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UID:Indybay-18731812
SEQUENCE:18833867
CREATED:20130211T224500Z
DESCRIPTION:Following up from the "Crush the Homeless Camps" sweep-and-destroy 
 operations of last summer and fall and the Public Bigotry Committee's 
 December and January hearing, City Council will move to put the cherries on 
 top of the Drug War Delight tomorrow at 3 PM at City Hall.  Come on down 
 and to tell 'em "No Thanks!"\n\nSanta Cruz City Council meets tomorrow (3 
 PM City Council Chambers 3 PM, agenda item #15) and is likely to 
 rubberstamp recommendations made by its right-wing "Public Safety 
 Committee" which met three weeks ago and in its turn rubberstamped the 
 recommendations of a conservative staff report.  See "New Attack on 
 Homeless Slated in City Counci's 'Public Safety' Committee Meeting"  at 
 http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/01/29/18730942.php.\n\nThe 
 recommendations can be found on-line at 
 http://www3.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/cache/2/bzcl12553shhsji4oz3akzup/370818802112013094929120.PDF 
   as well as the original staff report at  
 http://www3.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/cache/2/bzcl12553shhsji4oz3akzup/370818902112013095000761.PDF 
 .  \n\nIf these aren't accessible there, go to 
 http://www3.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=452&doctype=AGENDA 
 and look under agenda item #15.\n\nMost of these recommendations are a 
 defensive response to an onslaught by right-wing pro-Drug Prohibition War, 
 anti-homeless activist groups like Take Back Santa Cruz.  Homeless people 
 and their "illegal" (i.e. survival) camps are being blamed for needles, 
 break-in's, endangering children, and all kinds of other bogus accusations 
 completely unsupported by objective stats.  Cuts are being proposed in the 
 paltry homeless services being provided.  Expansion of an anti-homeless 
 SCPD is proposed.  And an absurd and misguided contraction of Needle 
 Exchange is being used as the prime scapegoat.\n\nI include the attached 
 petition, which, while inadequate in not including opposition to the 
 counter-productive 1-for-1 exchange, does push back  slightly against the 
 paranoid mind set which is active locally.  I'm also including a guest 
 editorial in the Sunday Sentinel that presents what sounds like a good case 
 for opposing the 1-for-1 (no needles given out unless dirty needles 
 returned) proposal.\n\nThere's likely to be quite a crowd of misguided Drug 
 War heavies down at City Council tomorrow, but it would be productive to 
 show up anyway.  The city's failure to provide public restrooms, adequate 
 disposal facilities, refund and expand needle exchange, & establish safe 
 and legal campgrounds is, of course, largely being ignored by city 
 bureaucrats and politicians (though even some right-wing critics are 
 calling for some of these services).\n\nThe Santa Cruz Sentinel has been 
 ramping up the hysteria with various front-page "needle" stories with its 
 main editorial on Sunday leading the charge.  Read it and heave:  
 http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_22557015/editorial-county-must-oversee-needles 
 . \n\nReal solutions like Injection and Inhalation Centers 
 (http://supervisedinjection.vch.ca/  ... 
 http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/09/30/vancouver-injection-center-legal-court-rules/ 
  ) aren't being proposed, though Santa Cruz pioneered (along with San 
 Francisco) medical marijuana tolerance and distribution back in the early 
 90's.   Time to take the lead again.\n\nHomeless people are perhaps the 
 most vulnerable population for the diseases likely to result from this 
 latest Cold War-style attack on harm reduction measures.\n\nSome of the 
 crowd pushing for "clean up" (such as T.J. Magallanes of the Clean Team) 
 really want to respect homeless camps, set up campsites, and take a medical 
 rather than military approach to drug abuse.  Come and speak out, if you 
 dare.\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/02/11/18731812.php
SUMMARY:Drug War Dummies to Mob Cowardly City Council; Nervous Opponents Present Petition
LOCATION:Santa Cruz City Hall\nCity Council Chambers\n809 Center St  Santa Cruz, CA 
 95060
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/02/11/18731812.php
DTSTART:20130212T230000Z
DTEND:20130213T020000Z
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