Here We Are...

We Are Here...We Are Not Leaving!

Years of negative publicity over the staggering communities of homeless residents endure within the immediate borders of the city and county of San Francisco has afforded local city politicians cheap election campaigns on quality of life issues.

Fed up with the growing rash of the city's so called 'quality of life' violations against their civil rights, homeless residents have mobilized trained vigilantes citizens who patrol city streets in search of police officers who issue frivolous citations.

"After being homeless in San Francisco for two years I had accumulated quite a few quality of life ticket citations that inevitably turn into warrants which I could not or would not pay and I did not want to go jail, so I began to use aliases (false names)." Resident testimonies like this abound among homeless communities throughout the city.

The current public outcry came as a consequence of the random street sweeps and street crackdowns, involving mass dislocations of homeless people, bringing the city of San Francisco to the foreground of a historic showdown against illegal police tactics that are being enforced on homeless people.

Street Sheet, the city's premier street monthly newspaper, has long maintained a galvanizing forum for civil rights issues affecting homeless residents, through the Coalition On Homelessness-the parent organization. The Coalition run two-part session to train poor people on frequent street outreach design to become vanguards of the project dubbed Street Watch.

STREET WATCH volunteers demand justice and dignity for all people--regardless of their economic or social status, and everyone's god given right to live free of persecution and harassment--free to sleep outside when there is no other place, free to sleep in parks, free to voice their discontent for an unequal society--free to pursue a way of life that is in fact, a lot of people, their only alternative.

"This is because our work is driven by what is happening to low income and homeless people in SF through Street Watch. To reach homeless individuals are most affected by civil rights abuses which in turn is the driving force behind our advocacy...this allows us to interact with the homeless and down and out..." affirms John, a Street Watch volunteer.

Armed with General Order 5.07, one of San Francisco unusual city ordinances that protects a bystander's right to bear witness at the site of police altercation with residents during any given street situation, Street Watch organizers train volunteers their rights as Onlookers.

Onlookers reserve the right to overhear conversations between an inquisitive police officer and suspect, and if necessary, to act as potential witness. General Order 5.07 allows persons not directly involved to remain in the immediate vicinity to witness stops, detentions and arrests of suspects occurring in public areas. Except when the safety of the officer or the suspect is jeopardized, when persons interfere, violate the law, or when person threaten by words or action or attempt to incite others to violate the law.

General Order 5.07 also stipulates that the onlooker shall be allowed to approach close enough to hear the conversation between the suspect and officer. Except when the suspect objects to persons overhearing the conversation; or there happens to be a specific and articulate need for confidential conversation for the purpose of police interrogation.

If a citizen is a witness to the activity for which the suspect was detained or arrested, the officer may request his/her name. The citizen is not compelled to disclose such information. As for direct inquiry as to the suspect's name and whether the officer or the suspect wishes a witness, the onlooker shall be permitted to make a short statement as a response from suspect if necessary.

Street Watch organizers at the Coalition On Homelessness strongly express concerns about video filming during officer-suspect contacts. Bystanders or onlookers have the right to record police officer enforcement activities by camera, video recorder, or other means except under certain circumstances. In any criminal activity, onlookers are advised to make a judgment call as to recording contacts between officers and citizen, during which officers are detaining, citing or arresting a suspect or engaging in crowd control at a demonstration.

For more information on Street Watch San Francisco contact the Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco @ 468 Turk Street San Francisco, CA 94102 or call
Call them at (415) 346-3740. On the web at http://www.sf-homeless-coalition.org or coh [at] sf-homeless-coalition.org.