City of Fresno to move ahead to destroy tent city of 5000 Homeless, 10/27 7am. Action needed

annm4peace

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Wed Oct-26-11 10:23 PM
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City of Fresno to move ahead to destroy tent city of 5000 Homeless, 10/27 7am. Action needed

Please share this others. Come to Fresno if you are near by.
And Call the Mayor's office and post comments on the Fresno Bee and news stations if you don't.

Fresno CA's unemployment has been over 15% for the last 10 years. there are over 3000 school age children living in the tent cities.

Call to Action - Thursday at 7 a.m.!

The City of Fresno intends to begin a massive eviction of homeless people from their modest shelters, starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday, October 27. Your presence in solidarity with your homeless brothers and sisters could stop one of the worst human rights violation in the history of this city. Just as the weather is getting colder, the City of Fresno is going to chase the homeless from one vacant lot to another, taking their blankets, tents, and clothes. You and I can stop them.

We need everyone reading this message to arrive no later than 7 a.m. at Santa Fe street, just south of Ventura. Santa Fe is the street that Amtrak is on. The homeless is south of the Amtrak station on the other side of Ventura

For background about this struggle, see:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/22/18694453.php

To see video from today's press conference at City Hall, calling on the city to call off the evictions, see:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/26/18695320.php

City officials lie when they say they have resources for the homeless they are evicting from the tent cities.
City of Fresno, Caltrans, US Railroad enforcement, have again and again destroyed these people's cardboard shacks, tents, and toss away their personal possessions.

Contacting Mayor Swearengin and your City Council Member:
Basic message � (#1 is the most important now.) A short clear message is best.
1. I oppose the City�s plan to evict homeless residents of the encampments in downtown Fresno beginning on Thursday. I�m asking the City to allow the homeless people to stay in the encampments until there is a workable plan to provide basic shelter.

2. Until that solution is reached, provide them with water, toilets, and regular trash collection.
Information on reaching Mayor Swearengin and your city council member is available at www.fresno.gov. Or see below.

Calling Mayor Swearengin and your city council member at (559) 621-8000:

Phone may ring several times. A recording will answer �Administrative Offices for the City of Fresno�� and you will be put on hold until someone answers. That person can also take a message for your city councilmember so you should be prepared to ask that the message go to both the mayor and your city council member. If you don�t know the name of your city council member check first at http://www.fresno.gov/Government/CityCouncil/CouncilLocator.htm .

Emailing Mayor Swearengin, your city council member, and all the city council members:

It�s easy from the City�s website. Go to www.fresno.gov , from the home page click on �Mayor�s Office� or �City Council� on the left of the screen. You can make your feelings known to all the city council members via email. Not hard when you cut and paste. They want to know how people in the city feel about issues of the day.

Tomorrow will be a critical day for taking action. It is important for as many people as possible to be at the homeless encampment at Santa Fe Ave. just south of Ventura St. at 7:00 a.m. for a strong show of support for the residents. I feel confident that the media will be there to record the action. Bring your cameras and homemade signs or simply stand in solidarity, prepared to witness City action.

The City has said that the evictions could start at 7 a.m., but given all the publicity who knows what will happen. If I hear of changes before tomorrow morning, I�ll email you. For now we should assume that the City might come before 7 a.m. so if you�re an early riser don�t hesitate to come early. My guess is that the City will stall and do nothing tomorrow, but some of us should plan to spend the day at the encampment. If nothing happens, others can go the following day. Evictions are scheduled for other downtown encampments beginning on Tuesday, November 1.