Page 32 - Sonoma County Gazette 6-20

Finley Center Opens Temporary Homeless Encampment
Mahurin explained. “At this time we are not proactively citing people, we are encouraging them to follow the County guidelines. We still have a heavy empathize on education and warning about the Health order.”
The city of Santa Rosa opened up a temporary homeless encampment last month at the Finley Community Center, where 70 to 140 people without shelter will be able to stay during the corona virus pandemic. The area will be populated by people who are currently living in encampments like those beneath Highway 101 overpasses downtown where social distancing is lacking. Moving to the encampment will be voluntary for people currently living on the streets
The goal of the department is to reach out to protesters and all people gathering in groups; remind them the importance of social distancing along with wearing masks and create an awareness of the downside of gathering in large groups.
“We all want the city opened and at the same time keep people safe,” Mahurin concluded. A reminder: When you protect yourself you are protecting others, and to remember, we are all in this together.
The managed encampment will be overseen by city staff with help from Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa and is located in the parking lot of the West College Avenue community center, on nearly 25,000 square feet between the Finley Center and its tennis courts, according to a map created by the city.
50th Juneteenth Festival of Freedom, Diversity, & Inclusion
The city has taken several steps in working with the homeless population and the Finley Center is another step. City Councilman Chris Rogers believes it is important for residents to understand the background of how we got where we are and some of the legal constraints the City is under.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.
Rogers went on to explain, under the Martin v. Boise decision, the City is NOT allowed to clear encampments unless there is an adequate alternative place
for people to go. The Court held that this was a violation of that person’s 8th amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment and the Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to this ruling. Whatever our personal opinions are about the issue of homelessness and how much assistance should be provided,
Juneteenth history in Santa Rosa grew out of the Martin Luther King Festival that began in the spring of 1970. It was started by students and faculty of Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma state University along with community members. Shortly after Dr. King’s Birthday became a Holiday in January of 1983, the Committee changed the name to MLK/Juneteenth. The Original festival in Santa Rosa was organized in 1954 by Mrs. Marteal Perry.
we are legally bound by this decision until there is a new ruling. This has become even more complicated working within the CDC guidelines regarding COVID- 19 that recommend not dispersing unsanctioned homeless encampments to limit the spread of the virus.
This year is going to be different. The organizers decided to do a Zoom celebration that will feature an opening prayer, singers, a bit of history, speakers and music. There will also be a presentation of two Scholarships to students that will be presented by Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (EOT) at the event. The festival will be on Zoom – Saturday June 20th from 1-3pm
According to an article in the Press Democrat on May 14, the city expects to spend about $134,000 a month on the Finley site and plans to seek federal reimbursement for this and other pandemic-related costs.
If you want to attend: email President Nancy Rogers’s nr0000@aol.com to get the needed codes. This is going to be an exciting presentation and looking forward to hearing from all of you and seeing the zoom screen light up with all your beautiful faces. Visit https://kpfa.org/ for history & information.
Rental Assistance Program
Evangelist Marteal Perry Honored
On May 19 via Zoom the Santa Rosa City Council voted to create a $600,000 Rental Assistance Program According to Councilman Chris Rogers renters have been struggling with the increases, and with the virus the situation has gotten even more challenging, which motivated the council to put this program in place. To qualify renters’ total household income after lost wages must not exceed 60% of the city’s median income. That means to qualify; renters can’t be earning more than $47,760 a year as an individual and $68,160 as a household of four, according to city figures. The program will follow the HUD guidelines, which requires, that at least one household member must be a U.S. citizen or have eligible immigration status.
The mural in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park located in Santa Rosa’s South Park neighborhood that features important local and national civil rights figures and community members added a new face, Evangelist Marteal Perry.
Rogers and the council recognize that all tenants need protection from accruing rent debt right now and believe allocating this assistance fund will not be able to cover all those needing assistance. This is considered a first step. The target date for the website and applications will be available to the residents of Santa Rosa on June 1st on the cities website https://www.srcity.org/ You can also contact Rogers via email at crogers@srcity.org.
Mrs. Perry was born in Alto, TX in 1908 and moved to San Francisco in 1933 where she began a successful business, opening one of the first beauty salons
for black women which enabled her to move to Sonoma County in 1950. Her accomplishments include being a founding member of the Head Start Program
in Santa Rosa, the Juneteenth Celebration in 1954 and the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She worked tirelessly for the underserved of Santa Rosa. She represented the Community on clean water issues, child welfare and many other social concerns.
SRJC extends remote instruction & services through fall 2020
Although facing many obstacles and racial barriers according to her Granddaughter, Sydni Davenport, “She poured her energy into bringing people together, cultivating pride among blacks and reaching out to other races,” In 1953 she had the vision to build her church, Prayer Chapel Outreach Mission which is still thriving today and her motto, “Help Me So I Can Help Others,” lives on.
In response to the ongoing corona virus crisis in Sonoma County the college is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as information becomes available. More information is available at www.santarosa. edu. Students can also check weekly events and information at the Bear Facts newsletter: https://studentlife.santarosa.edu/bearfacts-blog-updated-weekly- office-student-life.
About 200 protesters gathered along Third Street on the southern edge of Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa to rally for an end to what some described as excessively extreme and unnecessarily damaging measures to counter the corona Virus in May. In reading some of the articles and seeing some of the pictures,
I noticed protesters who were not wearing masks and many who were not practicing social distancing, which made me curious.
According to thirteen-year veteran, Sergeant Chris Mahurin of the Santa Rosa Police, the department is both concerned about spreading the virus and protecting the protesters First Amendment rights.
Something to think about: “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be
a way through it. “ Michael J. Fox, iconic actor, author and advocate whose Hollywood career has been marked by worldwide acclaim, honor and awards. He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 after publicly disclosing his 1991 diagnosis, at age 29, with Parkinson’s disease. michaeljfox.org
Protesting Shelter in Place
Elaine B. Holtz is co-producer /Host with Kenneth E. Norton of “Women’s Spaces” on KBBF 89.1FM Monday 11-12 noon & 11-12 midnight. INFOwomensspaces.com, kbbf.org
32 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 6/20