Full Text of Speech to City Council on 12-3

The Sentinel had a long thread stream on the Task Farce's report at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/santacruz/ci_24650032/public-safety-solutions-delivered-city-leaders . I added some remarks:


The "Public Safety" Task Farce took few if any stats on real crime (as saults, burglaries, rapes), not did it look into the background of those convicted of real crimes. Instead if treated the
fearful fantasies and zealous Take Over Santa Cruz anti-homeless agenda as if they were important realities that demanded "protective" action.

The dangerous notion that "perception of danger" without any evidence of the actual existence of that danger is somehow a solid basis for legislation was at the core of the report. This is the "boogeyman" approach to public policy.

"Rattlesnake" Robinson--our next Mayor--showcased this approach in her covert reassurance of right-wing allies in final comments. She noted that she brought a "jar of needles" which she had kept out of sight--underlining the subtle and not-so-subtle use of scaremongering tactics.

How many Sharps containers has Robinson made available in the last year?

A longer version of the comments I made at City Council can be found at https://www.indybay.org/
.

Steve Schnaar & others made a useful but limited
critique at https://www.indybay.org/

My still longer analysis of the useful but limited Schnaar critique is at
https://www.indybay.org/

This report should have been rejected as an ideological polemic and denounced as a waste of time and money with little new information about real public safety gained. Equating anxious perceptions and stoked fears as real menace is profoundly irresponsible and a traditional road to fascist-style policies. But Posner and Lane joined in to rubberstamp both the report and
Terrazas roadmap to implement the toxic recommendations in it.

These will return to haunt us very soon, with Terrazas's policy recommendation mechanism going into high gear in early January. See http://www.mercurynews.com/
.
Meanwhile outside, Robinson's Ravagers in the Santa Cruz Neighbors and other “drive-'em-out town”ees should take comfort from the freezing weather. This will likely help "thin the homeless problem" as her curfews, psuedo-crimes, policeworship, and other anti-homeless laws of the last year have aimed at.

Those of who want to fight back need to join together fast. Arming the homeless with cell-phones and documenting the extent of the repression would be a good first step.

Direct action along the lines of the successful San Lorenzo campground established during the Occupy Santa Cruz movement--which actually established real (if emergency) campground and community for homeless people--is needed again. This might help to reduce the high homeless death rate.

That is, if Chief Vogel and his bluecoated gunmen can keep their batons in check and Officer Hernandez can keep from drawing his weapon on women seeking food at the Salvation Army (See https://www.indybay.org/ ).

December 3, 2013, Santa Cruz City Council Meeting: Public Safety Task Force Recommendations
Motion by Councilmember Terrazas, seconded by Councilmember Comstock. Motion carried unanimously.

UNOFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL

Motion for Council to accept the Public Safety Citizen Task Force Report, and to direct City staff to initiate steps to prioritize implementation of the Preventative/Strategic Enforcement with Accountability/Collaborative

Accounting and Appropriate Funding initiatives as listed below, and return to council with a budgetary analysis, program outline and timeline for implementation regarding recommendations.

Furthermore, request the written response of partner jurisdictions to the Task Force Recommendations for inclusion as an appendix to the final report.
Prevention Initiatives

1) Environmental design and protection of high crime areas and open spaces;
 Improve environmental design improvements in parks, opens spaces, beaches, neighborhoods. Focus on high crime areas.
 Concurrent with this work and future studies, improve lighting and safety enhancements in the San Lorenzo River Levee and Park and the Harvey West area.
 Initiate consistent, regularly scheduled, vegetation management in these areas.
 Continue to expedite the reopening of Depot Park.

2) Partner with City Schools/COE, City Parks and Recreation, community non-profits, the youth violence prevention task force and Santa Cruz Public Libraries to expand youth programming.
 Strengthening existing and establishing new after-school/summer bridge programs, including academic support and enrichment; arts; sports and recreation; and internships and job training.
 Programs should be inclusive and serve a diverse population of at-risk youth in our community.
Lower barriers of entry through concerted bi-lingual outreach efforts, fee subsidies and provision of transportation.
 Leverage funding sources and seek joint grant opportunities.
 Parks and Recreation Department (P&R) shall expand a bi-lingual (English/Spanish) outreach strategy to increase underserved youth participation in City programs and expand a process to reduce program costs through scholarships for youth in-need.
 Partner with the Santa Cruz Youth City Council to develop all youth programming recommendations detailed in the Public Safety Task Force report.

Strategic Enforcement with Accountability
1) Continue aggressive Santa Cruz Police Department recruitment efforts to fully staff Department,
including fully-funding five officers authorized in FY 2013. Explore partnerships with outside law
enforcement agencies to enhance specific capabilities.
2) Take steps to integrate parks safety initiatives into SCPD Public Safety Mandate.
3) Take the lead in initiating a City-County-Court-Social Service Task Force. Goal is to reduce recidivism amongst the City’s top chronic offenders, through a wrap-around approach which could include drug and alcohol rehabilitation, mental health services, long-term housing and criminal justice accountability where warranted.
 Consider assigning an SCPD officer or appropriate staff to this program and ensure continued
shared funding by the City and County with clear funding directives and oversight by City staff.
 Engage Santa Cruz County to consider enacting AB 1421 (Laura’s Law) to increase services for chronic offenders with serious mental illnesses.
Collaborative Accountability and Appropriate Funding
1) The City shall, within 30 days, notify the agencies named in report and request their written response to the pertinent Task Force recommendations.
 Where applicable, enforce and prosecute under state law, violations which take place at schools, parks, libraries and public spaces, rather than as a municipal-code violation.
 Consider reform of municipal-code infraction adjudication and the creation of a complimentary specialty court.
 Ask for feedback from the judiciary about infractions and the adjudication thereof.
2) Develop and return to Council within 60 days a staffing plan for the City Manager’s office to manage City public health & safety initiatives and activities as well as the implementation of Council directed Task Force recommendations in conjunction with the Council’s Public Safety Committee oversight.
 Concurrent with the City’s consideration of a 311 non-emergency point of service, engage the County and other local jurisdictions to form a regional system to simplify resolution of resident complaints by directing issues to the appropriate, responsible agency.
 Instruct the City to report at a council meeting regarding their progress on the Task Force recommendations 6-months and 12-months after accepting the Task Force recommendations.

(taken from the Sentinel article at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/santacruz/ci_24657514/santa-cruz-councilman-david-terrazas-pushes-forward-public

I KNOW you don't give a fuck Robert but calling the SCPD "Gunmen" like it's some sort of fucking joke WILL be a joke to the SCPD who know that's not true and to everyone else as well. But what happens next is TBSC and EVERY FUCKING CITIZEN OF SANTA CRUZ is going to say to themselves (and everyone they know) "This is what those homeless people think about our fine police department?" leading to MORE DISENFRANCHISEMENT AND ISOLATION of the people you claim to be SO FUCKING CONCERNED WITH.

Do work FOR Take Back Santa Cruz or are you just too stupid, too ignorant, or too narcissistic and self-involved in your own little NOT HOMELESS world (my choice) to notice.

The next time some jock kid of a TBSC member jumps a homeless person because "they hate out cops", you're to blame Robert.

You need to be shunned and isolated as a hazard to the homeless... My friends.

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/12/06/18747373.php?show_comments=1#18747582