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Salt Lake City a few years ago developed a media reputation for “curing homelessness” (Seehttp://www.sfgate.com/nation/
But this has been more recently disputed (See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
For Santa Cruz scene, authorities have a strange “cure”: To turn the issue upside down. The problem isn’t a steeply rising cost of living, housing for the rich, and discriminatory laws and enforcement policies against those outside. It’s the presence of the visible poor, particularly those trying to publicly protest at City Hall or provide client-run services outside the Post Office.
City Council members take no action to restore shelter and food services in the near term. They empower their City Mangler, that is, City Manager Martin Bernal, in his campaign to wall off and/or drive away homeless sleeping people. A recent closed door “Performance Evaluation” apparently found no problem with Bumcrush Bernal’s year-long record of harassment and public space removal around City Hall.
Instead of providing resources for unhoused folks outside who struggle nightly such as portapotties, garbage pick-up’s, and other basic needs, the Chase’s City Council sends out Rangers to steal homeless property, issue stay-away orders, and provide bogus “obstructing the sidewalk” citations.
Charlottesville may have its flashy Unite the Right torchlight parades and lethal looneys crashing into protesters; but Santa Cruz has institutionalized Hate against its poor, in discreetly dressed “Progressive”, “moderate”, or “smart solution” garb. The “poverty crime’ tickets just keep on a coming; and the phony “beautification” campaign rolls on.