On January 25, local Attorney Emily Malone addressed the Santa Cruz City Council on behalf of the Board of the Clear View Court Home Owners Association.
(length of video 3:27 / size of file 4.2 MB)

You know what a hate group is. You know what a hate crime is. You know there are hate crimes based on race, nationality, gender, and religion. Well, there are also hate crimes based on economic class. But they do not break any laws, because economic equality *is not* guaranteed in our Constitution anywhere. I finally figured this all out one year in a Constitutional Law class. I figured out that to say we have a *right* to equal economic treatment would equal socialism or communism to many, and we all know what America’s past with those two “isms� is: not good. No, America is founded upon capitalism, and exploitable, if not slave, classes for labor and profits of the privileged few. Thus, there is *no* protection, Constitutionally, regarding class prejudice. So when we see homeless hate groups appear, there is no law broken. These people can spew the most prejudiced garbage in the world about the poor, and somehow, it is not seen as a hate crime. Well, I am starting to revamp my thinking and language to include the bashing of homeless people as a *hate crime* and groups who promote such activities, I shall now call *homeless hate groups* which is what they really are. They are not “community� groups for “fair process.� They are not victims, as they act. They are prejudiced bigots, plain and simple. This article’s purpose is to promote increased activism against homeless hate groups. A new intolerance for homeless person bashing and hate groups whose message is one of hatred must be fostered and direct action must be more common against homeless hate groups. We must connect the dots, the names to the organizations, just as we had to do with the KKK and their sheets.

It's no secret that the most populous state in the U.S. also has the highest housing costs. This one-hour radio documentary explores what life is like for every day people trying to make a home amidst a time of dizzying change and skyrocketing housing costs. From residents, politicians, writers, immigrants, ranchers, scholars, and soccer moms on California's Central Coast, we hear what happens to a community when few can afford to live there. How California solves its housing crisis is a harbinger for how the rest of the nation approaches that most basic of needs; a roof over one's head. The show weaves personal narratives, music, analysis, and lots of sound into a story that is part love-song to California, part snapshot of an era, and part plea for solutions.

A mysterious mystic from the East, and esteemed Wise man visits the City Council meeting, but can't find a quorum to hear him.

Becky Johnson of HUFF and writer for STREET SPIRIT, finds the inaugeration of President George W. Bush on January 20, 2005, a fitting backdrop for considering what another four years of George W. Bush will mean to homeless people.