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Crackdown from Police against the Freedom Sleepers
The City of Santa Cruz and its police department have decided to crush the Freedom Sleepers protests at Santa Cruz City Hall, and today they launched the first strike of their campaign. At 1 p.m. they put little red hoods on all of the parking meters around city hall, and have indicated that they will ticket and then tow any vehicles parked in these spaces. The first casualty of this action was Keith McHenry, the founder of the international humanitarian organization Food Not Bombs, whose little red truck was ticketed as he was busily preparing a meal at city hall so serve this evening to homeless and housed members of the Santa Cruz community, as well as the Freedom Sleepers and other activists and protesters.
The campaign to crush the protests was revealed to the Freedom Sleepers in an intelligence report on an email received yesterday by city employees, staff, city council, and the police department. The Freedom Sleepers held an emergency meeting last night to begin planning their strategy, tactics, and logistics in anticipation of a potentially much more serious confrontation with police tonight than has occurred during past protests.
The Freedom Sleepers will hold a general assembly today at 6 p.m. with the broader community of activists and protesters, many of whom are prepared to be hauled off to jail later this evening. Local and regional media are urged to come cover events as they unfold.
The Freedom Sleepers' moral compass and former Freedom Rider Rabbi Phil Posner has made it clear that he is looking forward to an eventual showdown with the city over the constitutional and civil rights issues involved, and the rest of the Freedom Sleepers seem to be falling in line behind him.
While the Freedom Sleepers all are very excited that the long-anticipated attack is finally underway, they also are extremely disappointed that the City of Santa Cruz has elected to crush the protests instead of reevaluating the sleeping and camping bans that ignited them, despite the federal government's recently announced three-pronged attack on laws and municipalities that criminalize homelessness. More information about the federal government’s announcement is available here:
Local Officials Have Pushed To Criminalize Homelessness For Years. The Feds Are Starting To Push Back.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/08/18/3692251/homelessness-criminalization-doj-usich-hud/
The Freedom Sleepers will hold a general assembly today at 6 p.m. with the broader community of activists and protesters, many of whom are prepared to be hauled off to jail later this evening. Local and regional media are urged to come cover events as they unfold.
The Freedom Sleepers' moral compass and former Freedom Rider Rabbi Phil Posner has made it clear that he is looking forward to an eventual showdown with the city over the constitutional and civil rights issues involved, and the rest of the Freedom Sleepers seem to be falling in line behind him.
While the Freedom Sleepers all are very excited that the long-anticipated attack is finally underway, they also are extremely disappointed that the City of Santa Cruz has elected to crush the protests instead of reevaluating the sleeping and camping bans that ignited them, despite the federal government's recently announced three-pronged attack on laws and municipalities that criminalize homelessness. More information about the federal government’s announcement is available here:
Local Officials Have Pushed To Criminalize Homelessness For Years. The Feds Are Starting To Push Back.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/08/18/3692251/homelessness-criminalization-doj-usich-hud/
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Can someone list the list of demands the Freedom Sleepers want?
Wed, Sep 2, 2015 1:00PM
I want to thank the Santa Cruz Police Department
Wed, Sep 2, 2015 11:03AM
The lights are a known tactic.
Tue, Sep 1, 2015 5:43PM
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