Raising Issues at CoonertyLand: Sleeping Ban Protest/Tabling Sunday July 8 2 PM

Sweep Away the Sleeping Ban: Sign Up Sunday in front of Coonerty's Bookshop
Sunday July 08 2:00 PM until siestatime
1520 Pacific Ave. in front of the Bookshop Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz's MC 6.36.010a makes it illegal to fall asleep in your vehicle or on any public property 11 PM - 8:30 AM.

1500-2000 people are homeless each night with space for only 40 of them in the City's walk-in emergency shelter program.

About 50 citations (fine of $90+ each) are given out each month.

Homeless property and survival gear is regularly destroyed in Chief Ranger Wallace's raids. A Fresno federal judge banned this behavior, but Santa Cruz's campercrushers have ignored the decision.

We will be tabling for homeless plaintiffs, soliciting funds, and seeking supporters. Last Sunday the protest successfully increased our list of plaintiffs to more than half a dozen.

We will also be asking attorney, Vice Mayor and constitutional teacher Ryan Coonerty--whose family owns the Bookshop Santa Cruz and who works there part-time, to explain how it is that "liberal" Santa Cruz refuses to do what conservative Los Angeles and San Diego have already done--stop harassing, citing,and arresting the homeless for sleeping.

Disabled homeless marijuana activist Craig Canada will go to trial on four sleeping tickets this Friday (July 6th) at 2:30 PM in Dept. 1, facing fines of $300 or more.

The courts continue to refuse to allow us access to Sleeping Ban records.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/30/18431926.php

Vice-Mayor Ryan Coonerty supports the Sleeping Ban. He has declined to review the federal court's Jones decision in Los Angelesin spite of repeated requests. He has also declined to reveal the City Attorney's secret memo on the issue.

Come and help us put together a similar lawsuit in Santa Cruz. And let patrons of the Bookshop Santa Cruz know that a Vice-Mayor works at the Bookshop and a former Mayor now a Supervisor--Neal Coonerty--owns the Bookstore and was (and is) a prime supporter of the City's anti-homeless Sleeping Ban law.