Anti-Homeless "Parking Lot Peril" Law at Council 3 PM 4-11

Background: http://indybay.org/news/2006/03/1811446.php

Discussion: Download and listen to Bathrobespierre's Broadsides at http://www.huffsantacruz.org (click on the most recent shows and scroll through).

Staff report and fliers on the subject will be posted shortly.

Contact HUFF at 423-4833 to volunteer to flier and plan protests and legal challenges.

There is reportedly a FlimFlam Film Festival in the works for one of the forbidden parking lots and garages upcoming. Keep your ears open.

The law will only be having a first reading on April 11th, though once slam-dunked there, it will be likely to be passed again on April 25th for a second and final reading.

The law has undergone some tweaking, but is still fundamentally the same: No use of the parking lots/garages unless your parking a car, and then only for 15 minutes. You can cross area under some circumstances.

Most of what goes on in parking lots other than parking is criminalized by this law, for the convenience of parking lot workers.

Other alternatives have not been seriously considered, nor have its legal implications.

There isn't even additional funding for real security measures like policing, cameras, etc.--which would be appropriate if there were a real crime wave there.

It relies on a compliant and fearful community to "police itself" or snitch on itself.

It primarily targets the homeless (look at the "crime" categories in the staff report that follows).