🚀 go-pugleaf

>From Robert Norse Tue Jan 9 00:31:27 2007

Date:	 Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:31:27 -0800
Subject:  City Council Moves Today To Expand Police Power Against Poor
-
More Police Punishing the Poor in the Pogonip

by Robert Norse ( rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com )


City Council is posed to rubberstamp another police state expansion of
power giving NIMBY (Not-in-my-backyard) bureaucrats a green light,
funds, and weapons against the poor.

TUESDAY AT 3 PM--ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE POOR

Coming up at the afternoon session of City Council is another expansion
of police power in the Parks and Recreation Department, using street
repair and park maintenance money from the increased sales tax to
increase the crackdown on the homeless. Item #15, which could come up
as
early as 3:05 PM, describes itself as "Park, Open Space and Waterway
Security Program Using Measure H Funds" "Motion to direct the Director
of Parks and Recreation and the Chief of Police to work with the City
Manager to create the necessary positions needed to implement Parks
Security Divisions in the Parks and Recreation and Police Departments."

The City of Santa Cruz's 1500-2000 homeless people have access to
emergency shelter with a capacity of 160 people. The rules also exclude
those who work during the day, have pets, have health problems, or who
lack photo ID. Police issue $90 camping tickets for those they target,
without checking whether there is any legal place they can actually go
(almost always there isn't). So they violate the Federal principles
laid
down by the 9th Circuit Court in the Jones decision banning police
arrest of the L.A. Skidrow homeless at night. (The principle was "no
shelter available = no arrests permitted"). Parks and Rec ranger John
Wallace has gone further. The entire SCPD only issued, according to
information released under a Public Records Act request, about 30
citations per month from April to Decermber of 2006.  Wallace
singlehandedly has issued more citations. Further Wallace has directed
Public Works teams to come in and destroy homeless property as
"garbage", including usable tents, blankets, and sleeping bags, as well
as personal property. A Federal judge in Fresno in the Kincaid case has
found such behavior unconstitutional; a trial for damages now awaits
city authorities who authorized or permitted these human rights abuses.
[http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/11/23/18332519.php] Likewise in
Santa Cruz, such behavior is unconstitutional, abusive, unworthy of a
civilized community, and a resurgence of the War Against the Poor
locally. It also threatenes homeless survival in winter. Witnesses have
testified they observed Wallace's supervising workers who
systematically
and regularly gather and then slash homeless gear with knives and then
toss the scraps into dumpsters. MORE MONEY FOR THE VANDALS Police chief
Skerry, P & R czarina Shoemaker, and City Manager-for-Life Dick Wilson
now propose an expansion of these vicious raids on those without
shelter. Though written before December 13th (see below), the "Security
Program" report was only released to the public seventy-two hours
before
the Council meeting. The Good Times did its part with a scare story
demonizing surival campers in the downtown area.
[http://www.gtweekly.com/news/story.2007-01-03.6678368356] As usual
there are no crime statistics either with the Good Times article or
with
the Council request for more "Homeland Security" forces here against
the
"escalating" "illegal" activities. This mirrors the approach used by
Bush nationally (more troops, whatever the cost) and by the Public
Works
Department last year in passing the Parking Garage Paranoia Law (which
they call the Parking Garage Trespass Law).

COLLATERAL ATTACKS ON THE HOMELESS AND RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC SPACES:
Last year City Council voted to give Schumaker the power to drive the
homeless from the city parking garage structures (and Parking Lot #9
across from the Elmo St. Mission feeding program) with their Parking
Garage Trespass Law. This law makes it illegal to enter a parking
garage
unless you are parking a car or bicycle or picking one up and then
allows you only 15 minutes to do so. The fine could be anywhere from
$100 to $200. With the new expedited "no warrants" "speedy civil
collection process", a $300 fine will be added if the fines are not
immediately paid. Signs in parking lots ban "loitering" (without
specifying the ridiculous 15 minutes alloted to paying customers to
hustle out of their cars and out of the parking lot). The promised
"free
speech" exceptions that would allow people to leave flyers on cars, for
instance, have not yet materialized. OTHER AGGRANDIZEMENTS OF POWER BY
SHOEMAKER: Smoking (of cannabis or tobacco) has been banned from all
city parks--without any meaningful public process or reasonable
discussion (such as allotting smoking areas to addicted tobacco
smokers,
or considering the needs of homeless medical marijuana patients). The
Parks and Recreation Commission, although usually a rubberstamping
body,
has been cut out of a process which now allows Shoemaker to
unilaterally
close down any area policed by Wallace and his associates (i.e. "set
closing hours"). This includes areas along Pacific Avenue and the City
Council grounds themselves. SCAPEGOATING THE HOMELESS MAY HAVE
FINANCIAL
CONSEQUENCES Creating new enemies for suvival camping and then
criminalizing them does not pass the "straight face" test. But
apparently it's business-as-usual with the City Council. Instead of
designating camping areas, the City is imperiling the health and safety
of the poorest by creating more police power to drive them deeper into
the greenbelts. Instead of creating "safe camper" programs and
acknowledging the unmet needs of our homeless population, the
Reilly-Coonerty Council is pursuing a gentrification agenda which also
makes the city legally vulnerable under the Jones and Kincaid
decisions.

COUNCIL'S DONE DEAL MAKES "WITHIN THE SYSTEM" OPPOSITION DIFFICULT.

Folks can, of course, call City Council at 420-5020 and demand that
more
funds for thuggery be put on hold (just as more funding for additional
troops in Iraq needs to be stopped). The measure is coming up at an
afternoon session when most of the community can't easily attend. It's
being advanced as an "administrative business" item, which limits the
amount of public discussion allowed (3 minutes if you haven't talked on
any other administrative item, 1 minute if you have).  It's being put
forward without meaningful public notice. It seems pretty clear that
Mayor "Smiley" Reilly is ready to rubberstamp another police
empowerment
measure without considering its impact on the poor. It's becoming clear
that a combination of direct action and legal attacks are probably the
only effective resistance, though letting Rotkin, Robinson, Reilly, and
the rest know how you feel (same phone number as above) isn't a bad
idea.

NIMBY-POLICE VIGILANTE COLLUSION AGAINST THE POOR?

Particularly ominous in the staff report is the suggestion that
neighbors should "team up" with the police in snitching on the poor as
part of the war on "illegal activity" (using the Drug War, of course,
as
the scare justification). Not only is the whole procedure cruel,
costly,
coarsening, and toxic for the poor--it is useless. Last year there were
more busts for marijuana than during any prior year (and Santa Cruz's
Sheriff Robbins and D.A. Bob Lee continue to arrest and harass, in
spite
of Proposition 215), but are less people smoking marijuana. Will
homeless people stop sleeping and camping because the harassment
increases? Or will they simply so less safely, more secretly, and more
fearfully? The Scotts Valley anti-camping law goes into effect January
20th. More people died homeless in 2006 in Santa Cruz County than in
any
previous year, according to the official count. ENVIRONMENTAL EXCUSES
FOR EXPANDED POLICE POWER LAUGHABLE It's bitterly ironic that part of
the justification for this measure is to protect the environment, when
the city is refusing to put in 24-hour bathrooms downtown (and engaging
in a costly upgrade of the Lighthouse Field bathroom while ignoring
needs elsewhere in the city). All the downtown portapotties have been
removed including the portapotty at the Farmer's Market--the last of
the
5 put in under the Krohn-Sugar-Fitzmaurice administrations. The urinal
in the men's room of the daytime bathroom on Soquel Avenue across from
New Leaf Market has been torn out. The previously public bathroom in
the
Locust St. garage is due to be privatized to protect the sensibilities
of Public Works parking garage workers. RESIST TWO WARS--THE WAR IN
IRAQ
AND THE WAR ON THE POOR Meanwhile the Council remains silent with
nothing on its agenda regarding the proposed murderous "surge" of
troops
in Iraq. HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom) urges
community
members to join the Vigil Against Two Wars--the War on Iraq and the War
Against the Poor. Camping out at federal buildings like the post
office,
Farr's office, the FBI office downtown--would be a visible protest that
would send a strong message. Contact 423-4833 if you want to support
such a drive.

BELOW IS THE STAFF REPORT SUPPORTING THE $700,000 POLICING MEASURE
PROPOSED FOR THE PARKS (The actual cost is unclear since the report,
interestingly enough, does not give specifics)

-----

On-line Staff Report
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: December 13, 2006

AGENDA OF: January 9, 2007
DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation Department and Police Department
SUBJECT: Park, Open Space and Waterway Security Program Using Measure H

Funds

RECOMMENDATION: That City Council direct the Director of Parks and
Recreation and the Chief of Police to work with the City Manager to
create the necessary positions needed to implement Parks Security
Divisions in the Parks and Recreation and Police Departments.

BACKGROUND: On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, Santa Cruz City residents
approved Measure H.  This ballot measure made permanent the five-year ?

cent sales tax rate passed by voters in 2002 and added a new ? cent
sales tax rate.  The City Council, in conjunction with its placement of
Measure H on the ballot, adopted a resolution stating that the City
Council's intent was that the City would use the additional revenue
generated by the new ?  cent sales tax rate for street maintenance and
repairs and City Park maintenance, supervision and public safety.

DISCUSSION: Over the past few years the City has experienced increasing
challenges with the condition of its parks, open space and waterways.
Existing City staff has tried to cope with the accumulation of garbage
and camping debris and escalating illegal activities in the City's
parklands by combining Parks and Recreation and Police Department
resources along with contractual labor to deal with the most egregious
illegal campsites.

Illegal activities, including drug dealing and use, prostitution,
illegal camping and garbage dumping are evident in the majority of the
City's parks, open spaces and waterways.  Not only do these
activities
pose public safety issues, they also present public health and
environmental challenges.  In addition, the illegal activities also
discourage law-abiding citizens from using the City facilities.

The problems described above have escalated over the last four years
because of an actual increase in the amount of illegal activities as
well as a decrease in security and maintenance staff.

The model of pairing the existing park ranger with a police officer was
very effective in addressing some of the illegal activities over the
past several months, but due to limited resources, the illegal activity
just moved from one site to another.

Given the level of illegal activity in our parks, open space and
waterways, staff recommends developing a staffing program that combines
Park Rangers and Police Department Community Service Officers.  The
Community Service Officers and their supervisor will be assigned full
time to parks, open space and waterways, and will be focused on
curtailing illegal activities specifically in neighborhood parks and
the
River Levee.  The Park Rangers and their supervisor will coordinate
parks, open space and waterway cleanups, and provide some routine
maintenance in the open space areas of the parks system.  The Rangers
will also provide interpretive services and work with neighbors
throughout the park system.  In addition to the CSO's, Rangers and
supervisors hired with Measure H funds, Parks Maintenance Workers will
also be hired as well as purchasing necessary equipment and supplies.
Both units will work together to make our parks, open space and
waterways safer and cleaner for all.

Recruitment for some of the positions will take months so it is
staff's
intent to begin recruitment after the first of the year so that
appointments can be made as soon as the funding becomes available.
Staff will return to City Council with a budget adjustment and a final
staffing plan.

FISCAL IMPACT: Measure H funding will become available in April.  The
additional ? cent will generate approximately $2.4 million per year of
which approximately $700,000 will be available for parks, open space
and
waterway security and maintenance annually.


Submitted by: Dannettee Shoemaker Director of Parks and Recreation


Approved by: Richard C. Wilson City Manager
Submitted by: Howard Skerry Chief of Police


http://www.huffsantacruz.org

---------

No Surprise--Unanimous Council Kicks Down $700,000 to Cops & Rangers
by Robert Norse
Wednesday Jan 10th, 2007 10:23 PM
With less than 15 minutes discussion, the Reilly Council rubberstamped
the Skerry-Wilson- Shoemaker Bumbuster Patrols.

When I spoke at the meeting, P & R boss Shoemaker freely acknowledged
the matter had not been brought before a Parks and Recreation
Commission. She and her staff had not heard from any significant social
service provider, homeless advocate, health worker, or homeless camper.


Most significant for those champeoning police solutions to "illegal
camping" problems, she had no record of the alleged "illegal"
activities which this huge infusion of more money was supposed to cure.
Even though a line-up of police heads (Chief Skerry, Deputy Chief
Vogel, and others) were in the backrow, Council didn't ask one question
about the actual incidence of "illegal activities" in the Pogonip, and
what percentage of the citations there were for survival camping (where
there was no alternative shelter).

At City Council, Shoemaker bragged about teaming up cops with the
ticket-happy Ranger John
Wallace. How they had successfully run "problems" out of San Lorenzo
Park, Grant St. Park, and the other parks, though there was the
troublesome admission that the problems then popped up elsewhere. It
was interesting to note, as mentioned in the main post, that during the
same period of time Pastor Dennis Adams's Sunday morning homeless meal
was driven out of San Lorenzo Park and then Grant St.

[Adams is currently struggling to return the meal to the basement of
the Vet's Hall, whose management reportedly is under the control of a
management more concerned with making money by renting out the space to
outside groups like Yoga classes and has told Adams that his homeless
clients "dirty up" the bathrooms. Adams claims his clients actually
leave the place spotless and clean up the mess that the profit-making
Saturday night events leave behind. When he tried to feed people in the
Vet's Parking Lot, Officer Brandt threatened to arrest them for
trespass. In December when Adams moved his meal to the City Parking
Garage because of the rain and no place else to go, Adams was
threatened with arrest under Councilmember Coonerty's Parking Garage
Paranoia Law]

Porter chided critics for not "coming to the process earlier" (though
advocates have been at the few difficult-to-attend afternoon sessions
where this issue had some attention last year). He insisted the issue
had been given adequate process, even though the citizen advisory
commission specifically charged with examining the matter had not been
approached for a formal vote.

Reilly refused HUFF the five minutes usually allowed for organizations
discussing agenda items (though she said that if approached in advance
in future, it would be allowed).

Neither Ken Cole, Paul Brindel, nor any social service provider
apbothered to show at the Council meeting to discuss the impact of
intensifying the criminalization of those without shelter.

I shall be playing the City Council's "discussion" of the issue
Thursday January 11 around 7 PM on Free Radio Santa Cruz (101.1 FM,
http://www.freakradio.org). It'll be archived at
http://www.huffsantacruz.org under the Bathrobespierre's Broadside show
of the same date.