| Title: | Cold Sidewalk & Warm Spirits: Freedom SleepOut #25 |
| START DATE: | Tuesday December 29 |
| TIME: | 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM |
| Location Details: | |
| On that cold hard sidewalk in front of City Hall across from the Main Library and whereever else nearby that people can shield themselves from the cold winds of night (temperatures expected to drop to 35 degrees), | |
| Event Type: | Protest |
| Contact Name | Toby Nixon |
| Email Address | tobynixon [at] gms.com |
| Phone Number | 408 582 4152 |
| Address | |
| ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE COLD Continuing an unbroken chain of protest sleep-out’s against Santa Cruz’s “cruel and unusual punishment law” for being poor, visible, and asleep: MC 6.36.010a. The Sleeping Ban which bans sleeping on any public property, in any structure that’s not a residence, in any vehicle on public property within Santa Cruz City limits. The $158 fine is usually unpaid by homeless people, who are almost the only ones who get cited. Unpaid citations result in an additional $300 Failure to Pay fine, which is then sent to “Collections” and can impact driver’s license, child support, credit, and other necessities. Hundreds of such tickets have been written this year. Though in response to the weekly Freedom Sleeper protests, police seem to be using other ordinances to accomplish the same expulsion of the poor objective. RADIO SHOW DISCUSSION STRATEGY MEETING SLEEPING BAN REFORM? CALL ‘EM UP AND DRESS ‘EM DOWN! Each of the Gang of 7 can be contacted by e-mail; first letter of their name, full last name, followed by cityofsantacruz.com (e.g. dterrazas [at] cityofsantacruz.com ) The whole City Council can be reached at citycouncil [at] cityofsantacruz.com . BULLIES BOW TO THE BROWN ACT: NEW DISPLAY ON SIDEWALK City bosses have recently apparently acknowledged that excluding people from the posted agendas outside the City Council chambers is a violation of the Brown Act. This Public Meetings law requires that agendas be accessible 24 hours per day for a period of 72-hours before each meeting. A new display has been constructed on the sidewalk across from the Civic Auditorium which is accessible 24 hours a day. City Manager Martin Bernal was advised of this fact back in August, but responded with klieg lights, parking bans and increased First Alarm Security thuggery. See “Silence from the City Manager on the Eve of the 11th Freedom Sleepers Protest” at http://www.indybay.org/ He and the City Council as well as City Attorney Anthony Condotti violated the law again on December 15th by holding a closed dinner with all 7 Council members and their friends which we protested. See “Freedom Sleepers Confront City Council at el Palomar” at http://www.indybay.org/ ADDITIONAL INFO AND RESOURCES Toby Nixon will be livestreaming some of the event. More info about his Homeless Advocacy and Action Coalition (HAAC) at http://www.facebook.com/ If you have video, cameras, or audio devices–they can be useful for keeping the armed and uniformed Sleepbusters aware they are being watched. Brent Adams’ Warming Center Project will be open the night of the protest. See http://www.facebook.com/ This posting was written by Robert Norse. I encourage any additions or corrections. |
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