Michael returns the focus to where it needs to be: changing the laws to decriminalize basic human functions for homeless people (sleeping, camping). On June 25th, even before the Downtown Ordinances had been formally proposed, the Reilly-Porter Committee held its first hearings, or the Ordinances came back for their fastest-in-history-15-day-passage, City Council gave a blank check to the police department by ordering it to "strictly enforce all laws."

Of course, they haven't been. They enforce the laws when and where they want to. Instead of reining in police harassment as urged by a considerable number of people at the Porter-Reilly hearings, Council has ratified past police behavior and expanded their blank check with the new ordinances. As anyone can see, the laws are enforced selectively. Notice people illegally sitting anywhere on the North side of Pacific, or on the low-lying planter, or playing a musical instrument within 6' of a building (the old rules apply to "non-commercial displays until early January). Police now have greater power to simply intimidate anyone sitting on 90% of the downtown sidewalk.

We need to establish new viable alternatives and take direct action to restore public spaces. Proposed alternatives include such proposals as (1) retaliating for every bogus police ticket by making citizen's arrests of tourists jaywalking across Pacific Avenue, which is an infraction crime; (2) fully reporting such incidents in complaints to the Citizens Police RahRah Board (or Review Board, as they call themselves), not in the hopes of getting fair treatment but of establishing a record; (3) attending en masse the 5:30 PM CPRB public meeting on Monday October 14th at City Council Chambers to demand an end to police harassment; (4) holding phony civil libertarians like Fitzmaurice, Porter, Reilly, who are on the Council and pretenders like Rotkin and Matthews accountable by calling them out in public whenever they appear to fluff their agenda; (5) sitting down in solidarity with homeless people getting hassled under these laws, and supporting a fall campaign to end the Sleeping Ban and the Downtown Ordinances; (6) not letting City Council cut off street performers and political activists from the houseless community by allowing them special privileges--fight to restore public spaces to everyone; (7) not being intimidated by recent attacks on political activists for chalking with erasable chalk--a traditional peaceful mode of First Amendment expression that has recently been targeted by the police;

Come to Merry Mondays 4-6 PM at Pacific and Cooper. Bring a chair, a musical instrument, a friend, and a willingness to expand public spaces.

Come to Downtown For All Meetings 7 PM at Wired Wash Cafe on Wednesdays (next to the Saturn CAfe at 146 Laurel St.).

HUFF (Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom) meets Wednesdays at 8:30 AM at Baker's Square Restaurant at 1107 Ocean St. Call in at 423-4833 for info or to help.

Phone in incidents of police misconduct at 423-4833. Downtown For All's new contact number is 476-6112.

Police are also using "blocking the sidewalk" charges around the new "Hippie Planter" area which has developed near Costa Brava. Please phone in what you see.

Thanks,

Robert Norse
Downtown For All