A recent OC Register Editorial asserts that the Homeless Persons Bill of Rights and Fairness Act is “misguided compassion towards the homeless.” To their horror the Bill would grant the homeless new rights in California, including sleeping on sidewalks.
Occupy Santa Ana was back at the Santa Ana Civic Center yesterday to protest the ticketing of homeless individuals for camping over night. The protest is meant to call attention to the need for more emergency shelter beds for the homeless in Orange County.
As the county seat of government, and second largest city, Santa Ana’s Civic Center is a magnet for the homeless. For decades the city has been wrestling with the problem of homelessness with little progress. The City’s most notable accomplishment was in 1992 when Santa Ana passed its anti-camping ordinance in order to eradicate the tent city set up by the homeless in the Civic Center.
UPDATED Request denied. For some, the idea of allowing the Occupy OC patriots in Santa Ana the ability to camp overnight in the Civic Center should be a no-brainer for the City Council. After all, if Irvine can do it, why can’t Santa Ana? As with most things civic, it’s not that simple.
Yesterday afternoon Fullerton City Councilmember Sharon Quirk-Silva demonstrated for her four colleagues on the City Council what leadership looks like. Sharon sent out following to the Fullerton community. Since here words say all that needs saying, here they are.
Fullerton city leaders have their hands full of angry residents and civil rights activists over the beating death of Kelly Thomas, a 37 year old mentally-ill homeless man at the hands of six Fullerton police officers. The beating, and the severity of injuries that beating caused, would have been called murder weeks ago if those responsible were civilians.
As I traveled around town, I continued to be on the lookout for the regular people on the streets. A few weeks back, I ran into the “drifter”. He had been chased away by the Sheriff after the local property manager had lodged a complaint. He was back with his increasingly faded “Need Work” Sign occupying the usual corner right across from the beautiful Laguna Niguel City Hall. I worked up the courage to walk up to see how he was doing.
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