SHOC

PRESS ADVISORY

Where are they to go? Where can they live?
Stockton Blvd houseless community face displacement by police

What: Solidarity with Stockton Blvd Encampment Residents

When:  Wednesday, February 12, 10 AM

Where: 5700 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA

Who:
Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee, Cathleen – (916) 801-4672)
Reckless Charity Entertainment (Crystal reckless.charity.entertainment@gmail.com)
Marysville Homeless Union
Salinas Homeless Union
California Homeless Union Organizing Council
ENGAGE, Inc, Kimberly – (916) 532-5604
Sacramento Safe Organized Spaced for Unhomed Youth

Governor Gavin Newsom today appointed Sacramento Mayor Steinberg to lead a new California commission on homelessness. How can the mayor be successful unless he, first, assures Sacramento is on the right track? It is not.  First, the City should start by allowing current residents living in tents on Stockton Blvd to stay where they are until they are able to get into a better situation–apartments, rooms, and other appropriate shelter. A fence has been built surrounding the community and it is expected that Wednesday morning service providers will come out to provide support (or will they coax residents to leave with the promise of a motel voucher for a couple nights? Or offer referrals to services that don’t exist?) They will probably be accompanied by police, during the services or afterwards. Afterwards, it’s expected that police may enforce eviction. Currently they have nowhere else to go. Shelters are full. Homeless housing programs are full. By forcing them to move, they leave what little stability they have found. They will have to leave the community that has formed by their need to help each other. This is only a first step since there is similarly houseless people living throughout Sacramento as individuals and in tight knit communities, who also need to be treated with dignity.

We want our city leaders to fight for their rights to survive and to exist. We want the city and county to not only protect their rights to not be displaced once again, but to allow and provide at least a minimum of services including portable toilets, water, garbage collection, and access to other services residents determine they need. Allow houseless members of our society to engage in self-determined survival strategies, including safe organized spaces, while they have no housing or shelter provided for them.

We want our city and county to appreciate and understand the 9^th Circuit decision in Boise vs Martin, that it is cruel and unusual punishment to make it a crime to live without shelter when there is not enough shelter beds or housing available to most of the houseless people in our community. The city camping ordinance that makes it against the law to merely live outdoors is a cruel law and an impossible law for thousands of people to obey because of the lack of alternatives.

Many individuals and groups have been helping the Stockton Blvd houseless community with food, supplies, help and friendship. Niki Jones (SHOC) said, “If you spent time with the residents of this encampment, too, then you would know that they were worth fighting for and their stability is worth fighting for.”

Members of California Homeless Union Organizing Council, Marysville Homeless Union, and Salinas Homeless Union heard about their plight and wanted to come to show their solidarity and support. Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee is exploring our participation and membership in this growing homeless lead movement.

SHOC joined this Lawsuit along with Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness  (SRCEH) and James (Faygo) Clark.

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Free Speech in Jeopardy

A panhandling ordinance will be brought forward at this Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Previously we’ve had an ordinance forbidding aggressive panhandling. If passed this new version will make it illegal to panhandle within 30 feet from an ATM, bank doorway, transit center, bus stop, and other place restrictions. Even if the person solicited isn’t using an ATM or at the bus stop.

When you pace out 30 feet, that length could take you across a two lane road plus parking space, a pretty long distance away to be considered intimidating. Panhandlers shouldn’t approach someone using an ATM, but everyone should be able to say “Spare change?” or “Can we bring about change?” anywhere else to anyone else in a non-threatening manner.

Let our city council know you want them to protect our constitutional right to free speech. Come to the City Council meeting Tuesday, 11/14/17, 5pm, email and/or call your councilmember and the mayor.

Copy of proposed ordinance

Articles: Sacramento City Council considers panhandling ordinance
Sacramento Panhandling Ban Could Go Into Effect Next Month

Mayor Steinberg  mayorsteinberg@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-5300
Dist 1 – Councilmember Angelique Ashby aashby@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7001
Dist 2 – Councilmember Allen Warren  awarren@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7002
Dist 3 – Councilmember Jeff Harris  jsharris@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7003
Dist 4 – Councilmember Steve Hansen  shansen@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7004
Dist 5 – Councilmember Jay Schenirer  jschenirer@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7005
Dist 6 – Councilmember Eric Guerra  eguerra@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7006
Dist 7 – Councilmember Rick Jennings  rjennings@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7007
Dist 8 – Councilmember Larry Carr  lcarr@cityofsacramento.org (916) 808-7008

Camping Ordinance Trial Results

Ashmore et al vs City of Sacramento trial was challenging the city’s camping ordinance as being selectively enforced. The case began eight years ago stemming from multiple arrests and citations of a group of homeless people that formed a Safe Ground tent community. Attorney Mark Marin and his team that was challenging the City’s camping ordinance brought forward excellent witnesses including originally homeless and supporter plaintiffs, homelessness experts, a psychiatrist, and people that camped out at well-known events such as Camp Pollock and Fairytale Town camp outs, and Black Friday. Even the City brought forward a former police officer witness that testified homeless people are often harassed by law enforcement and have no other options. The city’s camping ordinance was upheld by a jury of twelve, with only three jurors voting that the ordinance was selectively enforced.

What comes next? SHOC and allies continue to fight to end this unjust law. Historically laws that sought to criminalize people in order to exclude them from public spaces or segregate them, such as Jim Crow laws, “Ugly Laws” which excluded people with disfiguring disabilities, “Anti-Okie” laws that excluded poor people from entering California, have all been overturned and we now cannot image these laws as acceptable. Overturning those laws took sometimes decades of hard work. Likewise our fight is far from over. The future includes legal battles, legislative enactments, public education, protests, marches, and reaching enough people who will finally understand that getting rid of homeless people happens only by ending homelessness.

Links to media about the trial:

Davis Vanguard Historic Homeless Trial Begins – Opposing Sides Tell Different Tales (Cres Vellucci) Sacramento News & Review Left in limbo – Homelessness on trial:  – Separate and unequal – Motions sickness  Sacramento Bee Jury sides with Sacramento – Does Sacramento unfairly apply its camping ordinance – I’ve watched people die outside – Homeless campers suing the city of Sacramento  ABC Jury: City of Sacramento didn’t enforce anti-camping ordinance only on homeless – A timeline – Lawsuit against Sacramento – What are the details?  KCRA Jury: Sacramento didn’t discriminate – Homeless advocates sue  Fox Jury Rules in City’s Favor – Trial Over   CBS Lawsuit Against Sacramento  Capital Public Radio Jury Sides With City

SACRAMENTO CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS CHANGE TO THEIR ANTI-PANHANDLING ORDINANCE

Currently aggressive panhandling and soliciting for donations from a median or off-ramp of a freeway is against the law. Their proposed changes would make it against the law to panhandle within 30 feet of an ATM, financial institution door, transit center, bus stop, driveway to a business, or directly from someone sitting in an outdoor café.

SHOC (Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee) has been attending community meetings, City Council and Law & Legislation meetings trying to convince them that these new additions infringe on protected free speech, to no avail.

If you pace out 30 feet, it’ll take you across a two lane street including car parking. The ordinance would make it against the law to ask anyone within 30 feet from an ATM, even if that person is not planning to use the ATM machine. 30 feet equals 60 feet up and down the sidewalk with the starting point at the center. Can you imagine trying to intimidate a pedestrian from 30 feet away? Having to shout out “HELLO, OVER THERE! YES YOU! GIVE ME MONEY….PLEASE!!!” “What?” “I SAID….”

At the same time it does not make it against the law to ask a stranger what time it is, or comment how you like their shoes within 30 feet. You can still legally approach someone at the ATM machine and say, “Did you watch the game last night?” Just don’t say you are poor and in need of some spare change.

These changes have been approved by the Law & Leg Committee and will go soon to Sacramento City Council for a vote.

Watch footage here