Photo / Chris Krohn
SANTA CRUZ, CA — The city named for the Holy Cross announced they would evict nearly 200 unhoused people into the doorways of struggling downtown businesses during the holiday to celebrate the birth of the homeless baby Jesus.
City Manager Martin Bernal issued his executive order on December 17, 2020, in a press statement. It includes a quote from Lee Butler, ‘homelessness response manager’ for the City — better known in our community as ‘the gentrifier’ who promotes construction of luxury condominiums. It mentions “the voluminous waste” created by ‘unmanaged camps’ that have not been provided with bins or trash pickup for months.
An ‘unmanaged camp’ is one that is self-managed, and threatens their narrative that those who live outside need to be ‘managed’.
Supporters’ efforts to blockade Phase One evictions failed, and the police secured the cleared area with rented fences, driving some people out of the park. As predicted, those people had to find a place in a shop doorway to sleep.
During the first evictions on December 21, Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills claimed on camera that the city of Santa Cruz was aware of COVID-19 recommendations against sweeps of homeless camps but decided to close the park for restoration anyway. He was asked, “Where will people go?” and replied that he didn’t know. “They can figure it out and go wherever, as long as they stay 12 feet apart.” The video went viral.
Phase Two of the Holiday Evictions was scheduled for December 28. The night before, campers and their allies moved the fences the city had erected to keep out the residents, building a barricade to stop the police. Over a hundred community members joined in the early morning action, many linking arms, successfully stopping the police from entering the camp.
On December 30, the Santa Cruz Homeless Union and Food Not Bombs filed for an emergency temporary restraining order in federal court against the city of Santa Cruz. It was granted that same day and effective through January 6, preventing it from shutting down San Lorenzo Park.
Keith McHenry is co-founder of Food Not Bombs.
