Title: | Food Not Bombs Resumes Feeding at Freedom SleepOut #12 |
START DATE: | Tuesday September 29 |
TIME: | 5:00 PM – 5:00 AM |
Location Details: | |
In and around Santa Cruz City Hall at 809 Center St. across from the Main Library and the Civic Auditorium. Partially at City Council itself, which meets in the afternoon and evening, partially in the Council Courtyard, and partially on the sidewalks surrounding City Hall and across Center and Church streets. Police typically drive peaceful protesters away from City Hall and last week forced them off the sidewalk for an unusual and hours-late-in-coming “sidewalk cleaning”. | |
Event Type: | Protest |
Contact Name | Robert Norse |
Email Address | rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com |
Phone Number | 831-423-4833 |
Address | 309 Cedar PMB 14B S.C. CA 95060 |
Food Not Bombs activist Keith McHenry will be serving food at the protest at different points during the night and morning.
FESTIVAL OF THE STREETS WEDNESDAY MORNING The “blue boxes” expanded the small spaces city reactionaries have designated as “performance pens” for downtown artists, vendors, speakers, and tablers. DISAPPEARING BLUE DOTS Recently the “blue dot boxes” have returned, but artists such as Alex Skelton and Joff Jones have insisted on their right to display and sell their artwork outside the few constricted spaces. Recently their citations for violating MC 5.43 were struck down by Commissioner Kim Baskett, for unclear reasons. More background from Keith McHenry & others at http://www.indybay.org/ WHAT A FREEDOM SLEEPOUT IS ALL ABOUT Some coverage of last Tuesday’s Freedom Sleep-Out: http://www.indybay.org/ Cops and rangers still enforce anti-sleeping laws in Santa Cruz such as the notorious MC 6.36 (which bans sleeping and covering up with blankets after 11 PM). They harass, cite, arrest, and issue stay-away orders for homeless folks with no shelter seeking refuge in parks and other “closed areas” under MC 13.04.011 (which authorizes closing any public spaces without public hearing or comment). SHELTER SHENANGANS AND POLICE HARASSMENT We have also received reports of security guards turning away people trying to get in to sign the Waiting Lists at the River St. Shower. Showers at the Homeless (Lack of) Services Center have recently reopened during mid-day for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but meals, bathrooms, and laundry for the general homeless population remain cut off since June. Even before the recent shelter shutdown and “no emergency services” makeover, Santa Cruz had no shelter for 95% of its homeless residents, clients were being required to show ID, and confronted with a prison-like fenced-in area there. TALK TO THE COMMUNITY VIA THE CITY COUNCIL Those who wish to speak to the community (via the tv when addressing City Council) will have an opportunity around 5 PM Tuesday during the so-called Oral Communications period. At the last Council meeting, Lane delayed this period more than 2 hours to accommodate a reactionary attack on RV’s. HARASSMENT AND PROTEST CONTINUE Picketers greeted Mayor Don Lane at his recent appearance at the Rio Theater for a “compassion” event [See “Freedom Sleepers Press Conference ” at http://www.indybay.org/ The continued pressure at these weekly protests also provides a place for homeless people to sleep together in groups, documents how SCPD and First Alarm Security moves to repress protest as well as simple homeless survival behavior, and hopefully paves the way for future community, court, and federal government intervention. Come on down and be a part of it! Rabbi Phil Posner, the usual contact person for the Freedom Sleepers, is away on a social/religious journey and will be returning in November. The perspectives expressed in this story are mine. |