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UID:Indybay-18765514
SEQUENCE:18885285
CREATED:20141214T025500Z
DESCRIPTION:PROTEST CITY HALL TO DEMAND:\nNo Worsened Banishment Law for the Homeless 
 in Santa Cruz!\nRepeal Approval of the Cop’s New Urban Assault 
 Vehicle!\nRepeal All Anti-Homeless Laws!\n\nJanuary 13th, 2015 \nProtest 
 Starts at 3:00 PM\nMeet at the Santa Cruz City Council \n809 Center Street, 
 Santa Cruz CA \n\nOn December 9th the Santa Cruz City Council approved the 
 acquisition of a new fully armored urban assault vehicle.  In response, 
 protesters shut city hall down.  The total listed price is supposed to be 
 $251,000. This is part of the federal government’s current $3 billion 
 dollar per year project to militarize local police forces through grants 
 from the Department of Homeland Security.  This latest military acquisition 
 fits with the Obama Administration’s stated goal of militarizing police 
 forces across the country. As austerity, low wages, racism, and foreign 
 wars devastate much of the American working class, the U.S. ruling class is 
 not spending money to ameliorate these problems; instead they are preparing 
 for war on America’s poor, people of color, and working class in 
 general.\n\nOn January 13th, the Santa Cruz City Council is scheduled to 
 approve the final adoption of an amendment to its existing anti-homeless 
 banishment ordinance. That amendment will make the existing law far worse. 
 Both the local chapter of the ACLU and the Homeless Person’s Legal 
 Assistance Project have declared the law unconstitutional. The existing 
 banishment law (Section 13.08.100 Order to Vacate) gives the authority to 
 the police and park officials to banish people from locations in much of 
 Santa Cruz. Banishments are for minor “offenses”, including sleeping 
 while being homeless. Banishments are currently issued at the discretion 
 police and park authorities and they are not overturned if the homeless 
 person is found innocent in court. Violations of banishment orders are 
 punishable by up to a year in jail and by substantial fines.\n\nThe new 
 amended banishment law will give police and park rangers the authority to 
 banish people for up to a year for repeated violations. The old banishment 
 law, currently in effect, only gives them the authority to banish people 
 for 24 hours. Banishment for up to a year on the say so of cops and park 
 rangers will be a major violation of constitutional rights to due process. 
 The new banishment law is also retroactive, so a large number of people 
 will be receiving new longer banishments for past infractions. \n\nThe city 
 government and corporate media portray this worsened anti-homeless law as a 
 needed response to terrible repeat criminals.  Yet, actual statistics paint 
 a far different picture.  The data compiled by Raven Davis shows that of 
 banishable offense tickets by park rangers: 14% were for sleeping, 20.2% 
 for setting up bedding, 23% for setting up a campsite, 17% for smoking in a 
 public park, 5% for the consumption of alcohol, 9% for open containers of 
 alcoholic beverages, and 21% for limits to access violations in public 
 parks (usually associated with trying to find a place to sleep). Nearly 
 100% were non-violent “offenses”.  Far from being directed at problem 
 criminals, this law is directed at homeless people. In fact, Raven Davis 
 found that at least 69% of the citations written by park rangers were to 
 homeless people. Also, 78.2% of infractions were directly about being 
 homeless because they deal with homeless sleeping issues. \n\nHomeless 
 people are harassed and freeze to death in Santa Cruz.  This is partly 
 because cops and rangers destroy and confiscate tents, blankets, and 
 sleeping bags.  The banishment law contributes as well by the fear of jail 
 it instills as people try to set up space to stay warm and dry in the 
 winter rain and cold.  If the amendment to this law passes on January 13th, 
 it will take effect thirty days after its passage, and there should be is 
 no doubt that it will kill people. \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/13/18765514.php
SUMMARY:Protest New Anti-Homeless Law and Urban Assault Vehicle
LOCATION:Meet at the Santa Cruz City Council \n809 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/13/18765514.php
DTSTART:20150113T230000Z
DTEND:20150114T020000Z
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