BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18612318 SEQUENCE:18665390 CREATED:20090725T021700Z DESCRIPTION:Last week Bunny's Management tried to end our tabling in front of their store by calling the police (see video at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/20/18609836.php).\n\nWe expect more of the same this week at 2 PM (note the new time--moved forward from 1 PM). So bring your cameras, recorders, and friends to observe police acting as agents of the merchants.\n\nWe're back offering the public the chance to support shops that support the right of homeless people to sleep--not anywhere and everywhere--but somewhere.\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\nSTORES THAT STAND UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS\n\nSome of the stores that have posted the Pledge, which we urge the community to spend at:\n\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.\nVasili's 435 Front St.\nBad Ass Coffee 1207 Pacific\nKhyber Pass 810 Pacific\nFirefly Cafe 131 Front St.\nGodmoma's Forge, LLC 916B Soquel Ave.\nFelix Kulpa Gallery 107 Elm\nCafe Bene 1101 Cedar St. \nSub Rosa Cafe 703 Pacific\n\nSome photos of the posted pledge can be found agt http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/03/18605574.php\n\nWe understand the 8 week long boycott and protest has had significant impact on some downtown stores. We encourage locals to get copies of the pledge and encourage their favorite businesses to post them.\n\n\nSANTA CRUZ SLEEPING BAN THE FOCUS\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 zero emergency walk-in shelter for any of its homeless population. This according to the authoritative head of the Homeless Services Center, Doug Loisel (radio http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb090723.mp3interview) \n\nInstead the City Police and Rangers enforce the medieval MC 6.36.010a--a homeless Sleeping Ban. State Rangers enforce similar laws on the beaches and in the Lighthouse Field area.\n\nAs social services are slashed, the situation becomes more dire. A 65-year old woman contacted both Loisel and HUFF regarding safe sleeping spots where she could go in her vehicle. There are no such legal places available on public property.\n\nThis Sleeping Ban (which affects both those in vehicles and those without) will now result in jailing penalties thanks to the February ordinance changes pushed by the Downtown Association and businesses on Pacific Avenue. This new law \nmakes three unattended infractions is an automatic misdemeanor for which you can be jailed.\n\n\nOTHER CITIES LEAD SANTA CRUZ; SLEEPING AREAS COULD BE FOUND IN SANTA CRUZ\n\nLos Angeles, San Diego, Fresno, Richmond, & Laguna Beach have overturned their homeless Sleeping Bans.\n\nPalo Alto allows homeless people to sleep in their vehicles.\n\nSanta Monica, Santa Barbara, and Sacramento currently face legal challenges against their Sleeping bans.\n\nSanta Cruz is surrounded by greenbelt area, has a huge Pogonip area, and numerous parking lots and garages that could easily be used for overnight sleeping purposes. NIMBY bigotry and political cowardice are the primary obstacles.\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\nNew cops and "Hosts" are sharpening their claws on poor people downtown who are engaging in innocent behavior in public places (sitting, sleeping, performing, political tabling)\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 van-dweller 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 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.\n\nWe would prefer to place our petitioning table directly in front of Bunny's Shoes, 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 still face $97 citations, police harassment, 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\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\nBIGOTRY ALERT AT LULU CARPENTER'S\n\nManthri Srinath, Lulu Carpenter's owner, has reportedly been advising his staff to turn away those who "look homeless". \n\nSrinath was one of four downtown businessettes who made declarations, used by the city attorney, to make Sleeping a jailing offense downtown for DeLeon and Richardson. Srinath's concerned the alleged theft of five paper napkins.\n\nMore about Srinath's past discriminatory behavior at \nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/13/18320184.php\nhttp://santacruz.indymedia.org/newswire/display/3564/index.php\nhttp://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb061005.mp3 (at start)\nhttp://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb061112.mp3 (towards end)\nhttp://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb061116.mp3 (at start)\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\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/10/18606739.php\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/02/18605293.php\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/15/18601786.php\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/09/18601111.php\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/02/18599901.php\nand\nhttp://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/28/18598906.php\n\n\n\n\nAdded to the calendar on Friday Jul 10th, 2009 9:04 AM \n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/24/18612318.php SUMMARY:Merchants Use Cops to Suppress Tablers: Join the Protest Against Bunny's Shoes! LOCATION:On the sidewalk in front of Bunny's two stores on Pacific Ave. at 1349 and 1350 Pacific Ave. in downtown Santa Cruz. URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/24/18612318.php DTSTART:20090725T210000Z DTEND:20090725T230000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR