BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18606739 SEQUENCE:18659045 CREATED:20090710T160400Z DESCRIPTION:6th Saturday of Protest against anti-homeless laws and policies downtown. \n \nJoin us on the sidewalk in front of Bunny's Shoes to urge stores to post and support the Pledge for Human Rights and Harmony.\n\n\nPLEDGE\n\nThe pledge reads: "This business does not discriminate. We support Human Rights for the homeless community. In particular, the right to sleep at night--not anywhere and everywhere--but somewhere." [See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/12/18601539.php ]\n\nHUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) and HRO (Human Rights Organization) in concert with independent activists continue our picketing and protest, which we began in early June.\n\n\nSTORES THAT STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS\n\nSome of the stores that have agreed to post the Pledge, which we urge the community to spend at:\n\nTacqueria Vallarta 1101A Pacific\nStreetlight Records 939 Pacific\nSanta Cruz City Soccer 717 Pacific\nStarbucks 1335 Pacific\nThe Perfumer's Apprentice 1319A-B Pacific\nPollo Loco 712 Front St.\nMore Music 512 Front St.\nAlma Manger 521 Front St.\nVasilla 435 Front St.\nBad Ass Coffee 1207 Pacific\n\nSome photos of the posted pledge can be found agt http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/03/18605574.php\n\nWe received complaints last week from The Hat Company, whose store shares an entrance with Bunny's Shoes, that their business was being significantly impacted. They posted a copy of the pledge along with a denunciation of the protest, which they removed after we left.\n\nWe understand the 4 week long boycott and protest has had significant impact on some downtown stores. We hope that the pressure of the public conscience will help change a disgraceful situation and encourage shoppers to buy where the pledge is displayed.\n\n\nSLEEPING BAN HARASSMENT ONGOING\n\nThere has been no movement by the City Attorney or the Downtown Association to rescind the one-act-of-sleeping-downtown-and-you-go-to-jail Injunction secured in May against homeless musicians Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon.\n\nSanta Cruz has no emergency walk-in shelter for 95% of its homeless population. It also enforces the medieval MC 6.36.010a--a homeless Sleeping Ban). This infraction law will now result in jailing penalties thanks to the February ordinance changes pushed by the Downtown Association and businesses on Pacific Avenue (three unattended infractions is an automatic misdemeanor for which you can be jailed).\n\n\nREPORT INCIDENTS\n\nPlease report such incidents you observe or experience to HUFF at 423-4833. We are also interested in any video or audio of abusive police contacts. \n\nIf you are homeless and hassled, ask the officer who demands you move if he has a legal place for you to go specifically then and there. There are attorneys who are considering taking cases to challenge the ordinance once the financial backing is available\n\nAttorney Ed Frey is defending homeless vandweller Sharon Paight in a case that goes to court in mid-August in Dept. 1.\n\n\nWHY PROTEST BUNNY'S SHOES?\n\nMichelle Chase, the manager of Bunny's Shoes, as well as the property managers at Borders and the Palomar, and Manthri Srinath, owner of Lulu Carpenters) all contributed to a discriminatory court Injunction, granted last month by Judge Paul Burdick against Richardson and deLeon.\n\nWe respect the right of Bunny's and the Hat Company to manage their own properties. However, the Bunnys Declaration has been used to back up police action on public property against those that have no choice. The Hat Company apparently supports the Sleeping Ban, since it removed the statement it previous placed in its window. \n\nWe would prefer to place our petitioning table directly in front of Bunny's, but the new Downtown Ordinances, passed by the City Council at the urging of the Downtown Association has made that illegal (no tables within 10' of public benches).\n\n\nTHE INJUNCTION \n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/07/02/richardson_injunction.pdf \n\nThis injunction bans Richardson and deLeon from sleeping anywhere in a park or on the sidewalk in the downtown area on pain of jail. City law additionally bans them from sleeping anywhere on public property in Santa Cruz after 11 PM throughout the night.\n\nIt has nothing to do with any kind of real criminal conduct or nuisance behavior like littering, trespassing, disturbing the peace, urinating, defecating, etc. Simply sleeping outside downtown has become an immediate jailing offense for these two. So far police have not arrested them.\n\nThe impact of the decision expands far beyond these two performers, since there are 1500-2000 homeless in Santa Cruz--the overwhelming majority of which have no legal place to sleep at night.\n\nHomeless people face $97 citations, police harassment, theft and destruction of their property, and discrimination.\n\nIt is piling absurdity upon cruelty to ban sleeping downtown on pain of jail, yet allow no legal place for homeless people to sleep. MC 6.36.010 makes all nighttime sleeping illegal outside on public property already; the Injunction adds a jail penalty to the downtown area for this homeless couple.\n\n\nPLEDGE DRIVE CONTINUES\n\nActivists will continue presenting their Pledge on Human Rights and Harmony for merchants to display in their windows or in their stores in soldarity if they choose. So far about about 3/4 of the businesses downtown have been approached.\n\nMediators have approached Bunny's asking them to post the Pledge and support a policy of non-discrimination. Bunny's is one of four stores signing Declarations used by the City Attorney to secure the Injunction against Richardson and deLeon.\n\nBusinesses downtown need to hear from the community on this issue.\n\nMore discussion of this issue at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/27/18604210.php?show_comments=1#18605109\n\n\nSUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS LOCALLY WITH YOUR DOLLARS\n\nIn essence we ask downtown businesses to advise the community and their customers that they no longer favor--whatever position they may have taken in the past--turning homeless people into criminals for sleeping--something over which they have no control.\n\nBusinesses that have the clarity and courage to do this should be rewarded and those that don't should be questioned.\n\n\nFLYERS\n\nMore flyers should shortly be available. We encourage folks to download them and distribute them widely as well as posting them on other websites.\n\nPast flyers:\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/12/18601539.php\n\nMore info on this situation at\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/02/18605293.php\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/15/18601786.php\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/09/18601111.php\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/02/18599901.php\n\nand\n\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/28/18598906.php\n\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/10/18606739.php SUMMARY:Tolerance Not Bigotry: 6th Saturday Sidewalk Vigil at Bunny's Shoes LOCATION:On the sidewalk near Bunny's Shoes in downtown Santa Cruz at 1350 Pacific Ave.and its sister store across the street URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/10/18606739.php DTSTART:20090711T200000Z DTEND:20090711T220000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR