Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN) organized its eleventh sit-in protest in downtown Monterey on December 4. Since February, community members have been gathering monthly on the sidewalk of Alvarado Street to defy the city's sit-lie ordinance, which has been in effect for just over a year now.

Sec. 32-6.2 of the Monterey municipal code bans sitting or lying on most commercial sidewalks in Monterey between the hours of 7am and 9pm. Based on their outreach with Monterey's homeless community, DAMN believes the sit-lie ordinance is discriminatory and has been selectively enforced by police.

For much of the demonstration, individuals decorated protest signs inscribed with messages such as "Homelessness is Not a Crime" and "I'll Sit Where I Want." At one point in the evening a person walking by joined the group briefly to help decorate the posters. The individual described how she had been homeless in Colorado Springs several years prior, and that city had also been going through a phase of creating laws that targeted homeless people, she said.

Read More with Photos | Direct Action Monterey Network (DAMN)

Previous Coverage: Sit-Ins Reclaim Public Space in Downtown Monterey || Monterey Police Take Names, Issue 'Warnings' at Latest Sit-Lie Demonstration || Community Members Continue to Resist the Sit-Lie Ban in Monterey || New Sit-Lie Ban Protested in Monterey