Showing posts with label #OccupySantaCruz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #OccupySantaCruz. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Update: The Siege Of #OccupySantaCruz - A Move To Get The City Injunction Into A Court Where "Constitution" Is Spoken... Federal Court
«o» The upper encampment and the Geodesic Dome Information Center by the court house steps are still under threat of removal.
[Type of tent given by local Veterans groups to homeless Veterans]
THAT confrontation may occur as early as tomorrow morning.
There IS some good news on the legal front though.
The #OccupySantaCruz General Assembly achieved consensus this afternoon to kick the legal 'football' into federal court, with filing fees already voted and appropriated, to seek relief from a Santa Cruz city injunction against their city park encampment, on undisclosed evidence, presented in a closed door session of Santa Cruz Superior court after a secret city council meeting.
There MAY BE further consensus on a counter-suit against the city of Santa Cruz California for attempting to violate the first amendment rights (among others) of the people at the encampment considering that legal counsel has informed the General Assembly federal court decisions consistently support camping as an exercise of the First Amendment right to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.
We HAVE grievances!
The city of Santa Cruz IS attempting to deny #OccupySantaCruz that right to peaceably assemble, and considering the secrecy of the process that caused the delivery of the injunction, that attempt to deny MAY HAVE occurred under circumstances that could be described as fraudulent, or perjured.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The Siege Of #OccupySantaCruz Begins... And A 'Sidebar' About The Treatment Of Veterans In That Namesaked City
"This morning Francis Moore Lappe (world-renowned author of 19 books, including the revolutionary books "Diet for a Small Planet") stopped by Occupy Santa Cruz on her way to San Francisco's Green Fest, to show her support and solidarity with the Occupy movement--especially our local group in light of recent events." [source]The recent event?
#occupysantacruz support needed! all tents in front of the courthouse are being taken down! Come down and show support for the people who have been out occupying, they need solidarity now!
"20 sheriffs showed up in the early morning & the occupy night watch successfully warned all occupiers before they arrived. Tents were taken down after sheriffs began removing tents themselves under the offense of "lodging". 2 tents confiscated, no tickets or arrests. Occupirates put tents on cars to sattiate(sic) threats & followed them back to the courthouse continuously requesting what "lodging" actually consists of. The sheriffs refused to or could not answer." [source]
This is the type of tent that was given by local Veterans groups to homeless Veterans.
Did you see a 'sanitation or safety hazard in those photos?
Neither did I.
Yet, barring evidence to the contrary these are the kind of photos the city presented after a secret city council meeting, later to be presented in a closed door Superior Court session the other day to garner support for a Preliminary Injunction against the encampment.
Here's a shot of the 'Bench-lands' just around the corner and down the hill from the court house building in the City's San Lorenzo Park near the lovely banks of the San Lorenzo Sewage Chan... I mean 'River'! [snigger]:
Not seeing the 'feces' the city claimed to be littering the ground here.
Albeit some winos absolutely delight in shitting and pissing on the county building and it's attached court house whenever possible (and it's been that way since the first wino walked the Earth in Santa Cruz), there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to say the 'poop & pee' incidents have increased since the campers presence, and it's also quite unlikely, as the encampment has a Porta-Can emptied regularly, and available to all.
Unlike the city park's bathroom.
The warning that was handed out in lieu of arrests or tickets:
(click on all document images below for larger copies)
Note the care with which they say they'll handle the #Occupiers personal property.
The city and county are worried about ANY bad PR that could go national or even global if things, for some unimaginable reason, went seriously South.
It wasn't apparent at last year's PeaceCamp2010 demonstration that the sheriffs or the Santa Cruz police department were very concerned with that issue...
...nor did they show concern in their action, with a lot of damaged or 'disappeared' property reported by the protesters. The rest being seriously delayed by the SCPD's property recovery hours. If I remember correctly there were only 2 hours during the work week where the SCPD would arrange to return your property a day or two later.
More information on the California Penal Code 647(e) "Lodging" law, and the PeaceCamp occupation here.
Nevertheless, in spite of the attempts to repress #OccupySantaCruz, we're all expecting a well attended General Assembly today, Saturday, November 12 2010 at 6pm, on the steps of the Santa Cruz County court house.
Iraq Veteran, Marine Corp, hailing from North Carolina, with a furry friend, at #OccupySantaCruz:Occupy Santa Cruz
We gather together as Occupy Santa Cruz in solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Movement. We are individuals committed to promoting justice. We have no leaders. We recognize the right of ALL voices to be heard: our diversity is a source of strength. We present a united front in our non-violent approach to addressing the problems we face and generating solutions beneficial to all. Please join us in creating a better world. We gather 24/7 on the steps of the Superior Courthouse on Water Street. General Assemblies are held daily at 6pm, and on Sundays at 2pm in San Lorenzo Park.
Contact Info to get involved on a local level:
Email: occupysantacruz@gmail.com
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/OccupySantaCruz
How do YOU want to get involved?!
«o» Since I brought up the topic of Veterans, it's just been reported that the unemployment rate for Veterans is now THIRTY PERCENT!
So it behooves us, in the wake of Veterans Day, to discuss the city and county of Santa Cruz treatment of it's own.
This morning's Santa Cruz Senile mentions the fact that it was Veterans Day yesterday by featuring a front page picture of the parade in Watsonville, because not only does Santa Cruz not deem it fit to hold a parade for their Veterans, they and the county have been, dast I say (Dast!... Dast!...), actively hostile towards local Veterans, with the closure of the Bill Motto Post #1588 VFW building under suspicious circumstances and the now ongoing delay in getting the building repaired and reopened.
The building was, and WILL BE AGAIN, the home of the annual community Thanksgiving and Christmas day dinner for all. The county and city were lambasted last year for not making any plan for a replacement community meal venue until complaints by the community at large became too strident and the Civic Auditorium was used, on short notice, in what could only be described as a sterile and non-festive atmosphere.
The county and city's rationale for not acting sooner essentially boiled down to:
"It's not our problem, but since you whined...".
Just in case you wondered how much your city government cares about it's community.
Meanwhile last night, Bill Motto VFW Post# 1588 (Facebook page), which I might mention, is the only avowedly Anti-War Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in the United States, DID NOT 'parade'.
They engaged in a drum circle in front of O'neil's Surf Shop across from the Cinema 9 theater on Pacific street in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz, with a group of traditional Lakota Sioux drummers, under a cabana, in the rain.
#Occupy. (period)
Monday, November 7, 2011
#The1stAmendmentIsOurPermit - OccupySantaCruz Reads "The Riot Act" To The Political Cronies Of Santa Cruz California
The cronies of the 1% of Santa Cruz got swarmed at city hall this afternoon...
At least 50 people from #OccupySantaCruz (California) marched to city hall today to deliver a mass vocal rejection of an ultimatum disguised as a 'non-commercial event permit' which would have limited the Occupier's autonomy and control over their encampment in San Lorenzo Park near the Santa Cruz County Court House, by the lovely banks of the San Lorenzo sewag... I mean "River" (really I do!) along with a number of other issues recounted at the background link above and in the rejection document authorized by the General Assembly that follows.
The crowd you see gathered above read the document in unison to city council members who were present and the city manager who had authorized the issuance of the 'permit'.
The city manager of Santa Cruz California claims that the police department 'serves at his pleasure'. In other words, the city council has delegated the day to day authority of the local police department to a hired manager.
Consensus among the Occupiers however is simply; Since the city manager is employed or fired at the city council's pleasure, they are indeed in charge of their own police force. Hence the attempt to trap these rats in their own lair for them all to hear the recited refusal to accept the regulations their manager was demanding of a first amendment related protest.
You could hear the reading of the following document all the way to the back of the City Hall complex:
Meanwhile, about another 50 people stood by at the information center on Water Street, one of the busiest traffic routes in the city, near the court house steps, to protect a Geodesic Dome structure which had been erected to protect the #Occupy visitors center from inclement weather, only to have it threatened with forcible removal by the city authorities.
We're waiting Santa Cruz city... ...THIS is what we expect to see:
Sunday, November 6, 2011
One Word... "Nuts!" - An Open Letter From #OccupySantaCruz To Santa Cruz' Government
According to various accounts from those present, when (General Anthony Clement) McAuliffe was told of the German demand for surrender (at the Battle of the Bulge, WWII) he said "nuts".«o» At first "Wes" came up with this draft letter to the city of Santa Cruz in response to their ultimatum masquerading as a 'permit':
At a loss for an official reply, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard suggested that his first remark summed up the situation well, which was agreed to by the others. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, and his S-3, Major Alvin Jones, to the German delegation.
It was as follows:To the German Commander.Suffice it to say, the Germans were perplexed at the short reply. Harper offered an explanation of the meaning of the word to the Germans, telling them that in "plain English" it meant "Go to hell."[1] (source)
NUTS!
The American Commander
Uh, thanks City. I can see how this makes it easier politically for you to still bust homeless people in the park while ignoring our occupation, but since the need for usable public space is a small and important part of our occupation, we got that covered, thanks.«o» This final draft open letter is in response to the city of Santa Cruz California's attempt to deliver an ultimatum to #OccupySantaCruz in the form of an unrequested and unwanted 'permit for a non-profit event'.
While neither the GA nor the individuals in the legal committee asked for the special event permit, nor for all the restrictions that come with it, thank you for the kind thought, but no thank you.
If you still would like to help (and to be sure, help without strings attached is certainly welcome), perhaps you could direct the city manager to direct the police to leave the occupation alone. We know you have no direct say over the county sheriffs, but perhaps your example will inspire the county supervisors to direct the sheriff to also leave the occupation alone.
In any case, thank you for thinking of us. While your help is welcome, we’ll be okay without you.
Of course #Occupations are not really a non-profit event, but a protest, and there were a number of other issues with the document, including the concept of 'permission to #Occupy' itself that caused the following letter to be voted affirmative in a near consensus.
It will be delivered tomorrow November 7 2011 at 3PM PST by the whole of #OccupySantaCruz not only to the city manager who actualized it, but the city council members, wherever they may be found at the city hall complex, to whom the city manager is answerable.
IF all goes well, we'll see a response similar to this:
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