After celebrating their one-year anniversary on July 5, the Freedom Sleepers have returned to Santa Cruz City Hall for three more sleepouts. The most recent was their 55th community sleepout on July 26. Since July 4 of 2015, a coalition of unhoused and housed community members in Santa Cruz have converged to sleep at city hall one night a week to protest local laws that criminalize homelessness.

The Freedom Sleepers celebrated their one-year anniversary together on July 5 with a march through downtown Santa Cruz, and then an outdoor movie screening at Santa Cruz City Hall. The march was lively and drew quite a bit of attention from onlookers downtown. One passerby agreed with the group's message after hearing their loud protest chants opposing the "sleeping" ban, which is how many homeless activists refer to the illegal camping ordinance. "That's right," she exclaimed loudly. "Sleeping should not be illegal!"

Many of those participating in the sleepouts, individually and together, advocate for a wide variety of approaches to end the criminalization of sleep. The one primary demand that unites the Freedom Sleepers is their call to repeal the city's camping ordinance, which bans sleeping in public between the hours of 11pm and 8:30am, with or without the use of bedding materials. Sleeping at city hall at night is an act of civil disobedience, and by doing so they are in direct violation of the camping ban.

Read More: Tuesday is Still the Night to Sleep at Santa Cruz City Hall | Freedom Sleepers Anniversary: One Year of Protesting the Sleeping Ban at City Hall

See Also: Going Into Year Two with the Freedom Sleepers | 1st Anniversary Freedom Sleeper Celebration and Look Back | Summer for the Freedom Sleepers | As Attendance Swells at Community Sleepouts, Freedom Sleepers Plan One-Year Anniversary | #50--Freedom Sleepers Keep the Faith

Related Features: Santa Cruz City Council Votes Down Change to Sleeping Ban Law | Santa Cruz Police Target Homeless Sleepers Downtown | Sleepouts at Santa Cruz City Hall Advance into 2016 | Bell v. Boise Still Casts Shadow Over Santa Cruz | Freedom SleepOut #26 Seeks Shelter| Food Not Bombs Co-Founder Keith McHenry Faces New Criminal Charges for His Work | Freedom Sleepers Confront Santa Cruz City Council at el Palomar Restaurant | Community Sleepouts Advance to 13th Week | Attendance Doubles at City Hall Sleepouts | Community Sleep-ins Continue at Santa Cruz City Hall | Community Campout Ends with Citations | Residents Respond to Withdrawal of Homeless Services Funds in Santa Cruz