Freedom SleepOut #69 Dodges Wet Weather, Electoral Illusions

COUNCIL CLOWNERY
Since election day is Tuesday, November 8th, Mayor Mathews and her Councilettes have decided to move up the regular Council meeting , normally the 2nd Tuesday in the month, to November 1st. There is nothing on today's agenda addressing either anti-homeless police behavior, failure to disclose audio and video of the SDPD's Sean Arlt shooting, winter shelter, conditions at the prison-like Homeless (Lack of) Services Center, or abolition of the Sleeping Ban.

Oral Communications--which Mathews reduced last time to 1 minute per speaker--is supposedly at 5 PM, but happened much later last week, and much earlier several weeks before. Mathews--who is running for reelection--apparently has no interest in fixing a time certain for the only public input the community has for items the Mayor does not want to put on the agenda. Council members have also threatened to expel and/or arrest those who show "disrespect" to the Council by speaking at the podium with their backs to the Council, addressing the audience.

Voting continues through the week until polls close on the night of November 8th. Steve Pleich, a regular visitor to the Freedom Sleepers has thrown his support to the "Brand New Council" group of Glover, Brown, Schnaar, and Krohn, though none have been especially active or vocal in opposing the Sleeping Ban. Leftie activist Steve Argue has given his analysis of the state Propositions on Free Radio (See http://radiolibre.org/brb/brb161030.mp3 -- two hours and fifty minutes into the audio file).


PROTESTS AND MEETINGS
A hitherto unknown group of liberal-abroad, silent-at-home organizations called the Social Justice Alliance of Santa Cruz (SJA) will be throwing a free and open public forum at 6 PM today at Peace United Church, 900 High Street, to chat with SCPD Chief Kevin Vogel and other armed cops and "voice concerns" about the slaying of Sean Arlt-shot dead in 20 seconds two weeks ago for wielding a metal rake (and presumably not following orders). See https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/10/28/18792821.php for a laundry list of the "Social Justice" organizations involved.

HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom) has announced new "Cop Corner" (corner of Laurel and Center Streets)-- protests to begin 1:30 p.m. Thursday November 3rd. In the wake of the Arlt slaying and SCPD stonewalling, HUFFsters plans to table, provide coffee, alert motorists with signs, and seek community action. The group calls for a strong community rejection of numerous current police policies endangering the community generally and the unhoused in particular. See https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2016/10/28/updated_2015_flyer.pdf .

MEANWHILE WHEN FREEDOM SLEEPERS ARE GONE...
Santa Cruz police and rangers are reportedly harassing sleepers inside and outside vehicles around the library during non-protest days according to outdoor Copwatchers Pat and John Colby, who now live outside in their vehicle.

Santa Cruz's "roust the vehicular sleepers" policy is in sharp contrast to Santa Rosa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and San Diego--other coastal California cities who have at least embryonic "Safe Parking" zones for vehicle dwellers. See http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/08/local/la-me-santa-rosa-homeless-parking-20140309 .

After a weekend of often wet weather, predictions are for a five day break in the rain, though no break in the city-wide Sleeping Ban--the target of the on-going protests.


This announcement and entry was written by Robert Norse. He is responsible for its content. Keith McHenry and others are organizing and providing direct food support for the Sleep-Out