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Tick-Tock: Token Tidbits in the Winter War on the Homeless
Two homeless memorials were held on December 21st in Santa Cruz, one by "service providers", the other by Food Not Bombs. I reprint the flyers I distributed at these events as well as the December 25th Xmas dinner organized by Joe Schultz, Food Not Bombs, Friends of Xmas, and the inevitable Steve Pleich.
TOP SECRET?
I also include a handout at the Service Provider memorial of the names of the Homeless Dead, as presented at the Civic Auditorium memorial. I was promised a listing of the ages of each person by the guy apparently in charge, He sent me an e-mail that required the information be denied the public--It is surely a public record, and I could not agree to that condition.
FAILURE OF us ACTIVISTS
As usual such memorials (including the one at the Town Clock) however well-intended strike me as somewhat ironic if not hypocritical. HUFF, the moribund Santa Cruz Homeless Union, and the ACLU fell down hard on promises to enjoin the City from its Benchlands sweeps in the fall of 2022. We took no action to prevent the Coral St., Cal-Trans, Camp Paradise, Hells Trail, or Levee sweeps earlier.
STOP THE SWEEPS
The most obvious correctable stress on those surviving outside is their local criminalization. Police and their social service allies are using laws like the new Camping Ban and the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance to destroy or confiscate makeshift or vehicular shelters. That's where the majority of the homeless outside live, not the temporary shelters which are deceptively labeled "path to housing".
VACANT BUILDINGS ARE THE CRIME
The huge vacant Civic Auditorium which served as a frontispiece for the service providers' gala 2 1/2 hour memorial, didn't stay open that night to address shelter during the night. Mayor Keeley has made no announcements about opening a City-run walk-in Winter shelter this year.
The Footbridge Services Warming Center, Storage, and Resources provisions has been reduced to one day a week a Warming Center Wednesday. Volunteers are reportedly training for a limited emergency weather-only warming center. The Center will reportedly open when the National Weather Service predicts temperatures below 38 degrees over 48 hours and/or flooding.
NO REST FOR THE WRETCHED
But there has been no mention of an amnesty or moratorium on police raids against homeless survival encampments nor any walk-up alternatives. The Emergency system is reportedly being run by a combination of City/County and the S.C. Free Guide people (the same group the publishes the "free" listings and runs the Tier 3 Safe Parking program up at the Armory.
AUDIO OF THE MEMORIALS
The Service Providers Memorial can be heard in its entirety at https://www1.huffsantacruz.org/lost/FRSC%2012-21-23.MP3
Some bits from the Food Not Bombs Town Clock Memorial are available at https://www1.huffsantacruz.org/lost/1%20FRSC%2012-24-23.mp3 (3 hours and 20 minutes into the audio file).
TAKE ACTION
Meanwhile, send any video of encampments being destroyed, vehicles towed, or homeless harassment to Laura at (831)245-0956. Or post it yourself along with a description of what's happening to whom, when and where. The more publicity the better. Rather than wait til next year's Memorial Services.
I also include a handout at the Service Provider memorial of the names of the Homeless Dead, as presented at the Civic Auditorium memorial. I was promised a listing of the ages of each person by the guy apparently in charge, He sent me an e-mail that required the information be denied the public--It is surely a public record, and I could not agree to that condition.
FAILURE OF us ACTIVISTS
As usual such memorials (including the one at the Town Clock) however well-intended strike me as somewhat ironic if not hypocritical. HUFF, the moribund Santa Cruz Homeless Union, and the ACLU fell down hard on promises to enjoin the City from its Benchlands sweeps in the fall of 2022. We took no action to prevent the Coral St., Cal-Trans, Camp Paradise, Hells Trail, or Levee sweeps earlier.
STOP THE SWEEPS
The most obvious correctable stress on those surviving outside is their local criminalization. Police and their social service allies are using laws like the new Camping Ban and the Oversized Vehicle Ordinance to destroy or confiscate makeshift or vehicular shelters. That's where the majority of the homeless outside live, not the temporary shelters which are deceptively labeled "path to housing".
VACANT BUILDINGS ARE THE CRIME
The huge vacant Civic Auditorium which served as a frontispiece for the service providers' gala 2 1/2 hour memorial, didn't stay open that night to address shelter during the night. Mayor Keeley has made no announcements about opening a City-run walk-in Winter shelter this year.
The Footbridge Services Warming Center, Storage, and Resources provisions has been reduced to one day a week a Warming Center Wednesday. Volunteers are reportedly training for a limited emergency weather-only warming center. The Center will reportedly open when the National Weather Service predicts temperatures below 38 degrees over 48 hours and/or flooding.
NO REST FOR THE WRETCHED
But there has been no mention of an amnesty or moratorium on police raids against homeless survival encampments nor any walk-up alternatives. The Emergency system is reportedly being run by a combination of City/County and the S.C. Free Guide people (the same group the publishes the "free" listings and runs the Tier 3 Safe Parking program up at the Armory.
AUDIO OF THE MEMORIALS
The Service Providers Memorial can be heard in its entirety at https://www1.huffsantacruz.org/lost/FRSC%2012-21-23.MP3
Some bits from the Food Not Bombs Town Clock Memorial are available at https://www1.huffsantacruz.org/lost/1%20FRSC%2012-24-23.mp3 (3 hours and 20 minutes into the audio file).
TAKE ACTION
Meanwhile, send any video of encampments being destroyed, vehicles towed, or homeless harassment to Laura at (831)245-0956. Or post it yourself along with a description of what's happening to whom, when and where. The more publicity the better. Rather than wait til next year's Memorial Services.
For more information:
http://www.huffsantacruz.org
Add Your Comments
Comments
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I recently had an exchange of e-mails with the David Davis, the HPHP systems analyst who first promised the Memorial Death data and then required secrecy before proceeding further.
I invited him to a HUFF meeting to convey the missing data or perhaps explain his strange confidentiality policy. Points for a quick response--David replied the same day of the invitation, He thanked me and noted the HUFF meeting time (weekly Thursdays 11 AM - 1 PM, Sub Rosa Cafe 703 Pacific) conflicted with his work time.
He also requested more details, which I gave him (that I'm seeking age, cause and place of death). He said he'd check to see if the info was releasable.
Of course, if David is following orders of higher-up's under threat of job security, then they are the ones who restore the information or be held accountable for refusing to do so.
I'm also suggest the Memorial providers--whether of the Town Clock or the Civic meeting--gather and publish the street names of the listed dead. If the Memorial is really meant to honor and grieve for those on the street, they need to know the common names of those who died.
To do so might help to dispel the suspicion that the purpose of the Memorial is cosmetic and a feel-good event for the service providers, relatives, and financial backers.
For me, the folks throwing the memorial need to be folks who are outside themselves or those who knew and cared for the dead person. I would of course like to see this done with an eye to demanding and acting to prompt real change in the conditions producing such deaths which escalate the death toll yearly.
A case in point is the continued Sleeping Ban enforcement and dispersal of homeless encampments in a wet cold winter--and no walk-in Winter Shelter for those who need or want it (such as the Civic Auditorium or the Sports Stadium).
I invited him to a HUFF meeting to convey the missing data or perhaps explain his strange confidentiality policy. Points for a quick response--David replied the same day of the invitation, He thanked me and noted the HUFF meeting time (weekly Thursdays 11 AM - 1 PM, Sub Rosa Cafe 703 Pacific) conflicted with his work time.
He also requested more details, which I gave him (that I'm seeking age, cause and place of death). He said he'd check to see if the info was releasable.
Of course, if David is following orders of higher-up's under threat of job security, then they are the ones who restore the information or be held accountable for refusing to do so.
I'm also suggest the Memorial providers--whether of the Town Clock or the Civic meeting--gather and publish the street names of the listed dead. If the Memorial is really meant to honor and grieve for those on the street, they need to know the common names of those who died.
To do so might help to dispel the suspicion that the purpose of the Memorial is cosmetic and a feel-good event for the service providers, relatives, and financial backers.
For me, the folks throwing the memorial need to be folks who are outside themselves or those who knew and cared for the dead person. I would of course like to see this done with an eye to demanding and acting to prompt real change in the conditions producing such deaths which escalate the death toll yearly.
A case in point is the continued Sleeping Ban enforcement and dispersal of homeless encampments in a wet cold winter--and no walk-in Winter Shelter for those who need or want it (such as the Civic Auditorium or the Sports Stadium).
For more information:
http://www.huffsantacruz.org
On December 29th, David Davis declined to provide more information and instead directed me to the Santa Cruz Recorders office. It's hard to believe that Davis doesn't have the information requested, but those interested may try contacting him at David.Davis [at] santacruzcountyca.gov
If you have any success, please post what you learn here.
Those interested in "Confronting the Culprits" whether over-eager cops, casual survival encampment trashers, indifferent officials, or bashful systems analysts should send any documentation to Laura at 831-245-0956 and/or post here.
If you have any success, please post what you learn here.
Those interested in "Confronting the Culprits" whether over-eager cops, casual survival encampment trashers, indifferent officials, or bashful systems analysts should send any documentation to Laura at 831-245-0956 and/or post here.
For more information:
http://www.huffsantacruz.org
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