City of Redding Police Criminalizes Tribulation, Natural Disasters, and it's Homeless

Dear City of Redding Attorney...

Civil rights attorneys from Washington DC instrumental in the no child left behind legislation are VERY INTERESTED in your online flyer you must have given the OK to produce.

To equate that maintaining homeless civil and constitutional rights (especially homeless veterans) will result in loss of police and fire services is in my opinion an embarrassment to the Redding community in which you serve, and an unwarranted diabolic triangulation of fear created by you and the City of Redding from within. 

The compassionate Idaho court decision on homeless sleeping is rather timely considering we have had 20 or more thousand people displaced by our own Carr Fire here in Shasta County and 50 thousand people displaced by Camp fire an hour and half away from us south  wiping out the entire town of Paradise and surrounding communities in Butte county near Chico California.

Even more so as fire officials declare never before seen intensities of never before seen home destroying devastating wildfires will now be the year round normal.

Going to ticket them for sitting or laying down? sleeping, keeping warm by a fire?

Should a police officer decide who is worthy of these discretionary laws and penalties and who is not? Lady liberty blindfolded ? Penalize one penalize them all? Perhaps your officers dont like the way a homeless man parts his hair? 

Perhaps your officers should stick with the black SS storm troopers uniforms and forget about wearing the judges black robe as well?

I dont believe Redding police officers that refuse to wear body cameras can be trusted with such power, and I believe past events prove me correct.

But troubling is the fact that it appears the city is looking for ways to even further criminalize the homeless population here in Redding California. Current law has a 1000 dollar and or 6 months in jail for the crime of sleeping AND OR keeping warm by a fire. With one homeless Good News Rescue Mission with a 30 day in 30 day out policy serving several counties with NO OTHER NIGHT TIME HOMELESS FACILITIES.  A "Gospel Rescue Mission" that insists on pushing the religious "Rapture Fly Away" doctrine found nowhere in the scriptures.

Cruel and unusual punishment this winter for homeless Carr fire and Camp fire survivors indeed...

Many Christians know what time it is and feel opposite of your belief Redding Police Department that "The federal court decision is frustrating to all of us" ...

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Reality is that court decision is a timely compassionate gift from God to His "least of the brethren."

Why would ANY Christian be in favor of practices and laws that unfairly single out homeless people and criminalize them for everyday living and life-sustaining activities? Homeless advocates, please attend the Redding city council meeting this December as they revisit the no homeless camping / sleeping law.


“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;  but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Redding California Homeless - Searching for SAFE GROUND

On October 17, 2006 the Redding California Police Chief, the Fire Chief , and Dave Honey of the Good News Rescue Mission all spoke in favor of at the City of Redding Council meeting amending Redding Municipal Code Chapter 10-40 Unlawful Camping making it a possible misdemeanor punishable by up to a 1000 dollar fine and/or 6 months in jail for the homeless crime of sleeping or keeping warm by a campfire anywhere in the city limits effectively criminalizing homelessness.

 Why do homeless need SAFE GROUND ?

Sacramento Attorney Mark Merin advocates for "safe ground" and the human right to a safe place to sleep.

Fast forward to 8/17/2013  to a Record Searchlight article "Homeless encampments, natural features create perfect storm for Market Street fires" and we know now that due to the criminalization of homelessness and the dynamics of fear created homeless are camping and hiding   not only deeper in the steep canyons and brush behind Market St.  BUT IN ALL brush and canyons surrounding most of Redding due to short sighted past local government management.

But what is SAFE GROUND ?



Filmmaker Costa Mantis moved into tent city and lived in a tent to give the homeless people of Sacramento California a voice.

We at the Redding Coalition for the Homeless also are against practices and laws that unfairly single out homeless people and criminalize them for everyday living and life-sustaining activities and quite possibly violate their civil and constitutional rights. California needs safe “legalized” campgrounds with clean water, bathrooms, and trash services until Redding, Shasta County, and the State of California is willing and able to provide adequate shelters and affordable housing for the growing numbers of homeless folks free of homeless camping tickets, criminalization and evictions.


Safe Ground Rally California State Capital
April 22, 2009



Loaves & Fishes, Francis House, SHOC, Homeless Advocates, and the homeless rallied at the California State Capital to urge the City, County, and State to create a Safe Ground where the homeless can camp at night.



SEARCHING FOR SAFE GROUND is ready for it's West Coast World Premiere at the AOF IX International Film Festival on Thursday August 22nd 2013 at 8PM at the Krikorian Theatre on 410 South Myrtle Ave. in Monrovia.

Safe Ground Sacramento - "Protecting the human rights of homeless people."



California Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act

 

4 Redding California police officers surround a
homeless man as he sits in back of city hall.



The eagerly awaited and compassionately long overdue California "Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act"  passed its first hurdle in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on a 7-2 party line vote.

In Los Angeles  the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  found that a city law prohibiting sleeping, sitting or lying on public byways constituted "cruel and unusual punishment," because the city has so few shelter beds its street people have nowhere else to stay.

The same is true in Redding California.

Many California cities like Redding criminalize homelessness, giving tickets for camping (sleeping) and sitting, often taking their necessary survival gear (tents, sleeping bags ) telling them to leave town and violate them for what you and I may very well take for granted...  everyday living and life-sustaining activities.

"The solution to homelessness is not citations or jail time, Democratic Assemblyman Tom  Ammiano  said.  He called it a narrow bill to provide "a few basic protections" that would ensure California does not criminalize homelessness. Proponents compare current laws targeting the behavior of homeless people to past Jim Crow and "Anti-Okie" laws that were designed to segregate or remove people deemed undesirable."

Redding, with a city council who believes the poor , homeless and marginalized do not fall under their governing jurisdiction along with the middle and upper class of our community, as well as a   "Handouts Don't Help" campaign created by hotelier Ed Rullman and the Redding Business Merchants have noticeably increased homeless hatred in our community as well as a sense of homeless being a second class citizenry and promoting an entitlement mentality for the violation of their constitutional and civil rights.

The bill insures homeless have the right to "move freely, rest, solicit donations, pray, meditate, or practice religion, and to eat, share, accept, or give food and water in public spaces without being subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment or arrest.

Homeless people in California would have the right to rest in public spaces, including sidewalks, without the threat of arrest, and local governments would have to provide access to bathrooms and showers."

A.B. 5  is sure to receive a flood of opposition from League of California Cities, the Chamber of Commerce, and other business groups as it heads next to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

Here is how YOU can help...!

* For those of you in favor of  Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act we have made it easy to contact Redding's Assembly Member Brian Dahle online, or reach him at (530) 223-6300 to let him know you wish him to support  the California "Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act" and vote YES !

Outside of Redding contacts for California State Assembly can be found here.

* Letters of support needed for the California Homeless Bill of Rights (AB 5).

If you are a California resident, please take a moment to send a letter of support to Assembly Member Ammiano's office. You may fax the letter to (916) 319-2117 or you may mail the letter to: Honorable Tom Ammiano, California State Assembly, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814.  

* Make a difference - Use social media to spread the Word !

Pass and share this page link around on Facebook,  Tweet it , Google + ,  Blogs and Forums, etc...

Please take the time to fight for our less fortunate brothers and sisters and the American concept that the nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal will not tolerate practices and laws that unfairly single out homeless people and criminalize them for everyday living and life-sustaining activities.



Redding Coalition for the Homeless Supports the California Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act.

*******

UPDATE:
"At a meeting in Sacramento last week, we learned that the California State Assembly’s Appropriations Committee has killed all proposed legislations which were heard and then placed onto ‘suspense’ status during the last session. AB5 (Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights and Fairness Act) is one of those legislations. Our bill is officially dead.

More than a 100 social-justice based organizations have worked together to bring this piece of civil rights legislation to where it got.  Over the next six months, we will organize more vigorously and reach out to a broader base.  In 2014, we will be back with our Bill and will work to get it passed by the State’s Assembly, and moved on to the Senate. We will win this fight!

Local ordinances that criminalize sitting or sleeping in public spaces across the country are not the answer to homelessness."

W.R.A.P.

Meet Redding's "Catwoman"

A gentle homeless soul in her 70's who loves to collect money to feed her stray animal friends.

Homeless for the majority of 16 years, she camps out in the wooded area by the Sacramento River known as the Henderson Open Space. Recently she alleges that Bob Brannon, community work program officer for the Redding California Police Department has threatened to arrest her if she dident leave the Henderson area, and that she would loose her beloved pet dog, and that he was sick of cleaning up after her.

"Catwoman" is a very warm and easy to talk to individual. She loves to feed and take in unwanted stray dogs and cats, and it is said that she has developed a relationship with wild animals as well, feeding turtles and baby skunks as they rub up against her like baby kittens. Unfortunatly when Bob Brannon discovers and raids her camp, he throws away pounds of Cat and Dog food, as well as any survival homeless camping gear she has managed to obtain.



"Catwoman" is a cancer survivor, and unfortunatly needs a constant supply of colostomy bags to maintain her health. The last thing this dear homeless senior citizen needs is a threat of arrest, and the loss of her beloved pet dog hanging over her head.


If you agree that homelessness is not a crime and Catwoman is not a criminal then please take the time to call the Redding Police Department at (530) 225 - 4200 and ask for Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti.


Let him know that this is not Stockton, that we here in Redding are compassionate to our homeless senior citizens, and until Redding California and Redding Rotary is willing and able to provide adequate shelters and affordable housing for the growing numbers of homeless folks free of homeless camping tickets,criminalization and evictions that Henderson Open Space is big enough for everybody to share.