Berkeley’s City Council recently passed anti-homeless laws (see “Letter to Berkeley: You Are Being Scammed by Your City Council.” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/11/25/18780349.php).

In response community supporters of the unhoused (both those living outside and those sleeping indoors) formed Liberty City outside Berkeley’s City Hall for two weeks until driven away by armed police. (See Carol Denney’s satirical treatment of the fencing off of the area on p. 1 of the January issue of the Pepper Spray Times at http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/pdfs/pst-01-01-16.pdf ).

Berkeley activists familiar with this controversy have agreed to speak on the issue of Urban Shield–a police-bolstering program that they say is being used to terrorize homeless folks in Berkeley. The event is scheduled for 6 PM in front of the City Hall chambers.

BAD WEATHER REQUIRES STRONG ACTION
With rains slated throughout the week, Toby has put out a call for tents, tarps, blankets, cups, and bowls as well as other forms of support (food, hot drinks, video/audio,).

Folks will be sheltering themselves under the eaves of the City Hall buildings. At 10 PM, when that activity becomes “illegal”, protest participants will decide where to go to stay dry and warm.

MAYOR MATHEWS’ MEAN MENU
Mayor Cynthia Mathews declined to support opening empty public buildings, even simple warming centers staffed by volunteers. Other nearby cities such as San Jose have not only opened warming centers, but are discussing supporting actual encampments in the face of predicted harsh El Nino winter weather.

Mathews earned notoriety in 2009 for her costly attacks on Calvary Episcopal pastor Joel Miller for his once-a-week meal program at the Red Church. The Monday evening meal–which Miller still provides–happens across from property Mathews owns between the Nickelodeon and Jack’s Hamburgers on Lincoln St.

Her campaign to defrock Pastor Miller cost him tens of thousands of dollars, but was ultimately turned back. See “Cynthia Mathews–Scrooge for the Season” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/12/24/18667496.php

She has been a leading voice in pushing anti-homeless actions ranging from Move-Along laws, Permit-Only parking, support for the anti-homeless Sleeping Ban, police-initiated Stay-Away orders, and the latest “no parking for homeless RV’s” law passed this fall.

LANE’S LAW CHANGES MAY SEE LIGHT OF DAY SOON
Councilmember Don Lane’s proposed removal of some sections of the Sleeping Ban from the Camping Ordinance are slated to be unveiled Monday January 4th, according to privileged insiders who were graced with an audience last week.

These reportedly include excluding sleeping at night on public property, under a structure, or under a blanket–unless you’re in your car when it may remain “illegal”.

Lane’s initial discussion of this issue began in October at http://www.facebook.com/Don.Lane.SC/posts/1039891709365296 . He has made no further public pronouncements since.

RELATED STORIES
“Homeless Activists Maintain Protests, Continue to Sleep at Santa Cruz City Hall” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/01/02/18781397.php
“Cold Sidewalk & Warm Spirits: Freedom SleepOut #25” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/12/28/18781280.php
“Driving Out the Mosquitoes: Making Homelessness Illegal” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/01/03/18781448.php
“Council Member Cynthia Chase Refuses Dialogue on Homeless Voting Record” at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/01/02/18781386.php

Toby Nixon’s Homeless Advocacy and Action Coalition facebook page is at http://www.facebook.com/Hoacad/?fref=ts .

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
Free Radio Santa Cruz talkshow host John Malkin will be doing a guest hosting KZSC (88.1 FM) Wednesday night on John Sandidge’s Talkabout show where the 7-7:45 PM topic will be the Sleeping Ban. Call-in at 831-459-4036.

STRATEGY MEETING
Freedom Sleepers will have a preprotest public meeting on the sidewalk outside City Hall at 809 Center St. (On Center between Church and Walnut) at 4 PM before the Tuesday protest. Alternate strategies involving flooding the offices of abusive City departments may be the focus of daytime demos.

SLEEPING BAN REFORM?
Former mayor Don Lane will reportedly be announcing language to amend the Sleeping Ban on January 4th. Preliminary reports suggest that amnesty, reparations, and the right to sleep in one’s legally parked vehicle will not be a part of the reform.

CALL ‘EM UP AND DRESS ‘EM DOWN!
Contact Councilmembers to demand changes:
420-5023: David Terrazas
420-5022: Don Lane
420-5024: Pamela Comstock
420-5025: Richelle Niroyan
420-5026: Cynthia Chase
420-5027: Mayor Cynthia Mathews
420-5028: Micah Posner

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
In an earlier (2010) move to crush homeless protest, the City “closed” City Hall grounds after 10 PM. Police repeatedly gave unconstitutional citations for this “offense” in the last six months, which some of us are challenging in court.

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/newsitems/2015/09/22/18777951.php

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/newsitems/2015/12/09/18780826.php.

ADDITIONAL INFO AND RESOURCES
Bring your own warm clothing. Donations of food, clothing, tents, blankets, and sleeping bags are welcome. Even brief visits can cheer the hearts of the Freedom Sleepers–who are now almost entirely unhoused–the earlier housed activists having retreated indoors for the winter.

Toby Nixon will be livestreaming some of the event. More info about his Homeless Advocacy and Action Coalition (HAAC) at http://www.facebook.com/Hoacad/?fref=photo .

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/warmingcenter/ .

This posting was written by Robert Norse. I encourage any additions or corrections.

Under the state “Open Meetings” Brown Act, the Council’s chowdown at the Palomar where all the Council is gathering is required to be open to the public. Freedom Sleeper activists will be on the sidewalk to invite the public to sign petitions and volunteer lists as well as speak to the Councilmembers informally on survival issues for those outside.

The “Feed the Fat; Freeze the Poor” event will follow likely passage of a final reading of two harsh anti-homeless laws attacking those whose housing is an RV.

GOOD MEAL FOLLOWS BAD LAWS
The two laws criminalize RV parking in Santa Cruz from 8 PM to 8 AM (Item #20) and empower the traffic engineer to eliminate all larger-than-car-sized parking spots throughout the City (Item #17).

Away on vacation until its return January 12th after this meeting, City Council has refused to authorize opening of public buildings during the winter, nor to join a county task force regarding safety for unhoused women recommended by its own Commission for the Prevention of Violence to Women.

Offers to place the City’s anti-homeless Sleeping Ban on the agenda made this summer by Councilmember Posner and (inferentially) Mayor Lane have not been carried out. Sleeping at night after 11 PM on any public property or in your vehicle remains a $159 crime as does being in any park at ngiht.

BERKELEY’S FREEDOM SLEEPER-INSPIRED PROTEST VOWS RETURN
“Liberty City” is the 20 day homeless protest outside Berkeley’s Old City Hall demanding restoration of civil rights for its unhoused community. It suffered three arrests on December 4th. Its 50 participants reportedly retained their tents and withdrew anticipating a return this week perhaps as a local Nativity scene.

The night-by-night protest served as a model showing unhoused folks could peacefully run a protest camp (and by extension a longer-term survival encampment).

See http://www.contracostatimes.com/my-town/ci_29207421/berkeley-liberty-city-occupiers-vow-return

Free Radio interviews with Berkeley activists Michael Lee and Carol Denney are at http://radiolibre.org/brb/brb151206.mp3

LAWYERS & ACTIVIST HUDDLE TO DISCUSS LEGAL CHALLENGES & FURTHER WINTER PROTESTS
On December 13th 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Freedom Sleepers will present Tristia Beauman, Senior Attorney for the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty [NLCHP], homeless San Jose “Jungle” survivor Robert Aguirre, and Food Not Bombs co-founder Keith McHenry.

They will discuss strategies for fighting laws and police practices that seize homeless property and steal homeless sleep. The NLCHP is reportedly considering supporting lawsuits in California challenging Sleeping Bans which the Department of Justice has declared are “cruel and unusual punishment.”

SAN JOSE REPORTS A HYPOTHERMIA HOMELESS DEATH
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Jose-Homeless-Man-Apparently-Freezes-to-Death-360638051.html

Background: http://www.nationaljournal.com/s/51970 “How Silicon Valley Created America’s Largest Homeless Camp ”

AT THE PROTEST
Light snacks and coffee will be available at various times throughout the night. We encourage donations of food and clothing.

There will be no portapotty on the site, nor have the Mayor and City Manager agreed to open the bathrooms at City Hall. But there is a 24-hour bathroom at the Soquel Avenue garage across from New Leaf Market naar Pacific Avenue.

USE YOUR PHONES TO AUDIO/VIDEO–OR MAKE VERBAL REPORTS
We encourage those harassed by the police or security guards before, during, or after the protest to file a verbal report at 423-4833.

At last report, police had still not returned survival gear and personal medicine taken from Enrique Oriarti or Michael Knox at two previous events.