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UID:Indybay-18799012
SEQUENCE:18935483
CREATED:20170501T163200Z
DESCRIPTION:CITY CONSIDERS TAKING MORE MEASURES AGAINST THE HOMELESS \n\nThe City of 
 Santa Cruz is considering a number of new policies that would impact local 
 homeless people. Not only has there been an effort by a handful of property 
 owners and their allies at City Hall to end the Food Not Bombs meals 
 outside the downtown Post Office but there are also reports that officials 
 may implement a number of new restrictions and architectural changes to 
 make the lives of those without housing more painful.\n\nRight now more 
 than 20 people sleep out each night in protest to the sleeping ban. The 
 Survival Sleepers as they are called started they're nightly protest when 
 the Winter Shelter closed.\n\nThe city is also considering removing the 
 benches outside the library and stationing two or more police officers at 
 City Hall. Many homeless people sit on those benches both during the day 
 and after the library is closed. \n\nThe Freedom Sleepers are seeking funds 
 to station a portable toilet outside City Hall as part of the campaign to 
 defend the rights of those living outside. \n\nOne unhoused person, Greg 
 Mercado, died of complications from an old surgery at the corner of Church 
 and Center Streets twelve hours after the police kicked him out from the 
 City Hall grounds and gave him a ticket for being in a park after 
 hours.\n\nThe City Manager of Santa Cruz appears to have powers outside the 
 democratic process. City staff claim the complaints and new policies 
 originate from the City Manager’s office. His office is seeking to 
 generate complaints against the homeless and has been lobbying city 
 employees to complain to their union to provide justification  for these 
 new measures. Thankfully many employees do not agree with his 
 efforts.\n\nWriting for the DOJ, Civil Rights Division Attorney Sharon 
 Brett noted in the Statement of Interest in the case, Bell v. City of 
 Boise, “When adequate shelter space exists, individuals have a choice 
 about whether or not to sleep in public. However, when adequate shelter 
 space does not exist, there is no meaningful distinction between the status 
 of being homeless and the conduct of sleeping in public. Sleeping is a 
 life-sustaining activity — i.e., it must occur at some time in some 
 place. If a person literally has nowhere else to go, then enforcement of 
 the anti-camping ordinance against that person criminalizes her for being 
 homeless.”\n\nThe Statement from the Department of Justice concluded: 
 “Thus, criminalizing homelessness is both unconstitutional and misguided 
 public policy, leading to worse outcomes for people who are homeless and 
 for their communities. If the Court finds that it is impossible for 
 homeless individuals to secure shelter space on some nights because no beds 
 are available, no shelter meets their disability needs or they have 
 exceeded the maximum stay limitations, then the Court should also find that 
 enforcement of the ordinances under those circumstances criminalizes the 
 status of being homeless and violates the Eighth Amendment to the 
 Constitution.”\n\nPlease sign and share our petition. We also invite you 
 to join the Freedom Sleepers sleep-out Tuesday, May 2nd and participate in 
 the Housing for All Protest on Tuesday, May 9th. The Freedom Sleepers ask 
 you bring a blanket or sleeping bag to public comment at the City Council 
 Chambers after the May 9th march from the County Building to the downtown 
 Post Office anti-homeless fence ending at City Hall. Santa Cruz can end the 
 sleeping ban and provide housing for all. \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/05/01/18799012.php
SUMMARY:Freedom Sleepers #94 - Sleep-out to end the sleeping ban
LOCATION:Santa Cruz City Hall - 809 Center Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2017/05/01/18799012.php
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DTEND:20170503T220000Z
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