BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 X-WR-CALNAME:www.indybay.org PRODID:-//indybay/ical// v1.0//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:Indybay-18613517 SEQUENCE:18666861 CREATED:20090731T223800Z DESCRIPTION:Hot vegan food will be available, courtesy of India Joe Schultz.\nCome on down and be a part of change in Santa Cruz!\n\n\nBACKGROUND OF THE PROTEST\n\nThe Santa Cruz "No Homeless Sleeping" Law (MC 6.36.010a) is still in full force. There is no emergency walk-in shelter, no legal campgrounds, and no legal parking spaces where one can sleep overnight in the City limits. The fine is $97. Three unattended tickets result in a misdemeanor crime--up to $1000 fine and 1 year in jail. \n\nMerchants pressuring City Council recently created this "three tickets and you're jailed" law. They have also pressed Council to fund increased police harassment of poor people downtown. \n\nTwo street performers, at the initiative of the SCPD and City Attorney, face immediate jail if they sleep at night anywhere on public property in the downtown area. Bunnys Shoes is one of four stores whose Declarations helped the anti-homeless Santa Cruz City Council get this Injunction.\n\n\nPLEDGE\n\nIn response, we have prepared a pledge, which we have asked downtown businesses to post in their windows or in their stores.\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\nWe encourage you to pick up a few copies of the pledge and encourage business owners you know to post them. \n\n\nESCALATING POLICE RESPONSE\n\nOur protest last week in front of Bunny's stirred the ire of the Hat Company manager as well as other anonymous critics, who denounced us in a sidewalk debate (see video at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/31/18613467.php) \n\nOfficer Winston without any prior warning arrived within an hour after the table was set up and demanded we take it down on pain of citation (and subsequent arrest if the table stayed up). \n\nA volunteer came out of the crowd to offer to staff a second table if one were provided and to take a ticket, even an arrest, if it came to that. Activists provided a second table, and continued their petitioning and leafleting, encouraging the community to shop at stores that post the pledge and educate those that don't.\n\nWe expect further harassment this week and encourage supporters to bring cameras, camcorders, and cell phones. When police act as agents of merchants to privatize and gentrify public spaces, it's important for the community to fight back.\n\n\nMOVE-ALONG LAW\n\nWinston was using the selectively enforced Move-Along law, MC 5.43.020(2): \n\n"No person shall allow a display device to remain in the same location on the sidewalk for a period of time exceeding one hour. After one hour the person who placed the display device on the sidewalk shall not place a display device on the sidewalk within one hundred feet of the original display device location. After one hour the person who placed the display device shall not place a display device in the original display device location, or within one hundred feet of the original display device location, for twenty-four hours.\n\n(3) No person shall be cited under this section unless he or she has first been notified by a police officer, public officer or downtown host that he or she is in violation of the prohibition in this section, and thereafter continues the violation.\n\n(4) As used in this section the term “person” shall refer to any individual person, group of persons or organization.(http://www.huffsantacruz.org/code/5.43.pdf)"\n\nThe law is used mainly against street performers and homeless panhandlers but also against political protesters.\n\n\nEARLIER VIDEO\n\nA video of the July 18th protest and police tripping over themselves to warn and intimidate protesters can be found at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/20/18609836.php).\n\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\nCamouflage 1329 Pacific\n\nSome photos of the posted pledge can be found agt http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/03/18605574.php\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\nNor have Palomar, Borders, Lulu Carpenters, or Bunny's publicly repudiated the "jail for sleep" Injunction.\n\nSanta Cruz has a profound shelter crisis with literally NO shelter for those not on a waiting list. This according to the authoritative head of the Homeless Services Center, Doug Loisel (radio http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb090723.mp3interview) Santa Cruz has 1500-2000 homeless people of whom the overwhelming majority have no shelter.\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\nThose sleeping outside along the San Lorenzo Riverbank levy report Chief Ranger John Wallace will be seeking "stay-away-from-Santa-Cruz" orders for criminal sleepers.\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\nFor a longer explanation: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/20/18609836.php\n\nFor the Injunction: http://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\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\nWe need volunteers to distribute the Pledge more widely. Call us at 423-4833. \n\nTune in for updates on Free Radio Santa Cruz at 101.1 FM and www.freakradio.org Sundays 9:30 AM to 1 PM, Thursdays 6-8 PM.\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\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 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/31/18613517.php SUMMARY:Still No Relief--Sleeping Ban Protest #9 at 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/2009/07/31/18613517.php DTSTART:20090801T210000Z DTEND:20090801T230000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR