| Title: | Taste the Tedium and Terror Tuesday at City Council’s Coronations and Chowdown |
| START DATE: | Tuesday December 11 |
| TIME: | 7:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Location Details: | |
| Outside City Council Chambers 809 Center St. | |
| Event Type: | Protest |
| City Council’s last meeting of the year traditionally features a series of speeches by outgoing Councilmembers and a second series by incoming ones. After that, the Council in the past has retired across the street to sample deserts and drinks. They have to invite the public because the Brown Act requires that when a majority of the Council gathers, the public needs to be there as well. In order to provide more dietary backbone to the frilly deserts usually offered at the Civic afterwards (also free traditionally), Jumbogumbo Joe Schultz has generously agreed to provide some hot sustaining soup.
The “Oral Communications” doghouse period will be at or near 5 PM, though presumably there’ll be opportunities to buttonhole Councilmembers while they munch at the Civic after the speeches sometime between 7:30 and 8:30. The flyer attached describes some of the issues the Council is ignoring throughout the winter while its police dutifully continue their Homeless Cleansing Campaign downtown. Additional Note: Consent Agenda Item #15 Locust Parking Garage Restroom Improvement plan intends to transform the current public restrooms there to semi-open ones similar to those at the Soquel Parking Garage across from New Leaf. Does anyone like the”police peep while you pee” bathrooms better? I sure don’t. This item is on the 3 PM Agenda for those interested. See the staff report at http://www3.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/cache/2/etwy1a55ylysjamcluwvj145/36691731207201208164690.PDF . Added to the calendar on Friday Dec 7th, 2012 8:18 AM |
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Import this event into your personal calendar.
Compliments of Jumbogumbo Joe Schultz of India Joze Restaurant
Tuesday 7 PM December 11th
Outside City Council Chambers 809 Center St.
Last Council Meeting of the Year Ignores Winter Shelter Emergency
Wander inside as the Old City Council pats itself on the back and the New City Council makes speeches and takes office. The Council then adjourns to warm beds until January 8th, leaving 90% of the homeless community without shelter and illegal if they make it themselves.
Pamela Comstock, Cynthia Mathews, and Micah Posner take office replacing Katherine Beiers, Tony Madrigal, and Ryan Coonerty during the evening session of City Council.
8-8:30 PM (time uncertain)
Civic Auditorium 307 Church St.
Schmooze with shady politicians & mangling media
Share coffee & snacks across the street in the Civic
Fight the Crackdown, Ticketing, & Property Seizures
Demand A Ceasefire in the Winter War Against the Homeless Community
Demand ACTION to increase shelter this winter, let homeless people legally shelter themselves somewhere, provide legal overnight park-and-sleep places for those in vehicles, and rein in abusive police officers and vigilante attacks.
When the Council takes NO ACTION…
Organize independently for survival and self-defense.
Don’t roll over for brutality and bigotry!
Bring Sleeping Bags, Blankets, Cameras, and Friends.
BRING BACK SANTA CRUZ
Flier by Norse of HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) 423-4833 http://www.huffsantacruz.org 309 Cedar PMB #14B S.C. 12-6-12
Comments (Hide Comments)
I’m planning to bring complaint forms to document the harassment and create at least paper consequences for some of the cops involved (and indirectly for the policies).
I’m also suggesting people use the time to speak out to each other, share contact information, and organize.
No guarantees anything will happen—but at least there’ll be food. It’s not really about the City Council at all, except it’s also true it’s their last meeting of the year, and they’re doing nothing, other than maintaining the same bad laws, policies, and personnel they’ve always had.
Plus, of course, the (outgoing) Mayor (Lane) had a “smart solution Summit” that made no mention of immediate emergency shelter, campgrounds, or safe parking spaces nor a let-up in the criminalization of the homeless for the overwhelming majority of homeless people in Santa Cruz. And there’ll be a 5 PM Public Safety (sic) Committee meeting on Monday the 17th to consider further harassment of the homeless in response to the needles-and-feces crowd. Oh, and the incoming Mayor (Bryant) hasn’t moved to press for any restoration of the SCPD discarded bikes being given to the Bike Church instead of the more upscale Bryant-spouse connected for-profit Bike Dojo. Or so I am reliably informed. (Bryant still refuses to make her Council e-mails public).
These are all matters than be discussed face-to-face with the Council gang as they munch out at the Civic.
I’ve confirmed with Lane that the feed in the Civic will be happening; incoming Councilman Micah Posner has extended a hearty welcome to homeless people and anyone else who wants to come.
I don’t advise people to file these complaints with any expectation of having one sustained. Rather they establish a record of what has happened (not available to the public unless you publicize your copy) and are available to defense attorneys in court cases that challenge the credibility or violence of officers. Last I heard, they remain in the files for 5 years.
Property owners for securing property seized by police have been expanded, according to Sara at 420-5800 X3. The hours are now Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM.