Update on Safe Ground Homeless March

Planning continues for the Safe Ground Homeless March, scheduled for Dec. 23 at 1:00pm.

Participants in the march are to gather at Loaves & Fishes and will finish at the Capitol along a path that it yet to be mapped, according to Paula of the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee and Homeward Street Journal.

There are now four sponsors of the event:

• Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee Homeless Leadership Project
• Loaves & Fishes
• Francis House
• National Coalition for the Homeless

The latest flyer for the march tells potential participants: "Stand up!";"Speak out!";"Meet at Loaves & Fishes";"Are you tired of being harrassed? Losing your stuff?"; and "Its no crime to be poor!"

The effort relates to matters of prime concern to the Homeless Leadership Project, which are, quoting an issue of People's Tribune, "to resist the campaign to outlaw and make criminals of those who live in the streets and fields, and to gain support for a self governing tent city for homeless people in Sacramento."

The march also relates to a history of police confiscation of homeless people's property. There is now a longstanding lawsuit in the courts, first filed in August 2007, where SHOC, L&F and Francis House are acting as plaintiffs on behalf of eleven individuals to receive compensation for property taken by Sacramento police officers. The lawsuit also demands better treatment of the homeless by Sacramento city and Sacramento county.

UPDATE: Latest SacHo post regarding the march, rally and press conference can be found here.