The likely election victory of three homeless-hostile City Council candidates a week ago as well as the national Trump victory means continued struggle to hold back the right-wing riptide against the rights of the poor and those outside. No Council meeting this week, though food, morning coffee, and possibly blankets may be available for those snuggling up to the sidewalk.The basic right to sleep without harassment is the focus of the Freedom SleepOuts. Photographer Alex Darocy has captured the form and the substance of the latest SleepOuts at “Attendance at City Hall Sleepouts Remains High” [https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/11/14/18793590.php] .

RANGERS UNDER SCRUTINY
Rangers on the levee and deputies in the County are reportedly seizing homeless property and even destroying it in violation of state law and the federal Constitution. However at the Freedom Sleepouts, videoslinger Abbi Samuels and others are successfull fending off ranger raids. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ4Q7-ZUvw4 . Rangerwrangler Ricardo Lopez reports unhoused folks on the Levee sleep there nightly in spite of ranger raids. He sees a new militant spirit in the wake of the Trump victory rousing “lazy leftists”.

At Freedom SleepOut #70 last week Freedom Sleepers wielding video and cell phones protected sleeping folks from a quartet of rangers. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ4Q7-ZUvw4

RISING DEMAND FOR POLICE REFORM
Both the Sentinel and an Indybay photographer covered the second Cop Corner protest by a small band of HUFFsters and their allies demanding release of the SCPD audio and video of their still anonymous officer(s) killing the mentally disabled Sean Arlt last month. See http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/social-affairs/20161110/santa-cruz-protesters-call-for-full-disclosure-in-sean-arlt-shooting and https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/11/11/18793373.php.

A third protest demanding full disclosure and an end to abusive police practices will be held Saturday November 19 1:30 PM at the Town Clock.

AUDIO REPORTING
Audio visits to the Freedom SleepOuts and street interviews are a regular feature of Bathrovbespierre’s Broadsides, Robert Norse’s twice-weekly Free Radio Santa Cruz [FRSC] show at freakradio.org. Past shows are archived at http://radiolibre.org/brb/index.html . As of last Friday, FRSC lost its transmitter site and is searching for a new one. See https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/11/11/18793387.php .

OUT OF TOWN UPDATES
The Oakland encampment struggle goes on. See http://www.thestreetspirit.org/oaklands-evictions-of-encampments-hurts-everyone/ & http://www.thestreetspirit.org/making-a-home-in-an-oakland-encampment/ .

Berkeley updates can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, courts are throwing out thousands of “quality-of-life” harassment tickets–while Santa Cruz resists even the most basic (“End the Sleeping Ban”) reforms. See http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/SF-courts-ignoring-thousands-of-quality-of-life-10611766.php?t=e587d6e560&cmpid=email-premium .

Street Spirit, a homeless newspaper, is regularly available at the Sub Rosa Cafe and from those selling it around town.