“The greatest irony is that the County Courthouse is a place that represents the law, even as people are in flagrant violation of the law on its steps.” That’s the feeling among many courthouse employees, who have to step gingerly between sleeping bags, trash and feces on their way to work every day. Both the city and county agree that the nightly sleep-in and the daily protest by the city’s homeless are illegal, but neither is willing to take the necessary steps to break up the “Peace Camp.” Meanwhile, the protesters are talking about their “plans to resist” next time the city or county interferes with them.
“The greatest irony is that the County Courthouse is a place that represents the law, even as people are in flagrant violation of the law on its steps.” That’s the feeling among many courthouse employees, who have to step gingerly between sleeping bags, trash and feces on their way to work every day. Both the city and county agree that the nightly sleep-in and the daily protest by the city’s homeless are illegal, but neither is willing to take the necessary steps to break up the “Peace Camp.” Meanwhile, the protesters are talking about their “plans to resist” next time the city or county interferes with them.
At the crux of the recent conflict is a visit by police officers to the site on Wednesday night. The police said that the protesters were peaceful, and did not issue any citations. Christopher Doyon, a self-proclaimed spokesman for “Peace Camp 2010,” was furious that the police “violated the protesters’ constitutional rights” by waking them up while they were asleep. “We’re not going to take this lying down anymore,” he declared, which can only mean that the protesters will start sleeping in an upright position. “We’ve got some plans to resist the next time they come, too.”
Both the city and county have refused to say when or even if they plan to break up the encampment. As complaints come in from workers and unions, who are forced to confront the campsite every day, it seems as if the breaking point is fast approaching. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
