Homeless Services Center puts anemic woman on the streets where she can be raped or robbed

On the night of Monday July 30, 2012, HSC guard Jeremy Miller — who HSC Programs Director Shelley McKittrick confirmed to me is a former Crips gang member — refused Ms. Morgan access back onto the HSC lot in order to receive shelter for the night. He did not provide her an explanation, only saying that she was to be denied access to the HSC campus for seven days.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, July 31, 2012, I telephoned Ms. McKittrick who claimed that Ms. Morgan had assaulted this church volunteer. When I asked the name of the church (Elevations Church of the Authentic Relevant Jesus http://new.elevationsc.org/), Ms. McKittrick claimed she didn't know the name of the church which provides Sunday breakfasts to homeless diners at the HSC, requiring them to attend prayers and a sermon.

Ms. McKittrick claimed she had four witnesses who claimed Ms. Morgan — who is five feet one inch tall, suffers from anemia and chronic fatigue and exhaustion — assaulted this church volunteer. Ms. McKittrick refused to name these alleged witnesses. Ms. McKittrick claimed that an incident report had been written up. I asked her to fax me this report. Ms. McKittrick agreed to fax me this report, but three days later she has still not faxed it to me.

When I informed Ms. McKittrick that it appeared she had retaliated against Ms. Morgan because of my communications to her — specifically about Ms. McKittrick's lie about the HSC's "no impact zones", my request that Ms. McKittrick cease enforcing its illegal "no impact zones" against Ms. Morgan and that Ms. McKittrick provide Ms. Morgan her requested disability accommodation for a horizontal place to rest during the day on the HSC campus when the shelters there are closed — Ms. McKittrick claimed that she hadn't read my emails to her. This seems disingenuous since these emails were carbon copied to local and regional news media contacts, senior officials at HUD, the Santa Cruz City Council and senior Santa Cruz city officials. These emails were also carbon copied to Ms. McKittrick's supervisor, HSC Executive Director Monica Martinez. Why would Ms. McKittrick and Ms. Martinez not read such emails?

Ms. McKittrick insists on enforcing "no impact zones" against Ms. Morgan on private and public property around the HSC which the HSC has unilaterally created with no authority from the City of Santa Cruz. Please see the email from Santa Cruz Records Coordinator Nydia Patiño claiming the City of Santa Cruz has no records about these "no impact zones". I informed Ms. McKittrick that she had lied about claiming the HSC had been granted authority from the City of Santa Cruz to enforce these "no impact zones" yet Ms. McKittrick insists on continuing to enforce them with no official authority to do so on public and private property surrounding the HSC — she insists on discriminating against Ms. Morgan.

When I informed Ms. McKittrick that Ms. Morgan had been denied a federal benefit without providing her due process rights to dispute Ms. McKittrick's decision to ban Ms. Morgan from the HSC campus — putting Ms. Morgan on the streets where she is vulnerable to rape and robbery — Ms. McKittrick claimed that Ms. Morgan has no due process rights. Although I explained to Ms. McKittrick that because the HSC receives federal funding through the City and County of Santa Cruz, making their services to the homeless federal benefits, Ms. McKittrick clung to her claim that Ms. Morgan has no due process rights.

After Ms. Morgan filed assault charges with the Santa Cruz Police Department against the Elevation Church volunteer who assaulted her last Sunday, July 29, 2012, I sent the email above petitioning Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane, the Santa Cruz City Council and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors to require Ms. McKittrick to reinstate Ms. Morgan at the HSC and to ensure Ms. Morgan is provided her due process rights, which are guaranteed her under federal law and federal regulations. I asked for a written response to my petition for action, yet these government bodies refuse to answer my claims and requests regarding Ms. Morgan.

The City and County of Santa Cruz are sanctioning Ms. McKittrick forcing Ms. Morgan onto the streets of Santa Cruz — where she could be raped or robbed — without any due process. The City and County of Santa Cruz fund the HSC and oversee its programs. Why won't they enforce their oversight powers to require Ms. McKittrick to reinstate Ms. Morgan at the HSC campus and provide Ms. Morgan her due process rights? It seems that the City and County of Santa Cruz are colluding with Ms. McKittrick in her retaliation against Ms. Morgan for my advocacy, further discriminating against Ms. Morgan based upon her disabilities.

I have filed a complaint with a federal agency about Ms. Morgan being discriminated against by the HSC, and in particular by Ms. McKittrick.