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Indybay Feature

October 22nd "Say No to Police Abuse" Day Protest Against Racial and Homeless Profiling

barnett_cites_including_race.pdf_600_.jpg
Date:
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Time:
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Event Type:
Protest
Organizer/Author:
Robert Norse
Email:
Phone:
8314234833
Address:
5749 Hiway 9 #A
Location Details:
Cop Corner at Laurel and Center Streets across from Louden Nelson Center, Santa Cruz

October 22nd is a Day of National Concern and Protest against police violence. (See http://www.october22.org/ )

In Santa Cruz, a collusive City Council prepares to hand greater enforcement and banishment powers over to individual officers and rangers with it steroid-enhanced expansion of Stay Away Orders (See "Nasty Anti-Homeless Stay-Away Laws to Get Exponentially Worse" at http://www.october22.org/)

Recently there have been reports of an SCPD assault on Oliver Howard on October 11th ("Witnesses Report Excessive Use of Force by SCPD during Arrest near Court House" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/20/18763064.php

The review of the citation records of Community Service Officer B. Barnett has revealed a disturbing pattern apparently targeting homeless persons and disproportionately citing African-Americans.
(See attached citation record of Officer Barnett)

Nearly 3/4 of Barnett's citations in his ignoble career downtown have involved citing homeless people for essentially victimless crimes (sitting, smoking, skateboarding). Nearly 10% of his citations were for African-Americans in a county that is 1.4% black by a recent census.

Other recent incidents of alleged racial profiling written up on this website include

"Santa Cruz Police and First Alarm Brutalize and Arrest People for Being Black and Homeless" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/21/18760436.php

"Selective Enforcement of Smoking Ban, Obstruction of Video Reporting--Report to the Chief!" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/02/18759451.php .

A prior protest is shown and described here: "Protesters Demand Faster Response from SCPD Regarding Record's Requests" at
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/09/23/18761997.php

The ongoing attack on homeless people is intensifying as winter gets closer as church programs are cut back, city council rubberstamps harsher laws, and the SCPD continues in its role in an ongoing Class War.

The SCPD continues to seek more money for surveillance software (license plate readers), declines to provide records of its contacts with other agencies re: military-style equipment and other forms of prepared repression against political protesters such as those in the Occupy Movement.

We will continue to be organizing volunteers to defend the rights of homeless people (Homeless Encampment Defense) as well as co-ordinate Copwatch efforts city-wide.

Come on down for "Don't Beat 'em, Eat 'Em'" brownies and Mid-Day Coffee. Hoist a sign to defend the rights of all of us in public spaces sick of a militarized downtown.
Added to the calendar on Tue, Oct 21, 2014 6:25PM
§Homeless Cites
by Robert Norse
barnett_cites_--homeless.pdf_600_.jpg
§Mini-Flyer for the Protest
by Robert Norse
flyer_for_10-22_protest.pdf_600_.jpg
Download and Distribute

Comments (Hide Comments)
by John Colby (john.roncohen.colby [at] gmail.com)
Did the free brownies and coffee attract any hungry police officers for an educational experience? If we can't reach them using their brains, maybe we can reach them from the stomach.
by Robert Norse
BROWNIES AGAINST BLUESHIRT BRUTALITY
About ten of us set up tables on Laurel Street next to the noisy dusty street repair operation at Laurel and Center Streets next to the SCPD parking lot about 2:15 p.m. yesterday. "Punch Back" Pat Colby distributed some of her home-made "Bite 'em Don't Bust 'Em" brownies to the constrction workers.

Later she and "Beggarbacker" Becky Johnson were seen passing on munchables to folks tied up in the construction traffic along with flyers about the upcoming "Deport the Downtrodden" Stay Away Orders Expansion due back at City Council on October 28th.

MEANWHILE IN THE BOWELS OF CITY HALL
Meanwhile, working through the week hour by hour were two new HUFF activists--Raven and Maya--exhaustively compiling this and last year's history of "crimes" in the parks--These dismal and abusive packets of tickets chart the wretched record of homeless harassment financed by a bigotry-sodden City Council. The massive expansion of police powers is due to hit City Council Tuesday afternoon at the afternoon session.

The second reading of this openly fascistic (no court process) law as well as the long-awaited "Dot Cages for Street Performers on Pacific Avenue" laws will be accompanied by a chow-down and speak-out outside City Council around 3 PM on 10-28.

For more info on the ordinances see "Nasty Anti-Homeless Stay-Away Laws to Get Exponentially Worse" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/12/18762778.php and Steve Pleich's strong indictment "Time to Step Up and Fight City Hall on “Stay Away” Ordinance" at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/10/22/18763162.php

PROTESTS ACROSS THE NATION
Few passersby wanted to linger long at the table sipping coffee and reading the October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation literature as well as

Around the country, particularly in the wake of the Brown killing and Wilson whitewash in Ferguson, MO, October 22nd day protests have been spirited.

More info on the Round Up of Police Violence via the October 22nd Day Events:
http://nyc.october22.org/

The Stolen Lives Project: http://nyc.october22.org/slic2014.pdf


LOCALLY...
Locally the only active group against local racial profiling, police violence, and jail abuses seems to be Sin Barras at http://sinbarras.org/ though there have been rumblings from the ACLU, NAACP, and SCCCCR lately (though only rumblings).

I'll be playing some interviews around the October 22nd protest, preliminary findings of the records checkers, and my usual commentary at 6 PM tonight on Free Radio Santa Cruz--back on the air again at 101.1 FM and streaming at http://audio.str3am.com:5110/ .

Tune in or check the archives for the show at the HUFF website (http://www.huffsantacruz.org) under the name of the show Bathrobespierre's Broadsides.
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