🚀 go-pugleaf

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 12:43:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: steve argue <steveorchid(nospam)@yahoo.com>
To: steveorchid@yahoo.com
Subject: A Discussion: The Green Party And The Abuse Of The Homeless In
    Santa Cruz

Comments by Santa Cruz Green Party member Thomas
Leavitt defending the Green Party's record in Santa
Cruz in regards to the city's mistreatment of the
homeless and a response by Steve Argue.

Thomas Leavitt:
   I recently did a wholesale review of every item
regarding homelessness that has made it onto the
agenda of the Green Party of Santa Cruz since January
of 2001, in preparation for the summit. Robert Norse
has the resulting stack of documents.

   The record speaks for itself (as anyone who has
attended a meeting in the past few months can attest):
the Green Party of Santa Cruz is strongly in favor of
action on this issue. With one exception last year,
when a proposal that Robert Norse put up was
neutralized by a several blocking concerns, the Green
Party has endorsed everything put before it - this
amounts to something approaching twenty items in the
past year and a half or so.  The Green Party (and it's
constituent members) have put their money (and time)
where their mouth is, too - it is no coincidence that
many of the most dedicated and committed people on
this issue are all Greens: Linda Lemaster, myself,
Carl Wilson - as well as Robert and Becky. David
Whizen
(another Green) put up his own money, as I recall, to
pay for a pro Camp Paradise full page advertisement.
Joel Rider, Nancy Glock-Gruenich, Nicholas Whitehead -
the constituent members of the Green Party Homeless
Issues Working Group and the Green Party as a whole
have shown up at City Council meetings and spoken out
again and again. Last month, the Green Assembly
approved a strongly worded statement on the City
Council's failure to address the crises of
homelessness in this city, and also endorsed the Right

To Sleep Summit, topping things off by appropriating
$50 to support it.

   Name one single other community organization that
has the record on this issue that the Green Party has,
or the number of individuals who have put themselves
on the record in support of the homeless in this city
-
there isn't one (other than perhaps the Quakers, who
include a number of Greens among their numbers).

   The Green Party of Santa Cruz strongly put itself
on the record, numerous times, in support of Camp
Paradise, and opposing the camping and sleeping ban,
and calling for action. We also wrote Tim F. a strong
letter about his failure to act on the
sleeping/camping ban issue and meet with him in
person, and even brought it to the state party
organization for consideration - process issues
prevented it from being considered, but the vote and
the letter are there on the record.

   To be bluntly honest, the Green Party's failure to
act more pro-actively and precipitously early last
year, can be laid at Robert and Becky's hands as much
as anyone else's: for a period extending over at least
two months, if not longer, the Green Party's
discussion about homelessness in Santa Cruz devolved
into a discussion about their inter-personal approach,
the accuracy of their statements, and their adherence
to core Green values, to the exclusion of anything
else. Numerous individuals spent inordinate amounts of
time and energy vigorously correcting the record (from
their point of view) and dialoguing with each other
about how to best to deal with the conflicts induced
by Robert and Becky's behavior in meetings.

   In fact, to a certain degree, it seemed like almost
nothing of any substance outside of that discussion
was being circulated - this was done in such a way as
to thoroughly demoralize and alienate from the Green
Party and homelessness advocacy many people whose
interest in process, the historical record and this
particular set of personality clashes was minimal.

   I, myself, was driven to the point of publicly
appealing to all participants to cease and desist
responding to or acknowledging anything from Robert
and Becky, and demanding that Robert and Becky cease
and desist contacting me on any subject until and
unless they changed their approach. Fairly quickly,
the insane volume of email on this set of topics
disappeared completely, much to my relief, and after a
few months I found myself able and willing to lift my
personal embargo on contact with them, as their
approach seemed
to have become more productive.

   However, the damage was done, and no further
progress on this issue occurred for quite a while as
everyone was thoroughly burned out.

   Over the last few months, every single party
meeting has had a major discussion that is somehow
related to this issue (at my instigation, yes, but
someone has to choose to act), and every time, the
results have been essentially 100% in favor of the
issue as I've framed it. Our process is slow, and
consensus oriented, but it is absolutely clear that
the Green Party of Santa Cruz as a whole, and on an
individual basis, is very
strongly supportive of radical action. As a result of
my initiative earlier this month, we now have a formal
process for demanding accountability from those whom
we have endorsed - I assure you that I intend to
utilize this as soon as possible, to demand an
accounting from those we've endorsed. As well, I
intend to continue to drive the process forward -
there still remains a lot of opportunities to further
define our position on these issues.

   Castigating the party as a whole because of the
failure of those it endorsed, including one sitting
Council member who happens to be registered Green (but
rarely participates in our process), fails to do
justice to the record, or the sustained commitment of
the many individuals within the Green Party who
sincerely give a f*** about this issue.

Regards,
Thomas Leavitt

Steve Argue:
   Green Party City Council member Tim Fitzemaurice
has proven through his votes to support the sleeping
ban, the law that makes it illegal for Santa Cruz's
homeless to sleep at night or cover up with a blanket
outside, in a vehicle, or in a tent.

   In addition to Fitzmaurice's position opposing the
basic human right to sleep at night Tim Fitzemaurice
has taken no action against the city's abusive police.
 Fitzemaurice's elected position makes him an
authority over the conduct of the police department,
which is run by City Manager Dick Wilson.  Dick Wilson
is a hired servant of the city council and as such can
be fired by a city council vote.  Fitzemaurice's lack
of action, or even words, against police brutality and
police repression makes him an accessory to the crimes
of his city manager and police employees.

   A political party is more than its resolutions and
the activities of un-elected individual members.  As
members of an organization that states its dedication
to making radical changes in society the Green Party
has an obligation to hold those who you elect from
your party accountable to your program.  This you owe
to yourself and to those in the public who agree with
all or parts of your program.

   A Green Party member has criticized my proposal
that Tim Fitzemaurice should be kicked out of the
party saying there is no way to stop him from being a
registered Green.  This, of course, was not what I
meant.  Tim Fitzemaurice has violated the platform of
the Green Party and ignored the membership's pleas for
mercy on the homeless.  Under these conditions the
Green Party has the right and an obligation to
publicly denounce Fitzmaurice as a renegade, to
publicly withdraw the 1998 endorsement of his
candidacy (an action that is a long time coming), and
to make clear that he will not be endorsed again.  A
party incapable of such action is incapable of using
the electoral process to make change.

   I for my part when I run for Santa Cruz City
Council in 2002 as a member of the Rosa Luxemburg Club
and the Peace and Freedom Party will make sure that I
am held accountable.  I will do this by writing my
resignation letter before I am elected and putting it
in the hands of homeless, union, rent control, police
brutality, anti-racist, and environmental activists.
If at any time while I am in office I fail to live up
to fighting for the platform I run on those activists
can then decide by majority vote to submit my
resignation letter and force me to resign from office.


   As for the activities of individual Green Party
members, I thank those of you who are for justice for
your concern and commitment to the earth and humanity.
 Likewise I thank Robert Norse and Becky Johnson for
that same commitment and understand that they are not
the cause of any inaction by the Green Party on
homeless issues.  Behind much of the disrespect heaped
on these two individuals by politicians, politicos,
the corporate media, and the police is the fact that
they usually speak uncompromisingly for their issue
instead of playing politics.  For this fact, despite
occasional differences in substance and style, I give
Robert Norse and Becky Johnson the high respect they
deserve in their commitment to justice.


                     Sincerely, Steve Argue

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