{"id":4514,"date":"2020-04-15T22:51:31","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T22:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/?p=4514"},"modified":"2020-04-15T22:52:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T22:52:00","slug":"huff-outreach-want-to-do-a-conference-call-today-or-tomorrow-support-sc-homeless-coalition-fnb-joint-activist-effort-as-city-leaders-promise-in-place-shelter-but-provide-none-for-those-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/huff-outreach-want-to-do-a-conference-call-today-or-tomorrow-support-sc-homeless-coalition-fnb-joint-activist-effort-as-city-leaders-promise-in-place-shelter-but-provide-none-for-those-outside\/","title":{"rendered":"HUFF outreach: Want to do a Conference Call today or tomorrow? Support SC Homeless Coalition &#038; FNB joint activist effort as City &#8220;leaders&#8221; promise in-place shelter but provide none for those outside. NO Noon Meeting Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The\n April 12 on-line Council ratification of City Mangler Martin Bernal&#8217;s \nproposals included nothing specific regarding those outside, other than \n&#8220;police discretion&#8221; not to\n ticket those in parks and sheltering-in-place, but no response to \nreports that police have been denying access to homeless gear and \nticketing some homeless folks trying to reach their campsites in the \nparks and\/or beaches.&nbsp;\n<br><br>\n\nThough the park\/beach ban supposedly \nlifts at midnight tonight, police &#8220;discretionary&#8221; power to ignore CDC \nguidelines is dangerous to the public physical health as well as\n to all our civil liberties.<br><br>\n\nThe quarantine fenced off areas around\n downtown (the so-called triage centers about which have not been much \ndiscussion) may serve as pens once the first cases of COVID-19\n at the crowded shelters here become impossible to conceal or ignore.<br>\n\n\n\n&nbsp;\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSF Coalition on Homelessness panel of \nmedical experts demands testing now, and immediate movement of crowded \nshelter residents into individual motel rooms.&nbsp; Hear\/see the press\n conference &amp; discussion at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CoalitionOnHomelessness\/videos\/2954977444559143\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CoalitionOnHomelessness\/videos\/2954977444559143\/?<\/a><br><br>\n\nLos Angeles has a bit of bright news which Santa Cruz activists should loudly echo:\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/judge-says-la-cant-throw-away-large-items-belonging-to-homeless\/2346160\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\nhttps:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/judge-says-la-cant-throw-away-large-items-belonging-to-homeless\/2346160\/?<\/a><br><br>\nFood Not Bombs [FNB] meal and clothes \ndistribution is now daily 1-6 PM at the parking lot next to the Santa \nCruz Community Credit Union at Laurel &amp; Front.&nbsp; Weekends the meal\n will be at 4 PM.<br><br>\n\nMcHenry calls for food preppers and servers to help at the Vet&#8217;s Hall at noon today and in the days to come.&nbsp;\n<br><br>\n\nNo Motel vouchers have reportedly been\n given out by the City and County though the Sentinel announced in \ntoday&#8217;s print edition (yesterday on line) that Kramer&#8217;s &#8220;Housing \nTidbits&#8221;\n Coral St. program is providing a few no-bathroom separate modular \nshelters.. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the virus spreads.&nbsp;\n<br><br>\n\nMy public questions to the City \nCouncil and City Manager at yesterday&#8217;s on-line City Council meeting \nduring Oral Communications went unanswered:\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>How many of those \ncrammed into unhealthy shelters have been offered the option of motel \nrooms rather than the dangerous conditions in the Vet\u2019s Hall, the \nArmory, the Laurel St. shelter,\n Page Smith Community House, and the Paul Lee Loft?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Will any City Council member be demanding these figures from the City Manager?<\/li><li>How many have been tested for COVID-19?&nbsp;\n<br>\n<\/li><li>How many are sick?&nbsp;\n<br>\n<\/li><li>How many have recovered?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Where\u2019s the FEMA and Governor\u2019s funding specifically for those motel rooms?&nbsp;\n&nbsp;<\/li><li>How much longer will city and county bosses withhold the $$.<\/li><li>How many motel rooms are being currently occupied?&nbsp;\n<br>\n<\/li><li>How many kept empty while the virus spreads?<\/li><li>What is the timetable for occupying the vacant but &#8220;reserved&#8221; rooms?<\/li><li>What\n are the priorities&#8211;are the most vulnerable but not yet ill or COVID-19\n infected&#8211;to be last while waiting for the sickness to hit?<br>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\nMeanwhile fenced off pseudo-triage \ncenters around town (such as Lot 17 near the sports stadium), the \nparking lot next to the Calvary Episcopal (Red) Church, the area \nadjacent\n to Depot Park, the parking lot next to University Copy on Front St., \nand other such &#8220;holding pen&#8221; areas remain closed.&nbsp;\n<br><br>\n\nPortapotties and washing stations are \nreportedly insufficiently cleaned and often water, toilet paper, and \npaper towels.&nbsp;&nbsp; The only disability portapotty in the City that I&#8217;ve\n seen is along the San Lorenzo park path next to the back of the County \nBuilding, open only 4-5 hours a day as a convenience for those dumped \nfrom the Laurel St. cram-em-in shelter program.&nbsp;&nbsp; The last time a \ndisabled portapotty was publicly available was at\n Camp Phoenix last November, when it was paid for by FNB and the Santa \nCruz Homeless Union before being hauled away by the police under a \nhastily fabricated &#8220;trespass&#8221; complaint.&nbsp; HUFF IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO \nDO A DAILY CHECK AND REPORT IN ON THE VARIOUS PORTAPOTTIES\n AND PRIMITIVE GARAGE BATHROOMS (often lacking privacy) throughout the \nCity.. We checked a few during the Tour of Shame last Sunday, but need \nto do so more thoroughly and regularly.<br><br>\n\nAny reports on folks doing rent strikes locally?&nbsp; McHenry reports folks are reporting illegal evictions continue.\n<br>\n\n\nHUFF MAY BE ORGANIZING BY PHONE TO \nPREPARE POSSIBLE PROTESTS DEMANDING IMMEDIATE FACILITY ACCESS (i.e. \nMotel rooms) before the only option&nbsp; is quarantine areas.&nbsp; CONTACT US AT\n 831-423-4833 OR RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL IF YOU&#8217;D LIKE TO HELP OR WANT TO\n PROVIDE REPORTS.\n<br>\n\nWE ARE ALSO CONSIDERING WAYS TO \nDIRECTLY SUPPORT SAFE PROTESTS BY RENTERS, EMERGENCY WORKERS DEMANDING \nDECENT WORKING CONDITIONS, &amp;, OF COURSE, FOLKS OUTSIDE DEMANDING \nBASIC\n HEALTH\/HOUSING OPTIONS.&nbsp; SUCH AS BY CAR PROTESTS AS IS BEING DONE IN \nOTHER CITIES.&nbsp;\n<br><br><em>Street Spirit\n<\/em>newspaper distribution \noperations are currently suspended, but the Berkeley vendor center is \nstill reportedly&nbsp; looking for ways to provide some interim support for \nvendors whose sales lifeline has\n been cut off.&nbsp; When HUFF hears, we&#8217;ll let the few vendors we have down \nhere know.&nbsp; No word yet.<br><br>\n\nFrequent \nlocal updates can be found on Facebook under Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs, \nSanta Cruz County Homeless Advocates, Homeless Outside in Santa Cruz, \nSCCCP\n (Santa Cruz and Central Coast Politics), Monterey County Homeless \nAdvocates, The Santa Cruz Community, (SF) Coalition on Homelessness.&nbsp; \nSee also <a href=\"http:\/\/homelesstimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">homelesstimes.com<\/a><br><br><br><br><strong>ACTIONS, RESOURCES, &amp; CONSIDERATIONS from a HUFFster&#8217;s perspective<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Check at\n<a href=\"https:\/\/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffsantacruz.org%2FLostshows.html&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cb9a3b39f9e594e8ed85408d7d66d0fd5%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637213636206850690&amp;sdata=ZuvE7nZMv1pesXINl5K7enSDDQ6P6l2yMZ7G2ldK5zw%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">http:\/\/www.huffsantacruz.org\/Lostshows.html<\/a>\n to hear a series of phoned-in reports from different activists and \nworkers&#8211;which should be posted shortly and may be updated more \nfrequently.<br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>&nbsp;City Manager Martin\n Bernal provided a handful of portapotties&nbsp; City-wide and cold water \nwashstands after refusing to do so for months, but maintained\n nighttime closure of bathrooms in parks in spite of the emergency \nsituation and repeated calls and e-mails. &nbsp; Nor has the County acted to \nprovide basic sanitary facilities for the poorest outside, though it has\n financial and organization resources to do so.<br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>City agencies have thwarted or denied\n<em>Food Not Bombs, the Depot Project, Bagels on Bikes, HUFF,\n<\/em>and other organizations their attempts to establish such vital resources.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Recent shutdowns at the Library, Louden Nelson, the Metro, the publicly sponsored\n<em>Bookshop Santa Cruz,\n<\/em>closed restaurants and businesses make this situation ever more dangerous both for folks outside and the broader community.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Very\n very few motel or hotel rooms are yet available for the 1000-2000 \nhomeless outside who want and may need them to shelter more safely and \nsecurely\n in spite of government directives and financial grants.&nbsp; <br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>The inadequate \n&#8220;normal&#8221; charitable activities of those working with churches, social \nservices, etc. have been cut back or closed&#8211;many of the staff\n of these organizations are over 60 and particularly vulnerable to the \ncorona virus.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Normal \ndonations to those directly seeking survival money through &#8220;panhandling&#8221;\n have been discouraged or criminalized under the new emergency regs,\n enacted without public discussion or vote.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Public\n transportation options have been restricted or shut down, making access\n to what limited resources there are even more problematic.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Mayor\n Cummings has issued no calls for an emergency Council meeting to pass \nelementary measures already done in other cities like a moratorium\n on evictions and rents.&nbsp; <br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>City Manager Martin \nBernal &amp; the City Council majority have a long history of resisting \nthe expansion of basic services for the less privileged\n in town.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Supervisor Coonerty and the Board of Supervisors have declined to provide county-wide resources\n in an equitable and sensible fashion. <br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>The health of the community depends on our community action through a direct and united response.<br>\n<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Up to now we have \nseen how &#8220;concerned&#8221; and &#8220;effective&#8221; local authorities have been in \nmeeting the needs of renters and those outside.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Meekly\n following the dictates of authority in this crisis has not in the past,\n nor likely in the future, to be a wise, health-providing, and \nproductive\n course.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>We must confront directly, clearly, persistently, loudly and immediately to secure the basic survival\n needs of the community in the current crisis.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>With\n washed hands and care to keep physical distance, bring food and \nyourselves to the noon food serving to sustain the survival effort and \ntake\n the necessary future steps.<\/strong><\/li><li>Contact\n<em>Food Not Bombs (575-770-3377), HUFF (831-423-4833), or the Santa Cruz Homeless Union (831-431-7766)\n<\/em>if unable to come for health or other reasons. (454-2200) and you wish to help.<strong><br>\n<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The April 12 on-line Council ratification of City Mangler Martin Bernal&#8217;s proposals included nothing specific regarding those outside, other than &#8220;police discretion&#8221; not to ticket those in parks and sheltering-in-place, but no response to reports that police have been denying &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/huff-outreach-want-to-do-a-conference-call-today-or-tomorrow-support-sc-homeless-coalition-fnb-joint-activist-effort-as-city-leaders-promise-in-place-shelter-but-provide-none-for-those-outside\/\">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":[128],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4514"}],"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=4514"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4516,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4514\/revisions\/4516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}