CORNERING COP ABUSE AT COP CORNER
The 2 1/2 hour vigil began under cloudy skies with a few of us, a small table, and a handful of signs. It ultimately grew to 15 people holding placards, giving interviews, rushing out to vehicles to provide literature, and sharing Cafe HUFF coffee and chips.

This was our third HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom) protest at Cop Corner urging the community to compel police transparency and accountability. See “Race andClass Bias in the SCPD: What’s the Real Story?” at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/12/03/grand_jury_protest_updated.pdf .

Two European musicians, several traveler guitarists, and singer Briana Brewer provided nearly continuous music. As the afternoon progressed, more and more cars honked approval or showed “thumbs up” to our cries of “Black People Matter!” “Homeless People Matter” “Don’t Shoot! and other chants that have become standard in protests stemming from the murder of Mike Brown and others by police departments across the country.

Several raggedy wayfarers took the opportunity to lay down their backpacks and go to sleep on the sidewalk in the shadow of the protest. Signs and literature urged an end to the perpetual police assault on homeless people through such laws as the City’s Sleeping Ban, the Mathews-Terazzas “Stay-Away” orders, and the pressure against the outdoor poor in the Pogonip, downtown, and in the parks.

BEARCAT BUFFOONERY
Also at issue and more recently in the public eye was Homeland Security’s latest Xmas toy to our urban para-military–the BearCat armored personnel vehicle. More horrifically known as the Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck, this acquisition and City Council’s police-fluffing procedures on December 9th prompted the first time a Mayor recessed a meeting under fire in nearly two decades. Brent Adams video and unanswered questions by activists sent to Mayor Lane are posted at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/16/18765662.php .

Free Radio broadcaster and researcher John Malkin will be replaying his discussion of the issue with John Sandidge and Mayor Don Lane on Wednesday 12-24 at 7 PM on freakradio.org (101.3 FM).

“Keeping Up the Pressure: Wednesday Protest at Cop Corner” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/13/18765489.php describes some of the broader issues some HUFF activists are pressing for, in addition to blocking the armored personnel “rescue” vehicle.

WITHHOLD “USE OF FORCE” REPORTS
In early July, I formally requested where, when, by whom, against whom, and why “use of force” was reported.

After a delay of several weeks to a previous Public Records Act demand, Drechsler declined to release any documents (as required by law) but did provide the following summary:

“Types of Force Number of Uses
Taser 39
Baton 4
Hands 6
Elbow 3
Knee 2
OC 1
[No information was provided regarding when officers drew or used their guns]”

After some back and forth and a delay of many months, the SCPD records worker Jacqui Drechsler released an uninformative summary of 5 police reports–none of them providing relevant information. We haven’t yet asked about injuries and hospitalizations. A follow-up request asking for the specific reasons for withholding the information has not yet been answered.

PROTESTS CONTINUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Democracy Now! reported today: “Protests against police brutality and racial profiling continued in New York City over the weekend, with actions including a sit-in at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Center Mall on Saturday and a silent march in Harlem on Sunday.

“More than 1,500 demonstrators shut down Minnesota’s Mall of America for several hours on Saturday afternoon calling for justice in the cases of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. At least 25 people were arrested.

“One day earlier, dozens of protesters were arrested in Milwaukee after blocking traffic on a major highway for over an hour. The action centered on the case of Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed mentally disabled black man shot dead during a confrontation with a police officer on April 30. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has called up the National Guard to be on standby.

It’s important that Santa Cruz police accountability activists intensify their local focus and extend solidarity to activists fighting similar issues across the country. Though mainstream media is now dripping with apologies, excuses, and sympathy for police and the officials who love them, the upsurge of outrage is continuing. Please post any upcoming actions, new research, or individual experiences—video is particularly helpful.

OFFICER AZUA’S CITATIONS REQUESTED

A Public Records Act request has secured Officer Azua’s citation and arrest record. Unfortunately (and curiously) racial stats were omitted.

Because the SCPD has not (so far) provided summaries of citations issued by race, it will be necessary to handcheck and handcount all citations issued by Azua. In the case of Officer Barnett it became clear that he gave out 7 times as many citations to black community members than would have been expected from their representation in the community. See “No Ferguson in Santa Cruz: Stop Local Racial and Class Profiling” at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/10/21/barnett_cites_–homeless.pdf

Prior HUFF protests have not noticeably altered the SCPD’s support for Barnett, but have raised awareness. See”HUFF Releases Evidence of SCPD Profiling, Joins National Police Brutality Protests” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/23/18763218.php .

BARNETT’S HOMELESS BASHING

An earlier protest secured the release of Barnett’s citations for public viewing. See “Protesters Demand Faster Response from SCPD Regarding Records Requests” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/23/18761997.php .

That protest and research at the SCPD revealed the massive disparity of citations given by Officer Barnett to homeless people (“transient” or 115 Coral St. addresses) versus those given to others for such “crimes” as “smoking in a no smoking zone”, “trespass in a public parking lot”, “panhandling” & “sitting within 14′ of a building”. See “Report from Cop Corner” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/17/18761766.php .

Audio from the 12-17 protest will be played on Free Radio 12-25 6-8 PM (at 101.3 FM, freakradio.org) and archived at http://radiolibre.org/brb/brb141225.mp3 .

 

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More Fuel for Wednesday’s Protest at Cop Corner in Santa Cruz

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The protest against SCPD acquisition of the Bearcat armored vehicle,
its targeted attacks on homeless people,
its lack of transparency,
its huge bite out of the Santa Cruz budget,
its growing militarization,
its backroom manipulation of the political process,
its use of force record
its failure to discipline abusive officers
its failure to address real crimes of violence against women, minorities, and the poor

…all will be up for discussion, debate, and protest tomorrow at 2 PM at Laurel and Center Streets.

Bring an umbrella, warm clothing, noise-makers and friends!  https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/13/18765489.php    (“Keeping Up the Pressure: Protest at Cop Corner”).

Information and a downloadable flyer about the protest are at

A gripping and informative video and a series of hard questions can be seen at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/16/18765662.php   (“Bearcat-a-tat-tat” Video and Abbi Samuels Letter to the Mayor”).

Come Out on the Streets to Demand An End to Local Police Secrecy and Profiling

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Keeping Up the Pressure: Wednesday Protest at Cop Corner

The SCPD has still not responded to concerns about racial and class profiling by Officer Bradly Barnett and videoed concerns that Officer Bill Azua is selectively ticketing African-Americans in downtown Santa Cruz for trivial offenses. It has not released specific reports on its use of tasers, batons, choke holds, pain compliance holds, and drawn weapons as requested in Public Records Act requests. It continues to militarize the department through acquisition of surveillance and armored vehicle acquisition without meaningful public input or debate. Instances of documented officer abuse of homeless people such as Officer Vasquez’s sidewalk smash of Richard Hardy remain unredressed. HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) calls for an active and diverse protest Wednesday December 17th at 2 PM at Laurel and Center Streets.

 

 

Please distribute this flyer widely and come on down on Wednesday–or start your own protest!Further Information:

Vasquez’s Hardy Take-down: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_23185274/use-force-investigation-not-complete-videotaped-arrest-santa
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/04/23/18735710.php

Barnett’s Anti-Homeless Profiling: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/10/21/barnett_cites_–homeless.pdf
Barnett’s Racial Citations: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/10/21/barnett_cites_including_race.pdf
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/21/18760436.php

Azua’s Selective Ticketing of Blacks on Pacific for Smoking: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/02/18759451.php

Prior Stories: “Protest Shuts Down City Council, Urban Assault Vehicle Approved, Anti-Homeless Law Delayed” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/10/18765377.php.
“SCPD No Disclosure of When People were PepperSprayed, Choked, Tasered, Gun-Bullied or Shot” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/04/18765028.php

 

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Council Moves to Shut Down “Shame” Protest; Excludes Public; Jettisons Agenda

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Council Moves to Shut Down “Shame” Protest; Excludes Public; Jettisons Agenda
by Robert Norse
Tuesday Dec 9th, 2014 10:29 PM

Every single speaker opposed the acquisition of a new armored police vehicle at the afternoon City Council meeting. When two speakers turned their backs on the Council, outgoing Mayor Robinson made arrest threats, further heightening the tension in the room. At one point the Council left the room, leaving the community to organize its own meeting. They shortly returned, quickly voted in the police vehicle, without giving a clear answers to questions about the deadline requirement, additional costs, and the potential for further militarizing the police force. Speakers began shouting “shame” from the floor. Police “escorted” one out; others raised the cry; police then cleared the chambers and the Council met (illegally) behind locked doors and drawn shades.

At the request of activist Steven Argue and others, Micah Posner pulled item #13 “2015 Homeland Security Grant Funding – Budget Adjustment (PD/FD)” off the agenda for more extensive debate.

At some point I hope to give a more extensive account of the critical testimony as well as the police PR for the “rescue tank”. It took the police half an hour or more to come up with a picture of the machine–which activists had found on line hours before.

Deputy-Chief Clark claimed the agenda item was “time sensitive”, but declined to specify what the deadline was for applying for the grant. Councilmember Posner–who asked the question–considerately took him off the hook and immediately suggested that Clark’s assurance was enough for him. He moved that the $250 grand piece of heavy hardware be accepted with the caveat that it “not be used against peaceful protesters”, and that in future such items be placed on the regular agenda and given several weeks notice for the public. Posner’s scramble to please all sides while essentially rubberstamping the item was pathetically obvious.

His motion was voted down 5-2, and the item passed 6-1–prompting the cries of shame that led Robinson to order police to force the public to leave the meeting.

Outside, people continued to shout “shame”. When the Council resumed deliberations behind locked doors, it refused me and others access without explanation. No one was arrested or cited. Demands that he Council allow the public to reenter the chambers were ignored. The shutters were drawn. At several points police chief Kevin Vogel asked me if we could hear the proceedings through the speakers–which we couldn’t. That didn’t stop the Council from proceeding as though we weren’t there. Well in fact, we weren’t. We were all locked out.

One bright note was that any action on the infamous Stay Away Ordinance was postponed until the second Tuesday in January according to Micah Posner. A second was the apparent determination of many ejected from the meeting to hit the streets in protest in the days ahead–specifically Saturday when a day long event with marches, die-in’s, and other actions against police violence are planned. Additionally some felt empowered and for once not cowed by the police-backed authority of City Council.

Outside HUFF brownie baker “Push Back” Pat Colby served brownie, coffee, and vegan soup–compliments of Jumbogumbo Joe Schultz.

The evening session, I’m told proceeded with the usual congratulatory blather and a post-coronation chowdown in the Civic.

LEAVE COMMENTS, AUDIO, AND VIDEO AT https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/09/18765331.php \

I”ll be playing some audio and commenting on the afternoon’s events on Free Radio Santa Cruz Thursday evening 6=-8 PM at 101.3 FM and/or freakradio.org .

Last Council of the Year Takes a Bow Over the Bodies of the Poor in Santa Cruz

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Last Council of the Year Takes a Bow Over the Bodies of the Poor

 

City Council meets today ignoring the national and local crisis around police class and race profiling. Ignoring foreign militarism, national police scandals, and local police profiling, they will be patting themselves on the back as they vote on a final escalation of the War Against the Poor. Here’s a reiteration of some items that are coming up.

UNTOUCHABLE CITY ATTORNEY AND CITY MANAGER
At 1 PM in Council chambers, City Council will be following a unusual procedure in holding the open interval of its closed session in this larger room. It will then retire to the smaller City Council Conference room behind the chambers where it usually meets behind closed doors in “Closed Session”.

What’s peculiar here is the process being followed. Two of the most powerful and well-paid officials in the City–the City Attorney and the City Manager are up for “performance evaluation”. The on-line agenda suggests that it will be behind closed doors with the public excluded.

BERNAL CONTROLS VOGEL
City Manager Martin Bernal controls the hiring and firing of the Police Chief Kevin Vogel.

The SCPD refuses to open its records of use and display of force, tasering, pain compliance holds, choke holds, gun drawings, baton use, and so forth (See “SCPD: No Disclosure of When People were PepperSprayed, Choked, Tasered, Gun-Bullied or Shot” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/04/18765028.php).

Unaddressed claims of racial profiling also hang over the department (See “Race and Class Bias in the SCPD: What’s the Real Story?” at http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/12/03/grand_jury_protest_updated.pdf).

City Council is legally required to open its closed sessions–however briefly–for public comment. Of course, Mayor Robinnson (and in-coming Mayor Don Lane) haven’t cared much for that in such matters as allowing unimpeded recording of City Council meetings (See “Video of the False Arrest at Santa Cruz City Council for Audio Recording ” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/03/18755258.php)

“RESCUE TANKS” IN SANTA CRUZ?

Consent Agenda Item #13 is titled “2015 Homeland Security Grant Funding – Budget Adjustment (PD/FD)” This is likely to come up shortly after 2:30 PM.

See “Santa Cruz Police to Procure $250K ‘Rescue Vehicle'” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/08/18765238.php

Could be another Steve Clark special (he’s our reactionary Deputy Police Chief) rushing to amp up the department’s aggressive image? With anger against police abuse rising all around the country, it’s a good time

I’ve asked Councilmember Posner to pull this item from the agenda for discussion rather than a rote vote. The public has been banned from pulling items and requiring they be more fully discussed and individually voted on. Other City Councils, our Board of Supervisors, and past City Councils have had this rather elementary public process, but it was removed at the behest of former Mayor and incoming Supervisor Ryan Connerty some years back. Neither Posner nor Lane have moved to restore this process.

Cafe HUFF will be serving brownies and brew (that is, coffee) as well as Jumbogumbo Joe Schultz’s soup, hopefully as early as 2;30 PM

STAY-AWAY STUPIDITY

The time for this item is uncertain but probably between 3:30 and 4:30. Come early to be sure.

This is the latest anti-homeless eruption from the Public Safety Task Force/Public Safety Committee. It’s aother step demonization of the poor outside and follows on a long train of anti-homeless laws and policies.

The law that vastly increases the discretionary power of rangers and cops to arbitrarily ban people from large areas of the city (not just parks) for any infraction, no matter how minor with no court injunction, conviction, or charge.

To paper over this homegrown Constitution-shredding, the City Attorney came back with an “administrative review” process that would have the stay-away order dissolved if a city employee appointed by the city manager finds the infraction “unjustified” “by a preponderance of the evidence”.

The new wording of the ordinance is at http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/cache/2/e5y2okfjeqxksdpkhmfsya0i/396073312092014110820380.PDF . Or go to http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=574&doctype=AGENDA and click on item #18.

All correspondence received by City Council has urged the law be voted down. But it is likely to pass 5-2 or 6-1.

The one-day stay away law, passed last year, and equally un-Constitutional and abusive passed unanimously. Councilmembers Posner and Lane have yet to apologize for this travesty which has been used 1000 times by Homeless Deportation squads in uniform, according to their own figures.

Steve Pleich has said he will appeal the proposed expansion of the law but probably not the current law.

ORAL COMMUNICATIONS AT 5 PM (OR SO)

Want to raise issues that others are raising on the streets (and that are planned for a Saturday day-long rally at the Town clock)? Come and speak out demanding fundamental changes in the SCPD. (See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/04/18765028.php for my thoughts on the issue). HUFF will review the record of the Council and the SCPD.

QUAFF CAKE AND BEVERAGES AFTER THE CORONATION

At 7 PM outgoing Council blowhards will make speeches celebrating their wonderful terms in office and the in-coming Council elected people will do the same. Around 8 PM or soon thereafter, the whole jolly crew will cross the street to the Civic Auditorium where the public is invited to mingle and munch with them on various pastries and pies. It’s a tradition.

Fortify yourself for the Wednesday storm. Bring some homeless friends. Confront the privileged in public. While chowing down at the same time.

HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) meets Wednesday morning at the Sub rosa Cafe 11 AM to plan for protests and express solidarity with those in other cities.

FOR FLYERS AND FURTHER COMMENTS, GO TO: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/09/18765278.php . Continue reading →