Homelss Task Force UPDATE

HOMELESS TASK FORCE UPDATE

On Feb. 2, 2005, the Arcata silly council appointed 14 people to the homelessness task farce. Included were 3 “homeless advocates”: Tad, Kim Starr and Paul. Paul has since been removed from the task force for being “disruptive.”

The task force meetings have been dominated by a “run the bums out of town” atmosphere and an attitude of dismissing public participation, including violations of the Brown Act (law that requires public access to meeting and requires the elected officials to let the public speak). As the issues that “homeless advocates” wish to speak about get pushed indefinitely aside, they are then called “disruptive” and their input ignored.

The subcommittee initially charged with looking into human rights abuses by the police against homeless people have instead changed their name from the “human rights” subcommittee to the “community impact” subcommittee and are acting as the voice of certain business owners who blame their financial woes on homeless people.

They continually accuse people that hang out on the plaza during the daytime of causing a whirlwind of problems, but they are contradicted by captain Tom Chapman of the Arcata police who responded during a city council study session (June 29, 2005) that most of the problems on the plaza occur on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights between 9pm and 3am, and are directly associated with alcohol and the bars.

Meanwhile, there has still been no discussion about Arcata’s recently twice-defeated anti-sleeping ordinance, the rampant use of tasers by the police against homeless people, the profiling of homeless people for selective-enforcement by the police, and no discussion of a legal place for someone to sleep who doesn’t have a home or rental.

Early on in the process there was a vote on whether or not to televise the (public) task force meetings, as city council meetings are televised. The “homeless advocates” all supported this as a measure that would help insure accountability for what goes on in the meetings. The other members of the task force voted overwhelmingly against it, and carried the vote. Nonetheless, “homeless advocates” have taken it upon themselves to video-record the meetings and get them televised. They are sometimes shown on Thursday nights (maybe at 6pm?). Contact Rob Amerman for details.

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