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For Immediate Release UC Hastings Lawsuit: Concerned Public Citizen or Profit-Driven Developer?

June 23, 2020 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

For Immediate Release
Press Advisory
Contact: Paul Boden, pboden@wraphome.org | (415) 621-2533
Executive Director, Western Regional Advocacy Project

Read as PDF >>>>>>>

UC Hastings Lawsuit: Concerned Public Citizen or Profit-Driven Developer?
$450 Million Real Estate Deal Questions Motives For Lawsuit, Tent Removal

Is it possible that UC Hastings College of the Law, one of the state’s most celebrated public institutions, would allow its pursuit of profit to cloud its defense of the law? We think the answer is yes.

The recent lawsuit filed by UC Hastings College and five plaintiffs against the City of San Francisco for failing to respond to unhealthful conditions in the Tenderloin neighborhood appears reasonable on its face. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unhoused residents sleeping in tents has grown significantly in recent months, as has the number of deaths of persons experiencing homelessness. The City’s efforts during the crisis have been disorganized, inadequate, and often inconsistent with federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

To influence public opinion, UC Hastings used its formidable public relations machine in an all-out blitz in local and national news outlets, including CNN, CBS-News, and the New York Post, as well as Bay Area news media. The barrage of packaged quotes, scripted sound bites and selected photos of tents, were summed up by UC Hastings Dean David Faigman, saying, “We want the tents gone,” which has the City bending over backwards to settle the lawsuit . In that settlement, 70% of the tents, and the people in them, will be gone by July 20th . With the use of law enforcement, they will make sure those tents – people – will never be seen again. This, despite federal CDC guidelines which state, “…clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.”

In the midst of a global public health pandemic, why would UC Hastings College of the Law risk the health of tent-dwellers and other community residents in this way? Our answer: profit.

In May 2019, Hastings unveiled plans for a massive $450 Million real estate deal with a global development concern, Greystar – more on the developer in a moment – to be built barely a block from the soon-to-be-relocated TL Safe Sleeping Village. Apparently, the village is not so safe after all – not when serious money is involved.

Perhaps UC Hastings motives could be overlooked if the housing in question benefitted the neighborhood residents, but it does not. Perhaps if the Tenderloin community could have provided input into the design and content of the proposed “Academic Village” – but it did not. Perhaps if UC Hastings had chosen a local developer, with roots in the community and a demonstrated commitment to providing construction jobs for community residents had been selected, but it did not.
Indeed, the proposed settlement to the UC Hastings –led lawsuit calls for relocation of tents out of the neighborhood, and discouraging tent dwellers from outside the neighborhood seeking housing – but not students. The students would be part of a different village.

Profit trumps community safety. Profit trumps community health. And sometimes, even for such an august institution as UC Hastings College of the Law, profit trumps the law.

_________________________________________________________

June 23, 3pm-5pm @ McAllister and Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA.
Abolish SFPD, Stop Hastings: Black Unhoused Lives Matter Rally

On Tuesday, June 23rd, the Coalition on Homelessness, POOR Magazine, SDA, WRAP, TGI-JP, Do No Harm Coalition, SF Rising, Sunrise Bay Area, Reclaim SF/House the Bay and many other groups are coming together to declare that Black unhoused lives matter at a rally in the TL. Here is the facebook event for the action.

The rally will begin at 3pm on Hyde and McAllister followed by a march to the SFPD headquarters in the TL at around 4. Please come with a face mask and practice social distancing throughout our event

The purpose of the event is to protest the continuing criminalization of homelessness, which is currently being enacted both by SFPD and UC Hastings. An unapproved settlement of the Hastings lawsuit declared that the City will permanently remove 70% of the over 400 tents, while securing shelter for only 15% of the TL’s unhoused. Additionally, the lawsuit calls for enforcement to stop any future encampments. This unapproved settlement leaves our unhoused community extremely vulnerable to police violence and displacement during the global pandemic.

We know what happens when police become first responders to homelessness, and we know Black San Franciscans are particularly vulnerable to the over 

criminalization of homelessness.

Let’s stand together to say DEFUND SFPD, STOP THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS, and tell UC HASTINGS to 

DROP THE LAWSUIT.

For More Info Contact:
Jennifer Friedenbach, jfriedenbach@cohsf.org | (415) 577-9779
Executive Director, Coalition on Homelessness

In solidarity,
Western Regional Advocacy Project

Read as PDF >>>>>>>

###

Filed Under: #StopTheSweeps, Coalition On Homelessness San Francisco, Press Releases

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On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of the Appropriations Committee. The bill was amended on the 15th and will be scheduled for a floor vote any time between August 17th and 31st. https://conta.cc/3dz2NzQ
Part 12... Infractions and Due Process Rights Ant Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMH SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMHOMES ENCAMPMENT https://www.instagram.com/tv/ChAT9N5jNTY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This morning @phillysheriff ‘s came and evicted our protest encampment to Save the UC Townhomes. When asked why they were doing it, Rochelle Bilal responded that she “felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”

Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️
Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm Sunday AUGUST 2 Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

https://wraphome.org/2022/08/02/sacramento-ca-advocates-community-summit-on-homelessness-august-27-28th/
California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Las California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Last Hearing before floor Vote
https://conta.cc/3vzRoWo
Part 11 ... California’s “anti-Okie” laws of Part 11 ...
California’s “anti-Okie” laws of the 1930s and the South’s Jim Crow laws in effect from the late 1800s to the 1950s are examples of the kinds of local laws overturned in previous generations. Yet, modern “quality of life” legislation and enforcement targeting homeless people can be found in communities across the nation.
The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 expansion to August 2nd. If passed, this motion will add approximately 1,900 additional sites–a 376% increase in exclusionary zones across the city. 41.18 would then cover at least 88 sq miles (that’s 20% of the entire city).

Services Not Sweeps is urging EVERYONE to come to City Hall at 9:00am on August 2 and tell City Council that 41.18 is BAD POLICY and should be repealed.

When we fight, we win. 
But this fight isn’t over.

The community flooded City Hall inside and out on Wednesday to protest the expansion of 41.18 but the fight is not over. It’s clear that President Nury Martinez and friends weren’t prepared for our numbers and realized they were unable to rally their (few but loud) 41.18 supporters. Council delayed the vote to Tuesday August 2nd in an attempt to erode our momentum and stifle our voices. 
 
We won’t let that happen. The fight now is to keep the pressure on and show up next week!! See you next Tuesday 9am. Bring a friend.
 
WHO: You and your friends!
WHERE: City Hall, 200 N Spring St 
WHEN: Tuesday August 2nd at 9:00am
HOW: Read more details on our toolkit.
AGENDA ITEM 14 https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=102513
Part 10... In fact, however, enforcement is very m Part 10...
In fact, however, enforcement is very much impacted by both skin color and appearance. Local governments cannot legally discriminate against people strictly because they do not have housing. Federal protections prohibit local and state governments from removing people from their communities due to the color of their skin or economic/employment status.
Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civi Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civil Rights protections because on their face, these programs are not clearly discriminatory. Local laws are often drafted in such a way as to appear to apply equally to all people in a community.
Part 8... While certain communities highlight diff Part 8...
While certain communities highlight different controls at different times, often depending upon the outcome of local elections and legislative and court efforts, all have one primary common goal: to remove the presence and resulting impact of people without housing from local communities. As the Mayor of Las Vegas stated when she outlawed feeding people in city parks: “If we stop feeding them, they will leave.”
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Statewide fight against Newsom's "Care"-LESS Courts continues!

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Thank you to everyone who signed the open letter to Governor Newsom urging him to reconsider his CARE Court proposal. There were over 500 si...
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16 Aug 1559579585251102720

On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of the Appropriations Committee. The bill was amended on the 15th and will be scheduled for a floor vote any time between August 17th and 31st. https://conta.cc/3JXM4SF
https://conta.cc/3QOytPM

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#NoCARECourt KPFK Lawyers Guild Show "CARE" court Wed. 8/17 - 2-3pm - WRAP

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#NoCARECourt KPFK Lawyers Guild Show "CARE" court Wed. 8/17 - 2-3pm - WRAP

Tune in Wed., Aug. 17 from 2-3pm on KPFK 90.7 FM for this week’s edition of the Lawyers Guild Show. First...

wraphome.org

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Thank you to everyone who signed the open letter to Governor Newsom urging him to reconsider his CARE Court proposal. There were over 500 signatories!

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Sacramento, CA. Open Letter to Governor Newsom re: Opposition to CARE Court - WRAP

Dear Allies, Thank you to everyone who signed the open letter to Governor Newsom urging him to reconsider his CA...

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"Tiny homes" not a homeless solution in any location via @TheMiamiTimes

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"Tiny homes" not a homeless solution in any location

While the bad reviews of Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo's 'tiny homes' proposal for Virginia Key, now catching ...

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Join us and our friends @APTPaction to say NO to C.A.R.E Court next Thursday, August 18th for a teach-in followed by feeding the people, and a march!

RSVP on Facebook here: https://fb.me/e/1CFrMznNP

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