From deke@wps.com Tue Aug 30 20:40:06 1994
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From: deke (Deke Motif Nihilson)
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Subject: General Assembly Information
To: iww-list
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 1994 13:21:24 -0700 (PDT)
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IWW- SCGMB
P.O. Box 534, Santa Cruz CA  95061

August 23, 1994

CALLING ALL WOBBLIES!

The I.W.W. General Assembly is only days away! As you probably already 
know the Assembly will take place over Labor Day weekend, Friday through 
Monday Sep. 2-5. If you didn't get the chance to send in your 
registration form (or didn't even receive one) here is sime vital 
last-minute information:

Friday Sep. 2 will be an all-day check-in and introduction time. Come to
THE LOUDEN NELSON COMMUNITY CENTER, 301 CENTER STREET (near the downtown 
mall area, off of Laurel St.) to pick up an information packet and 
coordinate sleeping arrangements with Santa Cruz wobs. As we've said 
before we don't have much in the way of indoor housing available so bring 
*sleeping bags* and *tents* for backyard or field "accomodations."

Saturday Sep. 3. Assembly functions will start rather early and proceed 
through the day, with a hot meal  provided by Food Not Bombs Santa Cruz. 
In the evening prepare to let loose at the big show *A United Front* 
featuring Utah Phillips, Strawman, Del Rey and Just Kidding.

Sunday Sep. 4. Assembly functions continue during the day, with time for 
workshops, music and informal gatherings. A "civil disobedience prep" is 
also scheduled for the afternoon to prepare and inform anyone wishing to 
take part in the nonviolent direct action Sleep-out Sunday night. This 
action will protest the Santa Cruz Camping Ban, one of the harshest 
anti-homeless laws in the state making it a crime to sleep between the 
hours of 11 p.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Monday Sep. 5. A rally is planned for labor day to support and call 
attention to anyone jailed for the "crime" of sleeping outside in Santa 
Cruz. We intend to make it very clear that anti-poor legislation *is a 
labor issue* and that the I.W.W. is no stranger to organizing amongst 
those whom other unions and movements wish to exclude. In the I.W.W. we 
hold that an injury to one is an injury to all.

So that's the update. For any further information contact:
Maile or Tai at (408) 423-9511
	Maile at work: (408) 425-1440
Vad: (408) 458-3781 (or leave message at 425-3143)
e-mail: sciww@fido.wps.com


We'll see you soon!

Solidarity,
from the S.C.G.M.B.

From deke@wps.com Tue Aug 30 22:14:06 1994
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From: deke (Deke Motif Nihilson)
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Subject: Assembly-- Re-postable!!!
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Santa Cruz Industrial Workers of the World
P.O. Box 534
Santa Cruz, CA  95061  (U.S.A.) 
sciww@fido.wps.com


25 August 1994

Revolutionary Greetings!

The Santa Cruz branch of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) 
invites everyone concerned about the criminalization of poverty to join 
us on Labor Day weekend in a Solidarity Sleep-Out September 3 & 4 to 
protest the city of Santa Cruz municipal camping ban, SCMC 6.36.020, 
which makes sleeping or intending to sleep outside of a shelter, motel, 
or privately-owned house a crime.

Santa Cruz is a place where the combination of very low wages, a 15% 
unemployment rate and the second-highest rents in the country, has 
resulted in a large number of insecurely-housed and homeless people. 
Nonetheless, the city continues to enforce the camping ban as a cruel way 
of trying to drive the un-housed out of town. Though a recent state 
superior court ruling struck down a similar ordinance in Santa Ana, the 
Santa Cruz Police Dept. continues to enforce the "no public sleeping" policy.

The fine for a first sleeping violation stands at $168. After a second 
ticket within 48 hours the charge increases to a misdemeanor subject to a 
higher fine and a possible jail term. In this way the law targets people 
remaining in Santa Cruz without a house for more than a day. Since most 
people cited under this law cannot pay the fine, the city is fully 
authorized to further harass the un-housed with warrants, arrest, and 
jail time.

The effects of the SC camping ban and other laws of this sort are not 
limited to homeless populations. For law-waged service industry and 
agricultural workers in Santa Cruz, the ability to pay rent is never 
guaranteed. While homelessness is certainly undesirable enough as it is, 
the *criminalization of the condition of being unable to pay rent* makes 
the struggle to maintain legal housing paramount for every waged worker. 
The camping ban eliminates the option to temporarily or transitionally 
utilize a public beach or park space rather than pay half or more of 
one's wages directly to rent. Thus the camping ban helps insure that 
workers remain dependent and ever-grateful for their current employment 
regardless working conditions or pay. When we consider that soaring 
unemployment rates and an increasing level of poverty have occured 
alongside a steady decline of unionism it is clear that homelessness 
*is a labor issue.*

As you may already be aware, the Santa Cruz Wobblies and Food Not Bombs 
have recently challenged several new city ordinances regulating "conduct 
on public property," passed by the Santa Cruz City Council. These new 
ordinances were created in response to a series of "World Peace Vigils," 
encampments in downtown retail areas to protest the camping ban. These 
new ordinances are designed to criminalize the non-camping elements of 
such vigils; for example, one of the new ordinances prohibits displays 
between sunset and sunrise.

Through recent direct action efforts, one of these ordinances, outlawing 
sitting on any city sidewalk, was declared unconstitutional. Possibly the 
most blatantly preposterous, the sitting ordinance was only one of six 
new laws created *in addition* to the long standing camping ban. With 
this recent direct action victory the S.C. I.W.W. and Food Not Bombs 
intend to get back to the struggle which the conduct ordinances were 
meant to derail: the struggle for the abolition of the Santa Cruz Camping 
Ban.

[Enclosed with this letter were copies of flyers for the sleep-out 
action, and a Wobbly music show on Sep. 3 entitled "A United Front: A 
Benefit to Help Overturn the Santa Cruz Camping Ban" featuring 
politically-oriented music from area musicians as well as a "special 
guest." Also included was a flyer for the Milk Crate Protest in San 
Francisco on Sep. 19th as part of ongoing solidarity with San Francisco 
Food Not Bombs.]

The foregoing Solidarity Sleep-Out action and show are integral parts of 
this year's annual international IWW General Assembly, to be held this 
year in Santa Cruz during the days of Sep. 3 & 4. A solidarity rally 
after the action is planned for Labor Day. 

If you have any questions about these upcoming events, or would like to 
purchase tickets for the show, please contact us by calling (408) 
427-4597 and leaving a message so we can get back to you, or by sending 
us e-mail at <sciww@fido.wps.com> SEE YOU SOON!

Crys-Vad Hyphus, Branch Secretary
Maile Pickett, Branch Treasurer
Taiette Miller, Delegate
Santa Cruz Industrial Workers of the World

