I'm posting the following Sentinel story which notes a neighborhood meeting, which I fear may be a police-orchestrated anti-homeless affair with the usual Drug War Hysteria providing protective cover. Instead of dealing with drug use and sales as a medical problem, and proposing solutions along those lines, some folks are intensifying the "War Against Crime".

Folks should remember it was the Downtown Neighbors (a different group than the Santa Cruz Neighbors, admittedly) that got us the "no homeless parking at night" regulations all over the downtown and spearheaded the fight to keep them Sleeping Ban.

I've given Lynn Robinson a call and hope to get some clarification on where her group stands. I've also asked her to invite some homeless reps and social service folks.

In a city where it's criminal to sleep at night after 11 PM for 95% of the City's homeless community, I'm particularly sensitive to calls for "law and order" from conservative residents.

Below are some comments from Becky Johnson (still banned from posting on indymedia), who alerted me to this meeting and e-mailed out the Sentinel story, which follows.



Note to reader: Sometimes homeless people will take recyclables out of city recycle containers for their own profit. While the City criminalizes such tactics, the homeowner is not harmed, and actually has more room for more recyclables because of the practice. --Becky Johnson of HUFF

From: the Santa Cruz Sentinel
June 21, 2005


Neighbors talking tough on burglaries, street drugs
By SHANNA McCORD
Sentinel staff writer
Downtown resident Michael Bethke wants his street and surrounding neighborhood to be a haven — not a place for bike thieves and drug pushers to feel comfortable.

"We’re blessed in Santa Cruz to have a sanctuary for butterflies and whales," Bethke said. "But we should also have a sanctuary for people. That’s what our neighborhoods should be."

Bethke and other residents will join forces tonight to share experiences and frustrations associated with crime and neighborhood nuisances that negatively impact quality of life. They also hope to find solutions and lean on city leaders for help.

The Santa Cruz Neighbors meeting is 7 tonight at Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St. Santa Cruz Neighbors is an informal group that links residents with city officials.

On the upswing recently, neighbors say, are stolen bicycles, abandoned cars, auto theft, burglary and drug sales, particularly methamphetamine.

Some residents have complained about their garbage recycling containers being ransacked for items that can be turned in for money.

Crime problems are not confined to one pocket of town, though Beach Flats and the lower Ocean Street neighborhoods often see more than their fair share, residents and police say.

"These are quality of life issues people shouldn’t have to worry about," meeting organizer Lynn Robinson said. "We need to decide what our course of action could be to get a handle on the problem."

Several city leaders are expected to attend tonight’s meeting, including police officers and representatives from the Public Works Department and Redevelopment Agency.

Lt. Lee Sepulveda said the Police Department has been meeting with city residents in similar forums for years. The meetings are beneficial, he said, because people are able to create connections with officers and share information that might otherwise go unnoticed.

"The main thing is contact with people we don’t normally get," Sepulveda said. "It gives residents easier access to services in the city."

Sepulveda couldn’t say whether meth use was on the rise, only that the supply is consistent and is "plentiful and cheap."

"It’s easy to manufacture, and they can make a lot of it," he said. "Plus, it’s cheaper than cocaine."

Bethke said he looks forward to collaborating to find solutions, rather than push criminals from one neighborhood to another.

For information, call 818-6376.

Contact Shanna McCord at smccord (at) santacruzsentinel.com.