Friday, December 08, 2006
Sleep-out to protest ban on camping
Students and the homeless plan to sleep outside the judicial center tonight.
By MIKE SAEWITZ
mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com
SARASOTA -- A group of college students served dinners to the city's homeless population every Friday for the past two months at Selby Five Points Park, and realized something: The stories were the same.
The students say virtually all of the homeless people they fed complained about the city's no-camping rule, which they say has led to harassment, arrests and fines.
From those weekly meetings emerged an idea to make a statement against the ordinance, to stage an act of civil disobedience.
This afternoon, the college students will march with homeless people across downtown streets on their way to the courthouse. They plan to sleep outside the judicial center all night, right next to police headquarters.
"We're not interested in getting arrested, but we understand that might happen," said Marlon Kautz, a homeless rights activist who helped organize the park dinners and the march.
The protest comes at a time when city leaders are pointing to the no-lodging ordinance as a success. The twice-overturned rule has recently been upheld by a judge. It now includes a clause that they say proves their intent to help, offering first-time violators a free ride to a shelter.
City officials said they have no plans to arrest protesters.
"Our intent is to respect the people's right to peaceably assemble," said City Manager Michael McNees.
Sarasota Police Lt. Paul Sutton, who spent all day Thursday at a retreat with the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, said that simply sleeping in public is not outlawed by the no-lodging rule. He hopes to use the protest to educate the public about the rule, and how it is designed to offer homeless people help instead of jail.
"It's a great opportunity to promote the public awareness of what we're doing," Sutton said. "I don't think that's the spin they (the protesters) are looking for."
Kautz said that the city's homeless people do not feel that the rule is helping.
He and others have gotten to know many of them through the weekly meals in Five Points Park, which are hosted by the Sarasota chapter of "Food Not Bombs," a worldwide group dedicated to social change.
He said the idea for the sleep-out came from Sarasota's homeless people themselves, although students and activists will join them. The goal is to encourage city leaders to drop the ordinance and provide needed housing for the city's poorest residents.
Through fliers and word-of-mouth, many of Sarasota's homeless people have been spreading the news of today's protest.
The protest is being staged nearly a year after Sarasota was named the "Meanest City in the Nation" toward homeless people by a national advocacy group. Officials have continually rejected the title.
This week, city commissioners supported an ordinance that put closing times on city parks. In the eyes of some citizens, it was another attempt to control the city's homeless.
"This is another issue of homeless people and where they sleep," said resident Diana Hamilton. "The issue is, we need to have better facilities for these people."
City officials say the ordinance boils down to a public safety issue.
"All our neighborhood parks deserve to be safe for everyone to use," said City Commissioner Mary Anne Servian.
Students and the homeless plan to sleep outside the judicial center tonight.
By MIKE SAEWITZ
mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com
SARASOTA -- A group of college students served dinners to the city's homeless population every Friday for the past two months at Selby Five Points Park, and realized something: The stories were the same.
The students say virtually all of the homeless people they fed complained about the city's no-camping rule, which they say has led to harassment, arrests and fines.
From those weekly meetings emerged an idea to make a statement against the ordinance, to stage an act of civil disobedience.
This afternoon, the college students will march with homeless people across downtown streets on their way to the courthouse. They plan to sleep outside the judicial center all night, right next to police headquarters.
"We're not interested in getting arrested, but we understand that might happen," said Marlon Kautz, a homeless rights activist who helped organize the park dinners and the march.
The protest comes at a time when city leaders are pointing to the no-lodging ordinance as a success. The twice-overturned rule has recently been upheld by a judge. It now includes a clause that they say proves their intent to help, offering first-time violators a free ride to a shelter.
City officials said they have no plans to arrest protesters.
"Our intent is to respect the people's right to peaceably assemble," said City Manager Michael McNees.
Sarasota Police Lt. Paul Sutton, who spent all day Thursday at a retreat with the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, said that simply sleeping in public is not outlawed by the no-lodging rule. He hopes to use the protest to educate the public about the rule, and how it is designed to offer homeless people help instead of jail.
"It's a great opportunity to promote the public awareness of what we're doing," Sutton said. "I don't think that's the spin they (the protesters) are looking for."
Kautz said that the city's homeless people do not feel that the rule is helping.
He and others have gotten to know many of them through the weekly meals in Five Points Park, which are hosted by the Sarasota chapter of "Food Not Bombs," a worldwide group dedicated to social change.
He said the idea for the sleep-out came from Sarasota's homeless people themselves, although students and activists will join them. The goal is to encourage city leaders to drop the ordinance and provide needed housing for the city's poorest residents.
Through fliers and word-of-mouth, many of Sarasota's homeless people have been spreading the news of today's protest.
The protest is being staged nearly a year after Sarasota was named the "Meanest City in the Nation" toward homeless people by a national advocacy group. Officials have continually rejected the title.
This week, city commissioners supported an ordinance that put closing times on city parks. In the eyes of some citizens, it was another attempt to control the city's homeless.
"This is another issue of homeless people and where they sleep," said resident Diana Hamilton. "The issue is, we need to have better facilities for these people."
City officials say the ordinance boils down to a public safety issue.
"All our neighborhood parks deserve to be safe for everyone to use," said City Commissioner Mary Anne Servian.
