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Police make one arrest at Freedom Sleepers protest #20, confiscate belongings
Police arrest a sleeper at the 20th Freedom Sleepers protest in front of city hall and take his belongings. Video is included in this article.
Police arrested one person at this past Tuesday's Freedom Sleepers campout, waking them from sleep under the city hall arcade just after midnight. Video of the arrest can be found at the bottom of this article. The police allegedly took the sleeper in on a drunk in public charge, contrary to his protestations that he hadn't drunk anything that day. They also confiscated his backpack, bedroll, and other belongings, loading them into the trunk of a police car. This reporter counted a dozen officers present at the arrest, with four present initially and eight more that arrived later.
Police were unfriendly to reporters and activists present. One officer repeatedly shined a flashlight into the cameras of onlookers and placed a hand in front of the lens of one reporter to block his view of the arrest.
The arrested sleeper has been released from jail, but is back on the street without any of his personal belongings.
The Freedom Sleepers have been present at city hall every week now for the past five months to protest the Santa Cruz law known as the camping ban (MC 6.36.010) which makes it illegal for people to sleep out in public or set up camping gear. The Freedom Sleepers complaint is that the law unfairly targets people who are houseless for engaging in a survival activity (sleeping) in a way for which they have no alternative.
Video of the arrest is again, below.
Police were unfriendly to reporters and activists present. One officer repeatedly shined a flashlight into the cameras of onlookers and placed a hand in front of the lens of one reporter to block his view of the arrest.
The arrested sleeper has been released from jail, but is back on the street without any of his personal belongings.
The Freedom Sleepers have been present at city hall every week now for the past five months to protest the Santa Cruz law known as the camping ban (MC 6.36.010) which makes it illegal for people to sleep out in public or set up camping gear. The Freedom Sleepers complaint is that the law unfairly targets people who are houseless for engaging in a survival activity (sleeping) in a way for which they have no alternative.
Video of the arrest is again, below.
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The video can be downloaded using the following link:
https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2015/11/26/mov-11252015-001.mp4
Thanks for posting zh!
https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2015/11/26/mov-11252015-001.mp4
Thanks for posting zh!
Thanks to Zav for the post, but the link (both in the original story and in the note) doesn't seem to work.
I'll be playing some interviews with Mike, the man arrested, in my Free Radio show on Sunday at 9:30 PM (101.3 FM, http://www.freakradio.org). To be archived at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb151129.mp3 after the broadast. Phone in any comments or similar experiences at 831-423-4833.
Mike is a portrait artist, disabled with a back injury by his account, who reports police stole his $50 and failed to give him a receipt for his survival gear and artwork.
I was present when the arrest was made and attempted to secure his property but was prevented from doing so by one of the 12 SCPD officers there (though another assured me he would take care of it).
Mike was initially accosted by two First Alarm Security guards who demanded he move out of the spot where he was sleeping under the City Council offices alcove into the rain. When he refused, they began to bully him, and ultimately, at the suggestion of Councilmember Micah Posner, called the police, who took him away in handcuffs. I witnessed all of this. Some of this can be heard on the Free Radio audio I'll be playing on Sunday.
He was released 12 hours later without money or property or charges, by his account.
I'll be playing some interviews with Mike, the man arrested, in my Free Radio show on Sunday at 9:30 PM (101.3 FM, http://www.freakradio.org). To be archived at http://www.radiolibre.org/brb/brb151129.mp3 after the broadast. Phone in any comments or similar experiences at 831-423-4833.
Mike is a portrait artist, disabled with a back injury by his account, who reports police stole his $50 and failed to give him a receipt for his survival gear and artwork.
I was present when the arrest was made and attempted to secure his property but was prevented from doing so by one of the 12 SCPD officers there (though another assured me he would take care of it).
Mike was initially accosted by two First Alarm Security guards who demanded he move out of the spot where he was sleeping under the City Council offices alcove into the rain. When he refused, they began to bully him, and ultimately, at the suggestion of Councilmember Micah Posner, called the police, who took him away in handcuffs. I witnessed all of this. Some of this can be heard on the Free Radio audio I'll be playing on Sunday.
He was released 12 hours later without money or property or charges, by his account.
With the presumption that this information is accurate:
"Mike was initially accosted by two First Alarm Security guards who demanded he move out of the spot where he was sleeping under the City Council offices alcove into the rain. When he refused, they began to bully him, and ultimately, at the suggestion of Councilmember Micah Posner, called the police, who took him away in handcuffs. I witnessed all of this. Some of this can be heard on the Free Radio audio I'll be playing on Sunday."
Fuck Micah the poser, who lives in a house.
"Mike was initially accosted by two First Alarm Security guards who demanded he move out of the spot where he was sleeping under the City Council offices alcove into the rain. When he refused, they began to bully him, and ultimately, at the suggestion of Councilmember Micah Posner, called the police, who took him away in handcuffs. I witnessed all of this. Some of this can be heard on the Free Radio audio I'll be playing on Sunday."
Fuck Micah the poser, who lives in a house.
I can view the video just fine on an Android phone :)
Yes, thanks to the good folks at Indybay the video is playing fine now.
The SCPD has been illegally seizing and destroying (disabled) homeless people's property, as cruel and unusual punishment.
https://youtu.be/eAKcJYcNVXM
http://tinyurl.com/9pjggtj
https://youtu.be/eAKcJYcNVXM
http://tinyurl.com/9pjggtj
In what seems to be a new strategy being used by the SCPD, cops are hauling away "unattended" property prior to and after the protest even if someone is attending it unless they will assert that the property is theirs. This happened at Freedom Sleep-Out #19 (11-17) and #20 (11-24). Toby's video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKcJYcNVXM at "SCPD Taking Homeless Property Illegally".
Earlier videos of the Freedom Sleepers are at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Freedom+Sleepers .
Earlier videos of the Freedom Sleepers are at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Freedom+Sleepers .
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