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Tenants Seek Fair Treatment at Berkeley’s Redwood Gardens

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“I’ve been saying the seniors are the next civil rights movement because we are the largest growing segment of society,” said Eleanor Walden. “So housing for seniors, especially if it’s guaranteed by the federal government, is a good ‘investment.’ It’s not done for any humanitarian reasons. It’s a monetary cash cow.”

Santa Cruz ‘Stay Away’ Law Banishes the Homeless

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New stay-away law targets the poor, people of color and the unemployed. It is a not so thinly veiled effort to drive away “undesirables.” “This new law is designed to punish and exclude homeless people without the need to go to court and actually prove a crime,” said Robert Norse.

The Broader Legacy of Ted Gullicksen

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Ted was as much at home in the world of bolt cutters and illegal squats as he was at City Hall. He was that rare activist who had one foot in both worlds. Ted could spend one day lobbying supervisors, and the next occupying a vacant building as part of Homes Not Jails.

The Death of S. F. Tenant Hero Ted Gullicksen

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Ted Gullicksen was a true hero and will be remembered as such. Ted never sacrificed principle for money. This was the true source of his power. Since he could not be persuaded to act against tenants’ interests for money, power or access, he had an independence that increased his clout.

Berkeley Forum Warns of Deadly Misuse of Tasers

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Speakers at the forum held in Berkeley on police use of tasers expressed concern about the terms “excited delirium” and “sudden in-custody death syndrome,” which Jeremy Miller described as “invented medical conditions” still used to describe deaths of people in police custody which Miller estimated at approximately 1,000.

West Grand Hotel Sued by City of Oakland

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Oakland Attorney Andrew Wolff has clients at the West Grand Hotel and said: “This is the worst housing condition I have ever encountered in my practice, and the level of tenant abuse is obscene. I commend the City of Oakland for taking this place down.”

United Nations Condemns Criminalization of Homelessness in the U.S.

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The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated it is “concerned at the high number of homeless persons, who are disproportionately from racial and ethnic minorities and at the criminalization of homelessness through laws that prohibit activities such as loitering, camping, begging, and lying in public spaces.”

Gimme Shelter!

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The 2013 Homeless Census and Survey reported that about 3,500 men, women and children are unsheltered in Santa Cruz County every night. That number is acknowledged by the census takers themselves to be underestimated by as much as 50 percent! Fewer than 700 shelter beds are available in the entire county.

How a Community Was Scattered to the Wind

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At 4:30 a.m., the police came, 30 of them. Armed with assault rifles, they broke down our front gate, tore down the door to our living space and arrested us for lodging. Our home was destroyed, our puppy was taken to the pound and our possessions were scattered to the wind.