• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
WRAP

WRAP

Western Regional Advocacy Project

  • Donate Now
  • Get Email Updates
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • 20 Years of Unhoused People Fighting for Dignity + Respect
    • 40 Years of Fighting
    • History
    • Mission
    • Strategy
    • Members
    • Board / Staff
  • Campaigns
    • Business Improvement Districts
    • House Keys Not Sweeps
      • TARGETED, BANISHED, DISPLACED & SWEPT
    • Legal Defense Clinics Project
    • Homeless Bill of Rights
    • Without Housing
    • Street Outreach
  • Organizing Tools
    • Without Housing Organizing Toolkit
    • Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign Manual
    • WRAP Organizers Manual
    • WRAP Artwork
  • Resources
    • Pipe Dreams and Picket Fences Report
    • Art in Action Power Point Slide Show
    • Hobos to Street People
    • House Keys Book
    • Political Education
    • Legal Research
  • Media
    • Newsletters
    • Blog
    • Hobos to Street People Art Show
    • Street Newspapers
    • Sweeps Gallery Videos
    • Videos
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Sustainer
    • Volunteer
    • Support WRAP
    • WRAP Newsletters & Updates Sign Up

Regarding reopening of Ross Camp in Santa Cruz, Ca. California Homeless Union Statewide Organizing Council

November 14, 2019 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

California Homeless Union
Statewide Organizing Council

Office of the General Counsel
Chico/Paradise * Marysville/Yuba City * Sacramento * Salinas/Santa Cruz * San Jose/Santa Clara County * Ventura County

“This cause is a great cause and we’re tired of being treated like dirt. We’re not; we’re human beings. We bleed just like you and we’re good people. We need a safe place and this is a safe place right here.”
– Deseire Quintero (1964 – 2019)

The Death of Deseire Quintero and the Creation of “Camp Phoenix”

Statement of the California Homeless Union
November 13, 2019

The California Homeless Union is deeply saddened and angered by the completely unavoidable death on October 27, 2019 of Deseire Quintero, 55, a former fire fighter and a founding member and officer of the Santa Cruz Homeless Union who was pushed into the woods and died after the City closed Ross Camp.
To all those who knew and loved “Mama Desi” we offer our deepest condolence.
Union legal counsel has been retained by Deseire’s son, Marcos Quintero, in order to prepare and file a wrongful death lawsuit and pursue all available legal claims against the City of Santa Cruz, City Manager Martin Bernal, Chief of Police Andrew Mills, “Take Back Santa Cruz” and other individuals and entities known and unknown whose actions and omissions led to this needless tragedy.

On the day she died, Deseire was checking on the well-being of other homeless in Pogonip Park as the Diablo winds intensified during the early morning hours of October 27, 2019. She was crushed when a tree collapsed on her and other homeless campers. Thus, in a very real sense, our strong, beloved sister and leader became the first of our Union officers killed in the line of duty.
We, the officers and members of the Santa Cruz Homeless Union and the California Homeless Union Statewide Organizing Council, hold the City of Santa Cruz, its City Council majority and the offices of the City Manager and the Chief of Police fully responsible for the tragic death of Deseire Quintero, founder of the Ross Camp Council who became an officer of the Santa Cruz Chapter of the California Homeless Union. Responsibility must also extend to “Take Back Santa Cruz” and other anti-homeless hate groups for creating a climate of hysteria and fear of the homeless including allowing direct solicitations for murder and arson against homeless persons to appear on their website.

Deseire was the lead named plaintiff in the case of Quintero v. City of Santa Cruz, the federal lawsuit that she inspired, filed on behalf of hundreds of homeless residents of the original Ross Camp. When the Court refused to intervene and halt the destruction of the Camp and the City failed to provide safe, actually available, alternative shelter, Deseire was forced into the Pogonip along with dozens of others. Aware that the homeless faced risk as the Diablo winds intensified, the City compounded its negligence by failing to warn or otherwise protect those it knowingly pushed into this known danger.

The City of Santa Cruz was also aware that Deseire — and other Ross Camp homeless suffered from post-traumatic stress and, for that reason, was unable to go to any of the facilities that the City falsely claimed were available to those ejected from Ross Camp. Moreover, on the day that Ross Camp was closed, Assistant City Manager Susie O’Hara was witnessed refusing Deseire’s request for a two-day hotel voucher. From there, Deseire went to the Pogunip—and to her death.

Safety at Ross Camp

Like dozens of other homeless women, Deseire found safety in the Ross Camp community, a fact repeatedly emphasized by witness after witness in a two-day federal court hearing before District Court Judge Edward Davila. Like so many others, Deseire feared and bravely resisted the City’s ill-conceived, fraudulent and ultimately perjurious campaign to misrepresent the conditions in Ross Camp. Unfortunately, Judge Davila accepted the false assurances by Assistant City Manager Susie O’Hara regarding alternative shelter and denied the homeless plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction.

In the weeks leading up to the destruction of Ross Camp, the City and its Police Chief undertook a concerted campaign of intimidation, fear mongering and hostility directed against the homeless, generally, and to the residents of Ross Camp in particular. At the same time, the City, through its agencies, including the Fire Department and City Manager’s office, made a number of representations and commitments to the Ross Camp Council to the effect that whatever problems may have existed in the camp could be and would be remedied without the necessity of dismantling the camp altogether. Reasonably relying on these representations only to be betrayed, the Ross Camp residents were essentially the victims of a deliberate fraud perpetrated by the Defendant City of Santa Cruz.

State-Created Danger

During the federal court hearing, Ross Camp residents argued that under the “state-created danger” doctrine, the City of Santa Cruz would be liable for increasing the risk of harm to those evicted from the relative safety of Ross Camp and denied accessible, and safe alternative indoor shelter as required by law. The Union is in the process of acquiring –and intends to make public– the full transcript of the federal court hearing as well as the state court hearing on the City’s ex parte application for a nuisance abatement. These transcripts will enable the public to see how the City misled both courts and how credible witnesses provided compelling evidence that Ross Camp residents faced imminent, irreparable harm in the absence of a preliminary injunction. Tragically, but not unpredictably, that risk became a fatal reality for Deseire Quintero, who, absent the City’s actions, would have been in the company of the Ross Camp community instead of crushed beneath a fallen tree.

The grief and outrage we feel at the death of Deseire Quintero is being echoed across California and the Nation. The California Homeless Union, a part of the Committee to Reestablish the National Union of the Homeless, is already mobilizing awareness, memorials and intensified campaigns to expand the Homeless Union movement.
In the last two years, over 200 persons unable to afford traditional housing and forced outdoors have perished in the streets and forests of Santa Cruz County.
We are not going to wait for the next person to die.

Accordingly, the Santa Cruz Homeless Union has re-opened and re-named the former Ross Camp as “Camp Phoenix: In Memory of Deseire Quintero” and hereby issues the following demands:
1. Moratorium on enforcement of all laws designed to or having the effect of criminalizing
the homeless including the issuing of citations for being in a park after dark, “trespass” on public property, and the blocking of sidewalks. Dismissal of all pending charges against persons who were forced to break these laws in order to survive.

2. Immediate opening of the Civic Auditorium and other public buildings vacant at night as emergency shelter for elderly, disabled, and vulnerable folks this winter. Public disclosure of all vacant City-owned, City-controlled and tax delinquent properties and
their designation as available, emergency housing for the homeless. Moratorium on
evictions of low-income renters facing homelessness.
3. Full compliance with the legal requirements of Martin v. Boise, the decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that prohibits enactment and enforcement of laws targeting the homeless where no alternative, indoor shelter has been provided. Acknowledge the legitimacy of homes-on-wheels parking in industrial zones; add sanitary facilities & trash pick-ups.
4. Fully restore rights to those at 1220 River Street; provide showers, drinking water, free
access for those who make 1220 River their home and respect the civil rights of all who live at the City-run Camp. Terminate the contract with the Salvation Army and recognize the rights and abilities of 1220 River Street resident to manage the camp themselves.
5. End the seizure of homeless peoples’ personal survival property.
6. Authorize private entities to sponsor portable toilets, provide 24 – hour access to the public bathrooms at the Soquel and Locust Street Garages and Restore full access to Louden Nelson bathrooms (with code if necessary).
7. Demand that the City publicly denounce vigilante violence and harassment against those cannot afford housing and publicly oppose and investigate all on-line solicitations for violence against the homeless.
8. Designate October 27 as Deseire Quintero Day in the City of Santa Cruz.
Millions of people are one paycheck, one eviction, one family medical emergency or one “natural” disaster away from homelessness. If you are homeless or facing the loss of your housing, please contact us about joining the Union.
And to the general public: Please help us with getting the truth out, with statements of solidarity and with direct support to Camp Phoenix.

For the Union,
Anthony D. Prince,
General Counsel
princelawoffices@yahoo.com

To Contact the Santa Cruz Homeless Union call: 831-431-7766.
To Contact the California Homeless Union/Statewide Organizing Council, call: 510-301-1472.

Read as PDF

 

Filed Under: #StopTheSweeps

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Footer

Instagram Feed

Community spirit and perspective and a cool organi Community spirit and perspective and a cool organizing training!
With sweeps and fascist policing/immigration tactics ramping up all over the country, we must make sure our initiatives to fight them are informed by, come from and are supported by the people who are directly impacted!!! Street outreach is how we do this!
https://conta.cc/46GwXKG
Join WRAP on Tuesday, July 22 on zoom at 3pm pt | Join WRAP on Tuesday, July 22 on zoom at 3pm pt | 4 pm mt | 6 pm et for a training on the different methodologies, context and implementation of street outreach! There will be examples from WRAP members who represent organizations in different states who have been fighting back against criminalization and sweeps in their communities.
Accountable organizing through street outreach! 

With sweeps and fascist policing/immigration tactics ramping up all over the country, we must make sure our initiatives to fight them are informed by, come from and are supported by the people who are directly impacted!!! 

Street outreach is how we do this! 

📣 WRAP : STREET OUTREACH TRAINING 
🗓️ Tuesday, July 22 | 🕒 3pm PT | 4pm MT | 6pm ET
🎟️ RSVP : bit.ly/wrapoutreach 
✉️ Contact joemae@wraphome.org for any questions

Read More: https://conta.cc/3ZXkCxS
Last year, on April 22nd, I stood with over 700 pe Last year, on April 22nd, I stood with over 700 people from around the country in front of the US Supreme Court demanding that the court focus on proven solutions to homelessness like housing, and not on things like handcuffs and jails that make homelessness worse. Months later, SCOTUS shamefully decided that homeless people are not included in the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment and could be ticketed or arrested for simply sleeping outside. https://conta.cc/44m9rjl
The city continues to sneak in their sweeps of our The city continues to sneak in their sweeps of our friends and neighbors to nowhere. They sneak their sweeps in and hope those that care and give a sh&! against this violence won’t show up. We will do all we can to challenge this and won’t let the city block us from the community care they are afraid of.

Join us for a virtual gathering to learn how to show up, how to build community care. July 10th from 7-8:30pm. DM us for more info.

#sweepskill #fucksweeps #stopthesweeps #stoptheharrellhorrorshow #communitycare #showup
🏠Housing is a human right, and it is about time 🏠Housing is a human right, and it is about time our communities actually accept this!

On June 28th 2024, Grants Pass v Johnson was overturned (a case that had required cities to not criminalize the unhoused if adequate shelter was not provided by the city). On June 28th from 10am-12pm, we are asking our community to gather on the Missoula Courthouse lawn to show our city that we don’t support the ways they are criminalizing unhoused Missoulians. 📣

After the rally, from 12-2pm we will hear from various local organizations that are impacted and addressing this issue in our community. 🫂 From those working in the legal system to renters to mutual aid groups, our entire community is impacted by the overturning of Grants Pass v Johnson, the closure of the Johnson Street shelter, and the criminalization of unhoused Missoulians. Municipal elections are coming up this year and it is critical that we show city council where our priorities lie.
The Sovereign Roses Virtual Alumni Chapter invites The Sovereign Roses Virtual Alumni Chapter invites you to WRAP with the Roses! Learn more about the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) and a potential Project I.M.P.A.C.T area we’re exploring. WRAP is dedicated to ending homelessness and poverty by uplifting the voices of those directly impacted and advocating for systemic change rooted in justice and equity.
Discover why WEE believe that partnering with WRAP is a powerful step toward making a real, sustainable difference in our communities.

📅 Date: June 30

🕔 Time: 5:52 PM CST

📍 Zoom:
Meeting ID: 98812438845
Code: 567524

🌐 Learn more about WRAP: www.wraphome.org (http://www.wraphome.org/)

Together, we can push for change, challenge injustice, and build impact that lasts. Don’t miss this opportunity to get informed and get involved!

#GammaSigmaSigma #ServiceSorority #SRVAC #WRAP #Projectimpact #GSS #SFE #ServiceFriendshipEquailty
June 28th marks the One Year Anniversary of the Su June 28th marks the One Year Anniversary of the Supreme Court making it illegal to be homeless. Join me in the fight to push back! Helen Cruz
June 28 4-7pm | Echo Park Lake, LA for more inform June 28 4-7pm | Echo Park Lake, LA
for more information: @lacanetwork_official
Instagram post 18073374346940611 Instagram post 18073374346940611
City Council Vote on Salvation Army Shelter Contra City Council Vote on Salvation Army Shelter Contract TODAY Monday 

The City Council is set to vote on renewing the Salvation Army’s contract to run Crossroads shelter today (Monday), and then set to discuss renewing their contract to run the Doubletree on Wednesday. 

Read More: https://wraphome.org/2025/06/16/denver-co-city-council-vote-on-salvation-army-shelter-contract-today-monday/
Follow on Instagram

Facebook Icon

Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Link thumbnail

Community spirit and perspective and a cool organizing training

web-extract.constantcontact.com

Email from Western Regional Advocacy Project With sweeps and fascist policing/immigration tactics ramping up... Hey everybody!  With swee...
12 hours ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • likes 2
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Twitter Icon

Twitter Feed

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

YouTube icon

Youtube Code

Our Channel

Copyright © 2025 Western Regional Advocacy Project WRAP · Log in