The homeless camp located outside the County Courthouse has moved locations. It is now situated outside Santa Cruz City Hall. Protesters say they plan to roll out their sleeping bags there every night until the city addresses the problems they face and lifts its ban on sleeping in the streets. Spokesman Christopher Doyon did not comment on the fact that the new location is now city property, not county property, so the local police are fully authorized to deal with the protesters. Since the protest began five and half weeks ago, 24 people have been cited and nine have been arrested, though only one has appeared in court so far.
Deputy Police Chief Kevin Vogel said that he plans to address the problem on a nightly basis. He pointed out that many of the people participating in the current incarnation of the protest are not necessarily homeless, nor are they even residents of Santa Cruz County. Doyon, for instance, is from Salinas. Mayor Mike Rotkin added to this, saying that, “We have a lot of proper services that serve the homeless.”
Meanwhile, cleanup crews are busy outside the courthouse, cleaning up the results of the 37-day protest. They say that there is filth and graffiti everywhere and that a sculpture in the Peace Garden was damaged. Controversial homeless advocate Robert Norse was dismissive of county claims, saying that they were an attempt to focus attention away from the real problem of homelessness in Santa Cruz County. Read more at KSBW.
