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Homeless Take ACLU Sleeping Ban Suspension Resolution to City Council
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Date:
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Time:
4:30 PM
-
4:30 PM
Event Type:
Meeting
Organizer/Author:
Robert Norse
Email:
Phone:
831-423-4833
Address:
309 Cedar St. #14B Santa Cruz 95060
Location Details:
809 Center St. Santa Cruz City Hall Courtyard
Speak-Out Before and At Santa Cruz City Council Celebrating a Homeless Rights Victory at the local ACLU Board of Directors on June 30th.
Presentation of Petitions and Demands to City Council to Overturn the City's Anti-Homeless Sleeping Ban.
We'll meet to prepare a presentation at 4:30 with coffee and snacks outside City Council and then go in to speak at Oral Communications around 5 PM inside Council Chambers
LETTER TO MAYOR LYNN ROBINSON
I sent an earlier version of the folloowing letter to Mayor Robinson at the beginning of the week:
From: rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com
To: lrobinson [at] cityofsantacruz.com
CC: jyork [at] santacruzsentinel.com; jpierce [at] santacruzweekly.com...
Subject: ACLU Action Urging A Moratorium on the Sleeping and Camping Laws
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2014 14:55:39 -0700
Lynn:
On June 30th, the local ACLU passed the following resolution:
"Statement of Principle: The Santa Cruz County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union supports in principle a limited time moratorium on enforcement of camping ban laws and ordinances within the City and County of Santa Cruz on the grounds that such laws and ordinances selectively criminalize the homeless community."
"While the chapter is mindful that such a moratorium raises practical problems within the community at large, we believe that the benefits of such an approach in terms of the opportunity for civic leaders, policy makers and stakeholders to reassess the efficacy of these laws and ordinances outweighs any temporary adverse impact."
I, other HUFF activists, and homeless victims of the City's Sleeping Ban will be coming to Oral Communications tomorrow to support this statement and ask that the Council take immediate action to implement it.
There is a clear lack of shelter space. There are the safety problems created by the criminalization of the homeless--more for the homeless themselves than for those who fear or blame them. Lawsuits in other jurisdictions have been successful in overturning anti-homeless laws.
I encourage you and your fellow Council members to act swiftly to restore basic civil and human rights to the homeless community here.
One of the most basic, of course, is to be able to sleep at night and to be secure in one's property. If one is in danger of having it confiscated because sleeping is "illegal" after 11 PM, then one has no such security.
As a Free Radio Santa Cruz reporter, I will be audioing the meeting for broadcast. I assure you this will be done in a non-disruptive manner as has been the case without exception in the past.
I encourage you to respect the rights of the media, even those critical of your positions on various issues, to audibly make their own record of the meeting, as guaranteed by state law and the Constitution.
Robert Norse
(423-4833)
Earlier story on the historic homeless victory forcing an ACLU Bo to protect the homeless right to sleep in Santa Cruz: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/01/18758158.php
Earlier story on Mayor Robinson's false arrest for "unattended audio recording at City Council" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/03/18755258.php .
Street Spirit story by Steve Pleich describing one version of his proposed moratorium on Sleeping Bans in Santa Cruz: http://www.thestreetspirit.org/santa-cruz-activists-call-for-moratorium-on-laws-that-criminalize-camping-and-sleeping/
Presentation of Petitions and Demands to City Council to Overturn the City's Anti-Homeless Sleeping Ban.
We'll meet to prepare a presentation at 4:30 with coffee and snacks outside City Council and then go in to speak at Oral Communications around 5 PM inside Council Chambers
LETTER TO MAYOR LYNN ROBINSON
I sent an earlier version of the folloowing letter to Mayor Robinson at the beginning of the week:
From: rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com
To: lrobinson [at] cityofsantacruz.com
CC: jyork [at] santacruzsentinel.com; jpierce [at] santacruzweekly.com...
Subject: ACLU Action Urging A Moratorium on the Sleeping and Camping Laws
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2014 14:55:39 -0700
Lynn:
On June 30th, the local ACLU passed the following resolution:
"Statement of Principle: The Santa Cruz County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union supports in principle a limited time moratorium on enforcement of camping ban laws and ordinances within the City and County of Santa Cruz on the grounds that such laws and ordinances selectively criminalize the homeless community."
"While the chapter is mindful that such a moratorium raises practical problems within the community at large, we believe that the benefits of such an approach in terms of the opportunity for civic leaders, policy makers and stakeholders to reassess the efficacy of these laws and ordinances outweighs any temporary adverse impact."
I, other HUFF activists, and homeless victims of the City's Sleeping Ban will be coming to Oral Communications tomorrow to support this statement and ask that the Council take immediate action to implement it.
There is a clear lack of shelter space. There are the safety problems created by the criminalization of the homeless--more for the homeless themselves than for those who fear or blame them. Lawsuits in other jurisdictions have been successful in overturning anti-homeless laws.
I encourage you and your fellow Council members to act swiftly to restore basic civil and human rights to the homeless community here.
One of the most basic, of course, is to be able to sleep at night and to be secure in one's property. If one is in danger of having it confiscated because sleeping is "illegal" after 11 PM, then one has no such security.
As a Free Radio Santa Cruz reporter, I will be audioing the meeting for broadcast. I assure you this will be done in a non-disruptive manner as has been the case without exception in the past.
I encourage you to respect the rights of the media, even those critical of your positions on various issues, to audibly make their own record of the meeting, as guaranteed by state law and the Constitution.
Robert Norse
(423-4833)
Earlier story on the historic homeless victory forcing an ACLU Bo to protect the homeless right to sleep in Santa Cruz: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/07/01/18758158.php
Earlier story on Mayor Robinson's false arrest for "unattended audio recording at City Council" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/05/03/18755258.php .
Street Spirit story by Steve Pleich describing one version of his proposed moratorium on Sleeping Bans in Santa Cruz: http://www.thestreetspirit.org/santa-cruz-activists-call-for-moratorium-on-laws-that-criminalize-camping-and-sleeping/
Added to the calendar on Mon, Jul 7, 2014 10:46PM
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To make an omelet you have to crack some eggs. Fight City Council and SCPD oppression!
There are already cases languishing at the State 6th appellate.
Color of law? By what counsel?
Color of law? By what counsel?
For more information:
http://PeaceCamp2010insider.blogspot.com/
G. I recommend Gorilla Advocates continue working to separate the local government gorilla from the state and federal government gorillas by making the small gorilla a huge liability to the bigger gorillas. Eventually the big gorillas will stomp on the little gorilla because it's in their best interest to do so.
My aim is to put all the council members and city staff who have been committing crimes against the taxpayers -- while also violating human and civil rights -- in federal prison where they belong. Then those who follow them will think twice about committing similar crimes.
My aim is to put all the council members and city staff who have been committing crimes against the taxpayers -- while also violating human and civil rights -- in federal prison where they belong. Then those who follow them will think twice about committing similar crimes.
The people rocked the City Council last night.
The city council didn't give a fuck what it's citizens wanted when the Performance space issue was publicly discussed and they give even less of a fuck (if that's possible) about 'resting' their camping ordinances.
Let me know when there's actually LAWYERS doing anything about it, like presenting subpoenas for city administrators to appear in front of a STATE judge to testify why a law that's, with the rarest of exceptions, only applicable to poor people, should be valid and not considered selective at face in light of a city that's patently refused to answer any call for average job creation to replace the light industry their own regulations chased away, and housing that can be afforded with the jobs available.
As ACLU Fanboy Steve Pleich told me once "There's no political will" for that.
That's WHY IT TAKES LAWYERS
Where ARE they Steve?
Until then, I call this a fraudulent side-track to doing more of nothing but wasting energy, while making it appear something is going to be done by a new batch of administrative mouthpieces called councilmembers (they administer commercial property interests... That's their job) just like the last ones... just because.... while leaving unanswered why the city doesn't create a simple nighttime-only patrolled camp area as I suggested more than a year ago, and Steve Pleich broached just a month or so ago.
THAT is 'doable". Eliminating camping laws in the current mileau, anywhere in the US, is not just unfeasible, it's moronic and in my (houseless) estimation puts "the homeless" in even MORE danger (enumeration on request)
Ps: I understand the co-housing that Walnut Commons behind Cruzio was claimed to be (which apparently avoids affordable & low cost housing requirements) turned out to be, IN REALITY, Condo units with a going price of a HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
What's that I hear from the city council, the planning commission who APPROVED THIS PROJECT but never made sure they got what they planned for, AND homeless activists?
**Crickets Chirping**
Let me know when there's actually LAWYERS doing anything about it, like presenting subpoenas for city administrators to appear in front of a STATE judge to testify why a law that's, with the rarest of exceptions, only applicable to poor people, should be valid and not considered selective at face in light of a city that's patently refused to answer any call for average job creation to replace the light industry their own regulations chased away, and housing that can be afforded with the jobs available.
As ACLU Fanboy Steve Pleich told me once "There's no political will" for that.
That's WHY IT TAKES LAWYERS
Where ARE they Steve?
Until then, I call this a fraudulent side-track to doing more of nothing but wasting energy, while making it appear something is going to be done by a new batch of administrative mouthpieces called councilmembers (they administer commercial property interests... That's their job) just like the last ones... just because.... while leaving unanswered why the city doesn't create a simple nighttime-only patrolled camp area as I suggested more than a year ago, and Steve Pleich broached just a month or so ago.
THAT is 'doable". Eliminating camping laws in the current mileau, anywhere in the US, is not just unfeasible, it's moronic and in my (houseless) estimation puts "the homeless" in even MORE danger (enumeration on request)
Ps: I understand the co-housing that Walnut Commons behind Cruzio was claimed to be (which apparently avoids affordable & low cost housing requirements) turned out to be, IN REALITY, Condo units with a going price of a HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
What's that I hear from the city council, the planning commission who APPROVED THIS PROJECT but never made sure they got what they planned for, AND homeless activists?
**Crickets Chirping**
As the 'broken window theory' (shouldn't that be 'hypothesis'?) asserts; until conspiring City/County officials and staff are held accountable, their crimes will continue (and multiply).
For more information:
http://PeaceCamp2010insider.blogspot.com/
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