{"id":895,"date":"2013-04-17T07:09:58","date_gmt":"2013-04-17T07:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/?p=895"},"modified":"2013-04-19T07:12:50","modified_gmt":"2013-04-19T07:12:50","slug":"homeless-activists-ask-community-to-join-them-9-pm-tonight-in-front-of-santa-cruz-post-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/homeless-activists-ask-community-to-join-them-9-pm-tonight-in-front-of-santa-cruz-post-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeless Activists Ask Community to Join Them 9 PM Tonight in Front of Santa Cruz Post Office"},"content":{"rendered":"
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6-9 homeless people carried forward their plan to document the lack of shelter in Santa Cruz and then educate the public through direct action tonight. I am told they plan to rally on the sidewalk outside the main post office in downtown Santa Cruz at the intersection of Water and Pacific Avenue at 9 PM. Anyone who wished to is invited to attend. I was asked to pass on this and the following information.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

PILGRIMAGE TO CORAL\u00a0 STREET
\nAs planned a week before, the group of people went to the Homeless (Lack of) Services Center at 115 Coral St. earlier this afternoon and requested to be put on the Waiting List for\u00a0 the Paul Lee Loft.\u00a0 They were advised by Charles, a worker there, that the shelters were full but that they’d be put on the Waiting List after filling out an application.\u00a0 When asked if they could get a receipt or some documentation for their Waiting List status, Charles said no, nor would he give them any written statement about the shelter being full.<\/p>\n

Other asked Charles the same question and told him that Executive Director Monica Martinez had publicly stated that on request, the HLOSC would provide receipts that one was on the Waiting List.\u00a0 Christine, another worker, and he then agreed to do so.\u00a0 He acknowledged he’d not done so before in the last year.<\/p>\n

Since they had no receipts available, HUFF workers provided their own version of a receipt which they’d created, anticipating that the HLOSC wouldn’t have any handy.\u00a0\u00a0 Christine and the\u00a0 HLOSC staff helpfully copied, filled out, and signed them for the 8 or so clients applying, documenting that each person was on the Waiting List for the Paul Lee Loft.<\/p>\n

THE IMPORTANCE OF WAITING LIST STATUS
\nWaiting List status means that camping tickets will automatically be dismissed by the City Attorney’s office prior to court, as stipulated by MC 6.36.055.\u00a0\u00a0 It might also persuade the police of the futility and even impropriety of giving out camping tickets at all, since all such tickets are supposed to be automatically dismissed.<\/p>\n

We also interviewed a few workers out there who confirmed that there were no spaces available on the Paul Lee Loft–suggesting that anyone cited for the more serious offense of “illegal lodging” (PC 647e) would have a “necessity” defense in court.<\/p>\n

I hope this procedure will be followed by every homeless person so that they can more safely sleep in groups, well-lighted areas, and closer to police protection–given the increased risks homeless people face outside from violence.\u00a0\u00a0 The procedure again is to go to the HLOSC M-F around noon, sign up for the Paul Lee Loft Waiting List, and get a receipt indicating you are on the list.\u00a0 You then have to check in once a week or your name will be removed from the list.<\/p>\n

TONIGHT OUTSIDE ON THE SIDEWALK\u00a0 NEAR THE MAIN POST OFFICE
\nThis group of homeless people claims to have repeatedly been harassed by police and\/or rangers for simply being on public property, to say nothing of sleeping.\u00a0 In response, it is my understanding they intend to exercise their right to be on the sidewalk (perhaps another group might call it “Positive Loitering”), even to sleep there, since they have no legal place to sleep.<\/p>\n

Two\u00a0 of those involved–Freedom and Andrew–were arrested yesterday and apparently face misdemeanor charges involving something like “disobeying an officer”.\u00a0 (See “ALERT: Two Arrested For “Being” in the Pogonip” at http:\/\/www.indybay.org\/newsitems\/2013\/04\/16\/18735297.php<\/wbr><\/wbr><\/a>) with trial slated for May 14th.)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6-9 homeless people carried forward their plan to document the lack of shelter in Santa Cruz and then educate the public through direct action tonight. I am told they plan to rally on the sidewalk outside the main post office … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[56],"tags":[64,4,14],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895"}],"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=895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":897,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895\/revisions\/897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huffsantacruz.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}