🚀 go-pugleaf

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/05/18600705.php

Title:	 Downtown Protest Against the Sleeping Ban Injunction and Law
START DATE:	Saturday June 06
TIME:	 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location Details:
On the sidewalk near Bunny's Shoes in downtown Santa Cruz at 1350
Pacific Ave.and its sister store across the street
Event Type:	 Protest
Contact Name	Robert Norse
Email Address	rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com
Phone Number	831-423-4833
Address	309 Cedar PMB #14B Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Sidewalk demo of homeless folks, their supporters, and those outraged
at last Friday's court decision making sleeping downtown a jailing
crime for Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon.

This Injunction was sought by the SCPD, by city employees, and by four
businesses downtown including Bunny's Shoes.

The impact of the decision expands far beyond these two performers,
since there are 1500-2000 homeless in Santa Cruz of whom less than 10%
have shelter throughout the summer.

Homeless people face $97 citations, police harassment, theft and
destruction of their property, and discrimination.

It is piling absurdity upon cruelty to ban sleeping downtown on pain
of jail, yet allow no legal place for homeless people to sleep. MC
6.36.010 makes all nighttime sleeping illegal outside on public
property already; the Injunction adds a jail penalty to the downtown
area for this homeless couple.

Activists will also be presenting a Pledge on Human Rights and Harmony
for merchants to display in their windows or in their stores in
soldarity if they choose.

The pledge reads: "This business does not discriminate. We support
Human Rights for the homeless community. In particular, the right to
sleep at night--not anywhere and everywhere--but somewhere."

Educational protest was recently successful in restoring a positive
relationship between Jack's (the hamburger joint next to the
Nickelodeon) and the homeless community after numerous complaints of
discrimination there.

Solidarity in resisting the police attack on the Farmer's Market Drum
Circle has kept it going every Wednesday.

The Sleeping Ban was abolished in Los Angeles, San Diego, Richmond,
and Laguna Beach. If redneck and yuppie communities can act reasonably
towards the homeless, Santa Cruz can be persuaded to do the same.

Since the Downtown Association and their proxies on City Council
(Robinson, Coonerty, Matthews) has been leading the crackdown on the
homeless, it's time to "crack back".

Don't crack up, get crackin' ! Come on down and support real change
downtown.

More info on this situation at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/02/18599901.php
and http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/05/28/18598906.php ,