{"id":3394,"date":"2018-09-01T01:42:16","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T01:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/?p=3394"},"modified":"2018-09-01T01:42:16","modified_gmt":"2018-09-01T01:42:16","slug":"santa-cruz-must-fight-the-reddings-anti-homeless-reactionary-riptide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/santa-cruz-must-fight-the-reddings-anti-homeless-reactionary-riptide\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Cruz Must Fight the Redding&#8217;s Anti-Homeless Reactionary Riptide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">NOTES BY NORSE:\u00a0 The cautionary tale of Redding&#8217;s attack on the homeless is a strong reason why <\/span><i><\/i><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship &amp; Freedom) <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">and <\/span><i><\/i><b><i><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">Conscience &amp; Action <\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">are putting so much energy into the demand that the Louden Nelson bathrooms be reopened.\u00a0 Their closing in March by<b> Iseth Rae<\/b>, the <i><\/i><b><i>Louden Nelson Community Center <\/i><i>[LNCC]<\/i><\/b> Supervisor is only one of a variety of anti-homeless actions taken at Louden, many without public discussion or notice, including the costly wrong-iron fence around adjacent Laurel Park, the sudden designation of LNCC as a de facto privatized &#8220;cafe&#8221;, the presence of a taser-armed <i><\/i><b><i>Parks and Recreation<\/i><\/b> heavy &#8220;patrolling&#8221; the area, new rules threatening &#8220;unattended property&#8221;, and, of course, the placement of a lock on the bathrooms and the restriction of use to &#8220;patrons of scheduled activities&#8221; (not including those using the park except children). <i><\/i><b><i>Star of the Sea<\/i><\/b> park has also been fenced.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<wbr \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In spite of contrary claims by some misinformed or homeless-hostile community members, an ordinary community member can no longer get bathroom access. \u00a0\u00a0 One older woman tried to do so last week and was turned away.\u00a0 Her experience was audioed and is available at <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk74230\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/lost\/1%20FRSC%208-30-18.mp3\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/lost\/1%2520FRSC%25208-30-18.mp3&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqRwiDhHqJS104nfTESvYt_Lzrzw\"> http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/lost\/<wbr \/>1%20FRSC%208-30-18.mp3<\/a> [6 minutes into the audio file]. \u00a0 E<span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">ven if disabled, sick, or elderly, unless they are attending a scheduled function, according to local activist <b>Phil Posner<\/b>.\u00a0 Even Seniors who regularly use the Senior meal have complained&#8211;to no avail&#8211;of difficulties using the facility (which is not available to them unless they arrive outside the lunchtime period.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<wbr \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><i><b>HUFF<\/b>\u00a0 <\/i>and <i><b>Conscience in Action\u00a0<\/b> <\/i>activists will be tabling downtown this Sunday and planning a City Hall event in September to mobilize support to reopen the bathrooms and speak out against the other anti-homeless measures being taken&#8211;most notoriously, the shutdown of all walk-in emergency Winter Shelter voted by City Council at the August 28 Council meeting.\u00a0 (Instead the Council voted to add 20 tents to the River St. Campground, a number of beds to the Paul Lee loft, and support a vehicular resident &#8220;gone by dawn&#8221; parking program at the edge of the City.)\u00a0 This at the same time as the City announces it expect to receive a significant chunk of the $30 million being appropriated by Sacramento for homeless needs.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<wbr \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meanwhile <b>Brent Adam<\/b>s free and &#8220;come one, come all&#8221; <b>Day\/Night Storage<\/b> program is proceeding without any city help, funding, or alternatives.\u00a0 And, as usual, the vast majority of homeless people remain outside, illegal, and under regular threat of harassment, ticketing, arrest, and property confiscation by <b>SCPD, Parks and Rec, <\/b>and the various &#8220;security&#8221; thugs hired by business groups and their government enablers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<wbr \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<i><\/i><b><i> Food Not Bombs<\/i><\/b> activist <b>Keith McHenry <\/b>is still being denied every a permit process for setting up a privately funded portapotty, which is organization has agreed to sponsor&#8211;as has the ACLU and the UN Association, according to <i><\/i><b><i>Homeless Persons Legal Assistance<\/i><\/b> project worker <b>Steve Pleich<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<wbr \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\">\n<p style=\"margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\">\n<h1 class=\"m_202261716397336969post-title\">Down and Out in South City Park<\/h1>\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969post-byline\">\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969ANC2015-byline\">By <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk661266\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" title=\"Posts by R.V. Scheide\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/author\/r-v-scheide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"author\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/author\/r-v-scheide\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEsKplhoPCvPYForgQznP-zH2z4RQ\"> R.V. Scheide<\/a> July 24, 2018 <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk60719\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/07\/24\/redding\/down-and-out-in-south-city-park\/#comments\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/07\/24\/redding\/down-and-out-in-south-city-park\/%23comments&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGkIsWE_qKYnDC4LWoVxi-9ehuuPw\">64<\/a> <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk505499\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" title=\"Printer friendly\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/07\/24\/redding\/down-and-out-in-south-city-park\/print\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/07\/24\/redding\/down-and-out-in-south-city-park\/print\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE8tUvv9tzoJ1bVqvrAZfmixmlfmg\"><img class=\"m_202261716397336969WP-PrintIcon CToWUd\" title=\"Printer friendly\" src=\"https:\/\/ci5.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/1lFWnw_sNLkU47FWCxQXwfwX5UjPjuLpBE3afmoewGLDsXfSDA6M-4y3DS3vGCCMYmIMPlqpPc1dY2adJkhIn6YbjgtE_3_30he9eNFwdOVlg32lbCgaVBkoRAPpuDZhLC6ssA=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-print\/images\/printer_famfamfam.gif\" alt=\"Printer friendly\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969entry-inner\">\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104951\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk497157\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity2.jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHzoTvOOFfimRvIqZ3hdNY9aKtoew\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104951 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci4.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/C8OPNpyi8PrOIenq3UxR0un2-5tdygUpW793ITfWxzkgu9o69R9wNm9XABIYALn7loLifNkaLsmP9Q056_0KYJlGcN93Itwji0LiRbgrrOjp_gowST8cqc4lrhhr=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity2-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci4.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/mrAclmm03w5VSiO-mKI1IlJhZOutevE4qQBe-TUjKc-fH4ploF7k8unuOd1eT_hzCYyacYDcN-CJR6vodAMLwerBUPE6nCl9VgGkDtImY0iccZNZIw=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104951\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">Photos by R.V. Scheide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whenever you hear Redding city officials say their latest proposal to fight transient crime doesn\u2019t target the homeless population, rest assured, it targets the homeless population. Such is the case with the eight-foot-high wrought-iron fence soon to be erected around South City Park.<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s attention on the park, long known as a haven for alcoholics, drug addicts and other assorted drifters\u2014including homeless people just down on their luck\u2014increased a couple of months ago, after former Redding mayor <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk294414\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/krcrtv.com\/news\/shasta-county\/chief-moore-its-time-for-people-to-be-held-accountable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/krcrtv.com\/news\/shasta-county\/chief-moore-its-time-for-people-to-be-held-accountable&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHj9vCplKtz_9jobqZSXgU3FRU_jA\"> Rick Bosetti<\/a> was assaulted by a transient woman near Tiger Field, which sits adjacent to South City Park and the Redding Library.<\/p>\n<p>Bosetti, a former professional baseball player, is general manager of the Colt 45s, Redding\u2019s minor league baseball team, which plays its home games at Tiger Field. Obviously, the present conditions in the park aren\u2019t exactly conducive to taking the family out to the ball game, and the community effort to \u201cscour\u201d the criminal riff-raff out and \u201creprogram\u201d the park began in earnest.<\/p>\n<p>The park\u2019s drinking fountain has been shut off and the public restrooms are now cordoned off with a chain-link fence. At night, the sprinklers are turned on to drive illegal campers out of the park. The amount of personal belongings transients can carry into the park was limited to one trash bag full. The Redding Police Department has conducted several \u201cquality of life sweeps\u201d in the park in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the transient population continues to swarm the park in the daytime. The reality is they\u2019ve been chased out of pretty much every place else. South City Park is one of the few places they have left to go, a small island of shade to ward of Redding\u2019s brutal summer heat. The nearby library has water and restrooms. If anything, transients, criminal or otherwise, are adaptive.<\/p>\n<p>So the <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk246359\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/krcrtv.com\/news\/local\/city-council-agrees-to-fence-off-south-city-park-a-short-term-solution-for-a-big-problem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/krcrtv.com\/news\/local\/city-council-agrees-to-fence-off-south-city-park-a-short-term-solution-for-a-big-problem&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF7RJvs1p9cXOAc1hDRu7iC2KmKbA\"> Redding City Council<\/a> voted unanimously to fence them all out of the park, once again assuring the public the proposal doesn\u2019t target the homeless.<\/p>\n<p>Which of course is untrue.<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104952\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 430px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk774692\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/George.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/George.jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904536000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFjZCfrOPcTNbDQNqEDQ7z7PsNPrQ\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-full m_202261716397336969wp-image-104952 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci6.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/SkEGNbRbynjle3qbfmtqpaU9OU4FhUdCRS5bcsXSc1th3i3pE7IxL_tpuefMOgpFYaw5OFpzgYSLDXCbyduXVcrfD1ZjQSO3peaNr25iAD7g=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/George.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"367\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci6.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/SkEGNbRbynjle3qbfmtqpaU9OU4FhUdCRS5bcsXSc1th3i3pE7IxL_tpuefMOgpFYaw5OFpzgYSLDXCbyduXVcrfD1ZjQSO3peaNr25iAD7g=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/George.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104952\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 430px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">George Koen, formerly homeless homeless advocate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>My Friend George<\/h5>\n<p>George Koen was irate. On June 1, the Redding Library began requiring photo ID to use its public computers. For him, the move was yet another indignity on the long list of indignities visited upon the local homeless community by public officials during the past three years.<\/p>\n<p>Koen is the self-styled homeless advocate who A News Cafe publisher <a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk436223\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/03\/16\/redding\/homeless-in-redding-quit-with-the-generalizations-and-assumptions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/2018\/03\/16\/redding\/homeless-in-redding-quit-with-the-generalizations-and-assumptions\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEzEmMfsXOtRKHYaPReLkmSjhYWbg\"> Doni Chamberlain interviewed<\/a> last March. At the time, Koen was homeless himself, but he\u2019s since refurbished an old motor home and acquired a temporary house-sitting gig. I\u2019d been Facebook friends with the erudite South African native for roughly a year without realizing his predicament.<\/p>\n<p>Last Friday morning, Koen reached out to me on Facebook Messenger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRV, can you not write an article on the treatment of the homeless? Now, unless you have a pic ID, you cannot use the computers at the library. Fuck man, it has to stop!!!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was intrigued. I live 30 miles east of Redding and I visit the Redding Library about once a month, to check out the latest bestsellers. We don\u2019t have a visible homeless problem out here in Whitmore, so I use my monthly visits to the library to gauge both the size and mood of the homeless community.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no secret homeless people frequent public libraries; a phenomenon that exists across the United States, and Redding is no exception. In many cities, it\u2019s one of the few public spaces the homeless remain welcome in.. For them, the public library computer is often their only connection to the real world, to friends and relatives, to prospective employers.<\/p>\n<p>Until recently, the Redding Library had generously allowed anyone to use the computers without an ID or a library card for one hour. Now it requires a photo ID, a document some homeless people don\u2019t possess.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s up with that? I wondered. I told Koen, who was preparing to serve lunch to the denizens of South City Park, that I\u2019d be right down.<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104953\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk792787\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity1.jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFTXUu7x2MSb7MPg77PdoCXNIxckw\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104953 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/OMvFHosFmflM3uM9T2PKy77fVshstLTcxqykHnTk17C88B8qVjRSY1Gk_yEp4_ysrvqttR113TIzPu-l_3h_b9ht-lWoC4YHEoSJ97-DeVJjHBt8mp9ILoPkTJ_3=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity1-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci6.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/QnKWtT67ZF5EsFhscZWUoTwLCGCHHR7vwDMCRh9wypblRMMpezJdpzFietbFZWRvFcgPelouL-59G95TZDxXHlTCTXos5wA-aYlIgqibzneRjLGCAg=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/southcity1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104953\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">The crowd gathered for lunch at South City Park.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Feeding Time<\/h5>\n<p>When I arrived at South City Park, Koen had a table set up in front of his RV and was ladling huge dollops of hearty-looking vegetable beef and barley stew from a 5-gallon stock pot into the bowls of the waiting transients.. Sliced bread and chilled bottled water was also available. Koen was standing in for his friend, Ginny Adorador, who normally does the\u00a0<span class=\"m_202261716397336969aBn\"><span class=\"m_202261716397336969aQJ\">Friday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0feeding but had to attend a wedding.<\/p>\n<p>There were about 75 people in the park, mostly Caucasian, divided into a half-dozen separate groups, sitting upright or sprawled out on the well-worn grass beneath the trees. Bicycles, wheel chairs, backpacks and trash-bags full of belongings circled around them like wagons in an old movie Western.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no sugar-coating it: There\u2019s some rough customers hanging out in South City Park. Young men in their 20s and 30s with the strung-out gaunt appearance that accompanies methamphetamine and heroin abuse. Mangy, wired lions waiting to prey upon the non-criminal members of the transient community, the old, the disabled and the mentally ill.<\/p>\n<p>Are they the minority or the majority of the people in the park, these rough customers? On this day, it was hard to tell, perhaps because every one on hand was well-fed and relatively sedate. At any rate, Koen is most concerned with the people in the park who are not criminals. In his view, they\u2019re unfairly being lumped in with the criminal element. He\u2019s even come up for an acronym for it: AGE.<\/p>\n<p>That stands for <em>assumptions<\/em>, <em>generalizations<\/em> and <em>exaggerations,<\/em> the process by which Koen believes homeless people are being demonized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are unsightly of course,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe are all drug addicts and criminals. I appreciate the nastiness that does happen down here. It never used to be so prevalent. This really started when the younger tweakers and heroin users started moving in around the beginning of the year. Before that there was simply pot and alcohol. I, therefore, do understand where the city of Redding is coming from. The majority of us steer clear of trouble or confrontation with RPD, and they know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To Koen, the library\u2019s photo ID requirement is just another brick in the wall that excludes the homeless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen one considers the history of the last three or so years, and remains aware of the fact that we are all capable of paranoia, it really is blatant that this is simply another means to isolate all homeless on the basis of bad behavior by a few,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104954\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk95657\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dorothy.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dorothy.jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEoIXGHpVuwGpZwl1lu4iR3FISrMw\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104954 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci5.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/Tuj26R-0n1aBMqJFip_q8TL_uOdqJbWGJhTUwzcQ0zAXIjx-DBfoHpGbk-cQQA6MdlmnAE8IR_uNleZF4xXoBDhZpSag38_y9f77aJckKZ4Ga3Y4io1m1K0w=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dorothy-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci5.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/N7_iqBFkgK_1h6o0L3zBg8EDciU4rkSaI64nqZqfoAL_hwg56YlwSX8pI2X1cHeNXX78_jJN-5_BiiUeG22tkyPB4jzTl_pDBijasbSm9Nk0cg=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Dorothy.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104954\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">Dorothy Bluetear has been homeless in Redding for the past four years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Introducing Some Real Homeless People<\/h5>\n<p>To demonstrate his point, Koen arranged interviews for me with several homeless individuals in the park he felt comfortable enough to vouch for. I appreciated his efforts. There\u2019s a large component of mentally ill individuals in the homeless population that makes obtaining reliable information difficult, and Koen knows this community much better than I.<\/p>\n<p>Dorothy Bluetear, 55, said she was born in Los Angeles and eventually moved to Oregon, where she was married for 17 years and raised five kids. She got divorced four years ago and moved to Redding, where her sister and niece reside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re not wealthy, but they help me out from time to time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Like a lot of homeless people, Bluetear\u2019s descent into homelessness began by sleeping in her car. She said she receives $200 per month in alimony and also receives food stamps. In March, she had to give up the car because she could no longer afford to operate it. She\u2019s been on foot since then.<\/p>\n<p>On this 100-degree day, she had a spot staked out with an umbrella and a tarp next to a chain-link fence on the park\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have food stamps. I have all my stuff here and two cats,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>No felines seemed to be about. I asked her why her marriage had fallen apart. She shrugged and said it had become a mentally abusive relationship. Where were her five children?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re all grown up, living in Southern California,\u201d was all she offered. She assigned no blame, not even to herself. She seemed reconciled with past events and more focused on where she was going to lay her head that night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest problem in Redding is you don\u2019t have a place where you can stay, where you can sleep, that you won\u2019t be bothered by the police,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Bluetear claimed she\u2019s been ticketed by RPD five times in the past year during RPD\u2019s \u201cquality of life\u201d sweeps. \u201cWhat about my quality of life?\u201d she asked. \u201cThey lower my quality so they can improve their quality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I later searched the Shasta County Superior Court\u2019s online criminal case database and found only one citation, for a Dorothy Lee Bluetear, during the past two years. The charge was a minor misdemeanor that took place June 1 that may have involved her automobile. The case seems to be stalled. Oddly, no plaintiff is named in the record.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps that\u2019s because Bluetear is who she appears to be: Someone\u2019s grandmother who just happens to be homeless. She\u2019s grateful employees at nearby coffee shops will give homeless people water, even hot water for soup, if they bring their own cup. She has the grimy patina all street people eventually acquire, but exhibits no overt signs of alcoholism, drug addiction or mental illness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople in houses do crimes and drugs,\u201d she said. \u201cJust because you\u2019re homeless doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s disappointed with the city council\u2019s decision to fence the park off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a semi-safe place,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to say there aren\u2019t some bad people out here. But I\u2019ve seen more needles outside the park than inside the park.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104955\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk697078\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mike.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mike.jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHM7Ch1E-N6Xebx8U0ejZXke9BxBw\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104955 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/1av840-P_6FYlAApPncOmJZtR_iIn4beqn47BD4QCZy5ee20qlv2FiQExwJvnCXon_2zpBoaNGol2mnAjbmrjRwHEg-BImbc-oRRFFWabXNfaCrj4goe=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mike-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/LzjFLR635svk6Swv-g1g0KDNNauK7y8MrfkBQyDPB_he074nA5plKrudVAvUK1pnpYne5i2uSPt7XDgCm_dFZ36bl5-YNQgKFeSfGlaSfg=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mike.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104955\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">Mike Pyle was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and has been homeless ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>\u201cThe Toughest Town I\u2019ve Ever Been In\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>Mike Pyle, 59, has had enough of Redding. He\u2019s moving on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI came down here from Roseburg seven months ago for back surgery,\u201d he said, sitting inside Koen\u2019s sweltering motor home. \u201cIt was the worst mistake I\u2019ve ever made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pyle said he was diagnosed with renal carcinoma in 2004. He lost a kidney and his job and has been homeless ever since. The cancer recently returned and he was scheduled to begin treatment at Mercy Medical Center. Nevertheless, he\u2019s decided to pull up stakes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been homeless since 2004 when I came down with cancer,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in every city up and down the West Coast, and this is the toughest town I\u2019ve ever been in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNinety percent of the people aren\u2019t down here, so they think we\u2019re all thugs, criminals and thieves,\u201d he continued. \u201cI can\u2019t really blame them; they go off what they read in the paper. There\u2019s not a lot of love for people in my situation in this town. It\u2019s a stigma. I go out of my way to keep my homelessness hidden from my doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pyle\u2019s monthly disability check isn\u2019t enough to pay the rent, so he\u2019s been forced to seek out roommates during his stay in Redding. It hasn\u2019t worked out well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve rented rooms in three houses, and all three times it blew up in my face,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve had trouble finding stable roommates. It\u2019s easier to be camping outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not that camping outside is necessarily safer. Pyle said he\u2019s been assaulted several times by the gangs of tweakers and heroin addicts that victimize the older, more vulnerable members of the homeless population. He can still walk, but he now uses a wheel chair to get around, loading it up with his personal belongings and pushing it blocks across town to doctor\u2019s appointments.<\/p>\n<p>On Aug. 2, he\u2019s heading north to Bellingham, Washington, where he has a lead on a housing opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings are tough all over,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m lucky I get a check and can afford to move off. It\u2019s all good. I\u2019m 59, I\u2019ve had a good life. I\u2019ve lived a lot longer than a lot of my friends. My eyes are still open. I\u2019m still kicking it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104956\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk981866\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mek..jpg\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mek..jpg&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGVFZU_oIP7AEVTkqUSs9LYx-B1kg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104956 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci5.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/-BYLyEIXak4a6yoM20Fr5GT2EtFnggY8BrpbP52h_r32MsUgUK5VhViggH50BCDKeruAFGTNNjX6r4MYmAGeSpn-5hH3bliOT4M3DI3JoQUf0z80ZWU=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mek-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/PI0-x_xzdo1BNCGP4kc8GfQ9ggPFYNco5c0wJynsrz5hJQxdA0aRVlZQFeVL1nyG6ds0x-zNwG2QsKqHKs8iJWuMVelsaxf-EEnrtcIJ=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Mek.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104956\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">Mekaela Knodt has been homeless in Redding since 2013.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>Struggling With Mental Illness<\/h5>\n<p>Mekaela Knodt, 42, moved to Redding from Manteca 13 years ago. She was making ends meet until the Great Recession came along.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight after the economy crashed, Redding was one of the hardest hit,\u201d she said. \u201cI lost my apartment, I lost my job, I ended up homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Knodt described her situation as \u201cunique,\u201d and it is. She said she\u2019s been diagnosed with complex PTSD and has battled mental health issues most of her adult life. She said her troubles began when she ran away from home at age 12.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was put in a psych ward for kids,\u201d she said. \u201cA male nurse drugged and raped me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been unable to confirm this sexual abuse actually happened, but there\u2019s no question Knodt believes it did. \u00a0She\u2019s developed a<b>\u00a0<\/b>distrust\u00a0of mental health professionals and social service agencies that precludes her from getting the help she needs.<\/p>\n<p>It was hard to fathom at first, but this intelligent, well-spoken woman in a clean summer dress readily admitted she\u2019s known locally as a \u201ctrouble-maker.\u201d She claimed she blew the whistle on one clinic for releasing her medical information to a known sex offender. She alleged her father and step-mother suggest she should consider physician-assisted suicide. Because she failed to pay a\u00a0disputed medical bill, she lost her HUD voucher and a chance for permanent housing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t use anything that\u2019s in the system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Like Dorothy Bluetear, Knodt lived out of her car for as long as she could when she first became homeless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father got me a vehicle, but I really couldn\u2019t afford it,\u201d she said. \u201cThe reason for that is I just can\u2019t get a good enough job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she lost her last job because she couldn\u2019t raise enough gas money to get to work. She was forced to give up the car four years ago and has been on the streets every since.<\/p>\n<p>On May 31, Knodt was dozing during the daytime in Caldwell Park when an RPD \u201cquality of life\u201d sweep came through. Knodt said she impulsively snatched the ticket book out of a police officer\u2019s hand so she could \u201cread the ticket better.\u201d She was charged with a criminal misdemeanor and spent the night in jail, which I later confirmed in the Shasta County Superior Court criminal case database.<\/p>\n<p>She said she was looking forward to her arraignment in court on Aug. 6 so she can finally tell her story to someone who will listen.<\/p>\n<p>Because she doesn\u2019t have a cell phone, Knodt regularly uses the library computers to connect to the internet and noticed right away after the rules requiring a photo ID were implemented in June.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have to use the library computer, email is the only way I can communicate with friends and employers because I don\u2019t have a phone,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a driver\u2019s license, but I asked for the library\u2019s copy of the new rules. They\u2019re changing our policy, I have a right to know!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mike Pyle, soon to be on his way out of town, didn\u2019t have much to say about the library\u2019s new rule. Dorothy Bluetear uses her \u201cObama phone\u201d to surf the net and doesn\u2019t use the library\u2019s computers, but she harrumphed all the same when I asked her about it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next thing you know, that I can imagine, is if you want to sit and read a book, you\u2019re going to have to have ID,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104957\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\"><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk599858\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ParkMap.png\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ParkMap.png&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFZpGc0K0GhdLPKauahDOqOaNBbXQ\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"m_202261716397336969size-large m_202261716397336969wp-image-104957 CToWUd\" src=\"https:\/\/ci4.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/KguWuLvCa274_FMcVyh8RffrBlMO6zLlVOJ01l0jes3QojibJ5te8dYKbKoL0UNn-S1x2H2D6ALPiSAk_3dhc_kchXxFKMZpz_tbMG4I4-g5OIukHmaAToZe=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ParkMap-600x602.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"602\" \/><\/a><img class=\"CToWUd a6T\" style=\"max-width: 99.9%;\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci5.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/3_vTDeD3G5MwGQX91x-u0jeSNFkK_2tHYzRrXNd4Dxbo02YhYWceC_GnE25SlTzZqeXFLXuh3B7cuL73rTVRFm8tua5_ognjJYSf-mFzKvWu7Q=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/ParkMap.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969entry-inner\">\n<div id=\"m_202261716397336969attachment_104957\" class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption m_202261716397336969aligncenter\" style=\"width: 610px;\">\n<p class=\"m_202261716397336969wp-caption-text\">South City Park sits adjacent to the Redding Library and Tiger Field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h5>The Housed And The Homeless<\/h5>\n<p>That won\u2019t be the case, according to Tom Ramont, outreach and marketing coordinator for Shasta Public Libraries. He insisted the new rule requiring photo ID to use the library\u2019s computers doesn\u2019t target the homeless community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re still allowed to use the library,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can come here to cool off in the summer and they can come here to keep warm in the winter. If they\u2019re following the rules, homeless or housed, they\u2019re welcome at the library.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramont said the new rule was implemented because some people among the library\u2019s 2 million annual visitors do break the library\u2019s policies. They yell and curse at library employees. They walk away with books without checking them out. Often, when the library attempts to ban them for their behavior, they give a false name, making the ban difficult to enforce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had talked to community stakeholders, and this is just another way of enforcing our policies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Although Ramont cited no specific criminal or behavioral problems related to use of the library\u2019s computers, he said requiring a photo ID for their usage enables the library to get the actual names of people, should they wind up causing some sort of future disturbance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not the first library to do this,\u201d he said. \u201cLibraries across the country are doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk553042\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/themillions.com\/2017\/10\/whats-a-library-to-do-on-homelessness-and-public-spaces.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/themillions.com\/2017\/10\/whats-a-library-to-do-on-homelessness-and-public-spaces.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBhf8M7T7Tny8Yd6iCt7niGNak8g\">Which is true<\/a>.. But it still sounds an awful lot like the library is targeting the homeless community, who are more likely to not have photo ID compared to the general population.<\/p>\n<p>For George Koen, the library\u2019s new rule further validates his AGE theory. The library is assuming, generalizing and exaggerating the behavior of the criminal transient community at the expense of people whose only crime is not being able to make it on their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we as a culture determine it is acceptable to hate a certain group in our society, we are doomed to repeat our darkest moments in history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the corner that Koen fears we\u2019ve turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst we lose toilets, then access to water, now we have the fence coming in,\u201d he said. When he found out the library was requiring photo ID, he \u201cdecided if my homeless buds cannot use the computers, in solidarity, I will not use them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most of the homeless people I interviewed at South City Park were more concerned with the coming fence than the library\u2019s new rule on computer usage. They understand they\u2019re being ejected from the park so normal people &#8212; the housed community &#8212; can enjoy a night at the baseball game. Some of them are bitter about it. I asked Koen where they\u2019ll go after the fence goes up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat has not been decided,\u201d he said. \u201cSome speak of the river, Sundial, Diestelhorst. Some speak of City Hall, front and back. Honestly, these things tend to sort themselves out. I suspect and am hoping that the wheat will be sorted from the chaff. Also, think shade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Editor&#8217;s note: Beginning Thurs. July 26, all aNewsCafe.com&#8217;s lead stories, including R.V. Scheide&#8217;s columns, such as the one here today, will be available for paid subscribers only. The remainder of aNewscafe.com will remain free for everyone to read.\u00a0<a id=\"m_202261716397336969LPlnk62132\" class=\"m_202261716397336969OWAAutoLink\" href=\"https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/contribute-to-anewscafe\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/contribute-to-anewscafe\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1535849904537000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEXOtDEgNCzFpIWN9cKX5N6t3_wdg\"> Click here to subscribe.<\/a> Thank you for your support of community journalism.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969author-biomug\">\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969author-mug\"><img class=\"m_202261716397336969avatar m_202261716397336969avatar- m_202261716397336969wp-user-avatar m_202261716397336969wp-user-avatar- m_202261716397336969alignnone m_202261716397336969photo CToWUd a6T\" tabindex=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/ci3.googleusercontent.com\/proxy\/ZU-VytfvhgaVHjGbiQOccVf2Drkb01VqlPNJicmswwIBSciRQgwublWHsTa0phPgr-0FP6K-lE_mBZjaE2ixdn9QrJUy_fN0pp9RHzqcpEC1n7I=s0-d-e1-ft#https:\/\/anewscafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_3100.jpg\" alt=\"R.V. Scheide\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969author-mug\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"m_202261716397336969author-description\">R.V. Scheide has been a northern California journalist for more than 20 years. He appreciates your comments and story ideas<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NOTES BY NORSE:\u00a0 The cautionary tale of Redding&#8217;s attack on the homeless is a strong reason why HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship &amp; Freedom) and Conscience &amp; Action are putting so much energy into the demand that the Louden Nelson &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/santa-cruz-must-fight-the-reddings-anti-homeless-reactionary-riptide\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[4],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3394"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3395,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3394\/revisions\/3395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}