Homeless Lives Matter: Building Towards Justice

I AM NOT "Protesting" for restoration of services at that institutionalized CLUSTERFUCK on Coral street.

There are already PLENTY of services available for 'gubmint check receiving Americans' and the so-called 'shelter' was simply a money-grubbing, corrupt, uncoordinated, duplication of those services.

I have three basic demands.

I am DEMANDING CITY and/or COUNTY FINANCED ALTERNATIVE SERVICES (sorry Brent Adams, your plan does NOT currently qualify under that criteria) for the homeless, disenfranchised, often criminalized, displaced workers of Santa Cruz.

I DEMAND a 'turnabout' to more humane treatment of this county's impoverished citizens. The failed "disenfranchise, isolate, and criminalize" social engineering policies of the past so obviously IGNORANT as to elicit disgust in any sensible person, WILL NOT DO. They were NEVER functional and they NEVER WILL BE.

I also DEMAND each and every still-payrolled employee of that 'so-called' shelter. Staff or management, cut OFF the government's payroll tit the second it's declared officially shut.

"activists from a variety of organizations including Food Not Bombs, HUFF, residents and refugees from the Coral St. complex, UCSC students, Camp of Last Resort workers, the Homeless Legal Persons Assistance Project, and others"

Will the 'refugees' be the ones taking tickets, going to jail, and abandoned in the courts? How about everyone EXCEPT the 'refugees' taking tickets, going to jail, and grinding through the courts? Yes? Great, maybe there will be incentive to play to win. No? Then FUCK YOU AND THE EGO STROKES YOU RODE IN ON.

That issue WAS discussed at the Sunday meeting.

The odds of someone actually getting incarcerated over a camping ticket is about nil unless they "Do a Gary" as we call it around these parts nowdays.

"Do a Gary"

That should be 'Do an Ed', for Ed (he prefers ankle bracelets). Ed (and the unnamed) called for PeaceCamp2010. The pitch was violate an unjust law so it can be overturned in court (and while Ed's memory may be failing him, he claimed he would 'take it all the way' multiple times, perhaps most significantly at the meeting during the City Council protest, when we voted to continue protesting). I bought it, and committed. When the tickets started to flow, there was pressure on Ed (and HUFF) to also take tickets. Ed did, HUFF did not. I know what Ed thought about actually being behind bars, because I was there when he muttered about the 'waste of time'. Then Ed dropped the legal battle ball, insistently. Perhaps he was distracted by his failed campaign for office. OK, fine, burn and learn. However, I let Ed and HUFF and Pleich know, repeatedly, in clear and unambiguous terms, what would happen if they threw more homeless under the bus. Consider this a cautionary prelude.

If the variety of organizations will be the only ones spending time behind bars, great, I look forward to their successes. Especially Norse; he can afford competent council while spending 6-24 months behind bars for taking a nap with a protest sign.

If the goal is getting some sleep, those in need should avoid protest sites.

I realize that you, Razor, have a personal grudge against me. Mostly because I have a habit of poking holes in your half baked, error prone, hypocritical 'analysis' and 'critique' (hey, at least you have woken up to Linux instead of MS and Apple (maybe in five more years you will wake up to GNU and *BSD, maybe even the folly of 'commercial establishment anarchism')). OK, fine, I've dealt with better anger trolls than you, for decades.

Between Leigh and Gary, I am hoping there is 'space' for middling viewpoint.

Will there be tickets? Will there be arrests? First we would need to know WHERE those bags of sleepers will be gathering -- County (public) property; City of S.Cruz (public) property; residential private property; 'church' parking lots; commercial vacant property; along the newly off-limits outer wall of the jailhouse? In fact a lot of currently homeless folks and street people I know won't decide to participate until they understand the risks.

"Homeless Not Helpless" includes the many unhoused homeless-not-stupid people, too!

Did you hear SCPD Deputy Chief tell the City Council in front of the massive No/Yes Bearcat gatherings that the biggest number of (day to day) tickets are issued to people smoking, largely along Pacific Avenue (ghost of our Pacific Garden Mall). So I figure the police have their own objectives they may bring to the dealie if called?

I suspect the guys are right: ticketing for camping/sleeping won't be the State's response unless further pressures develop.

But are "real people" willing to que up on the ground just for a ticket to DAP? I understand that is a "great success" except for ONE LEETLE DETAIL: money for housing the lucky 'reforming scofflaws' who participate in DAP, which seems to he just a crooked dragnet? (Otoh, it's working out for Frank. And if the DA's salary were diverted to housing, that could take care of a dozen rooms for a year or two.)

I haven't been a part of this plan. People who had asked my POV ignored what they heard. Still, I can support this Moveable Feast in spirit, providing the relatively fortunate conveners will protect homeless and more vulnerable participants.

I can get behind Leigh's 'demands' tho! Got any other good ones?

"need to know WHERE those bags of sleepers will be gathering"

Exactly why those in need should avoid repeating the mistakes of past protests, to avoid being left holding the bag for the naughty kicks of those not so in need.

"ticketing for camping/sleeping won't be the State's response unless further pressures develop"

Let's hope so (although such hope means little, should such pronouncements prove to be false); 'fell asleep while watching over someone actually protesting' has been shown to be insufficient defense, in court.

I'm all for effective action. I'm all for conscientious objectors living their principles IN AN HONEST MANNER. Getting some naughty kicks and letting the suffering suffer the consequences for your kicks is annoying, at best.

You want to protest? Go for it! You want to deal with the consequences? Solidarity! You want to misbehave in ways that fail again and again? Hey, it's your life. Try to organize others to take your fall? FUCK YOU.