New Attack on Homeless Slated in City Council's "Public Safety" Committee Meeting

I spent half my time outside the meeting interviewing folks--interviews to be played Thursday 6-8 PM (some of them anyway).

So I missed the final vote, but it seems from the (often questionable) coverage of the Sentinel that not only did the Public Safety Committee rubberstamp the staff's homeless-hostile and "more cops, less sanity" hysteria-happy agenda, but the City Attorney on secret vote from the Council

I assume the vote was unanimous, though I won't be sure until I speak with others who were in the room when it was taken (or when I play the tape on Thursday evening and/or Sunday morning).

Quite slimey was the secrecy of the Committee and other members of the Council (like Micah Posner) who didn't mention the key fact that the Council directed Posner in closed session to shut down a residential needle exchange site. I assume no one in the crowd was aware of it--though it happened yesterday according to the following Sentinel article.

This kind of "creeping criminalization", which sounds like it's out of the playbook of Deputy-Chief Steve Clark, and may be a form of abusive "reefer madness"-style Drug Warrioring which is a real step backwards.

I regret that indybay chose to remove a comment critical of me, whose author was straightforward enough to give his name. I encourage those who are not just trolling, but seriously in dispute, to leave comments on the HUFF website under the comment sections at http://www.huffsantacruz.org .

I also appreciate the support from those who like my reporting.

It's true I mix opinion and fact in my commentaries--but I don't hide that fact and don't apologize for it either. Someday when I grow more skillful (probably never), I may be able to use the "facts speak for themselves" approach.. Trouble is that I feel so strongly about my conclusions, that I always have to stick them in, if not lead with them. Still I think these articles are helpful.

The Sentinel story is at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22478511/santa-cruz-shuts-down-longtime-needle-exchange-site

REPULSIVE SENTINEL EDITORIAL
A noxious Sentinel editorial today endorses an ignorant and prejudiced position on needle exchange at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/ci_22484641/editorial-step-forward-needle-exchanges . The noxious and futile moralizing of the editorial and subsequent comments recalls the propaganda of the Anti-Saloon League in its drive to create Alcohol Prohibition in the early years of the 20th Century. That it has taken on an anti-homeless color also makes it particularly off-base and fascistic.

Pretty sad, of course, and recalls the right-wing solutions to abortion and unwanted pregnancy: "abstinence". Why not call out the cops to go after moms and doctors? Oh, wait, isn't that now the law in some states?

COMMANDER STEVE CLARK ON STEROIDS
Deputy-Chief Clark's "more cops and crackdowns" and "ramp up the war on drugs" approach is a proven failure. His "cut off the needles and they'll go away" nonsense feeds and feeds off a widespread form of magical thinking in the community that blames "excessive Santa Cruz tolerance." Looking at the Drug War racket that funds cops, courts, jails, and prisons (and, of course attorneys) it's been clear for years that Prohibition is the real problem. One doesn't even have to be "compassionate" to understand the common sense that a black market will always find profiteers and customers. And create new criminals, even as the old ones, are stuffed into overcrowded pens. Pretty crazy stuff.

A RESPONSE FROM PLEICH?
I've asked Steve Pleich--a long-time needle exchange volunteer to write an informed response and also to speak about the issue on tonight's Free Radio Santa Cruz show between 6 and 8 PM (streams at http://tunein.com/radio/FRSC-s47254/ , broadcasts at 101.3 FM, archives at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb130131.mp3).

SENTINEL "CORRECTION"
Today front-page story on the shutting down of the Lower Ocean Needle Exchange "corrects" the Sentinel story the day before that I refer to in the previous update. That Sentinel story claimed it was a unanimous secret vote at the Closed Session of City Council to authorize the City Attorney to threaten and initiate "cease and desist" actions against the landlord allowing needle exchange in his parking lot. Today's Sentinel comes out with a different tale:

"Barisone said he had not heard about the exchange before this week but said a majority of council members -- not a unanimous number as initially reported by the Sentinel -- approved beginning code enforcement activity after Lower Ocean neighbors raised concerns about the needle exchange."

The full Sentinel story (though what the truth is, I don't know) can be found at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_22485020/city-attorney-santa-cruz-property-owner-called-end .

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD...
To find real solutions, you've first got to abandon the hype and hysteria and look closely at the effectiveness (or not) of medical approaches in other countries like Injection Rooms, Inhalation Rooms, for hard-drug users.

Unless they choose to hold a special session, there'll be no City Council meeting until the second Tuesday in February (the 12th).
Sane folks better get ready to deal with a tide of Drug War Insanity.

The paragraph in the original story reads: "Quite slimey was the secrecy of the Committee and other members of the Council (like Micah Posner) who didn't mention the key fact that the Council directed POSNER in closed session to shut down a residential needle exchange site...."

It should read "directed BARISONE in closed session to shut down what apparently is the only residential needle exchange site, at least the only one in the Lower Ocean neighborhood." [Capitals added for emphasis]

Sorry for any confusion.