Return of the Santa Cruz Street Shit Sheet

ORIGINS OF THE STREET SHIT SHEET
The original Street Shit Sheet was inspired by activist "Calamity Jane" Imler's Street Sheet & put out with the help of Shannon Casamo and Linda Lemaster. All three were involved in hunger fasts at the Town Clock IN 1985-6 demanding an end to police and vigilante violence against the homeless, institutional criminalization under the City's Sleeping Ban (MC 6.36), and lack of emergency shelter.

It was originally an organizing tool to pressure the Board of Supervisors and City Council to abolish laws used by police to abuse and drive away poor folks living outside, the counter-culture community, and visible unhoused folks.

OUTGROWTH OF ACTIVISM
I settled in Santa Cruz more permanently in the summer of 1988 to help the City Council election campaign of Imler and circulate a petition for Homeless Human Rights. Part of our tabling and demonstrating involved writing and publishing a restored Street Sheet, which quickly became rechristened the Street Shit Sheet, reflecting its curbside character.

Folks outside as their supporters were invited to contribute--and still are. Contact me at 831-423-4833 or e-mail me at rnorse3 [at] hotmail.com if you wish your accounts and opinions to be included in the next issue, assuming I find the time and energy to put it out.

BACK ISSUE ACCESS
For those without computer access, back issues of the Street Shit Sheet are available for viewing in the downtown public library. It used to be on the shelves in the reference section, but now requires a special request to get it hauled out of storage to be viewed.

Back issues can also be viewed on line at http://huffsantacruz.org/ssarchives.html . I discuss similar topics on my twice-weekly netcast show Bathrobespierre's Broadsides which streams at freakradio.org 6 p.m. Thursdays and 9:30 a.m. Sundays. The net show is also archived for listening anytime at http://www.huffsantacruz.org/Lostshows.html .

CURRENT MEETINGS
Homeless United for Friendship and Freedom or HUFF provides some of the his/herstory of homeless civil rights struggles in Santa Cruz. at http://www.huffsantacruz.org. HUFF meets every Thursday at 10:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. or so at the Sub Rosa Cafe at 703 Pacific next to the Bike Church. Meetings are open, though often tumultuous..