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U.S. NEWS Thursday 12 december 2019
Official: Cruise ship

could house 1,000

Oakland homeless

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A facilities “would make resi-
San Francisco Bay Area dential uses untenable,”
city official wants to ex- Zampa said.
plore the possibility of using Kaplan didn’t immediately
a cruise ship to house up return a request for further
to 1,000 homeless people comment from The Associ-
amid a high cost of living ated Press.
and a shortage of housing. Kaplan said she has been
Oakland City Council Presi- contacted by cruise ship
dent Rebecca Kaplan told companies about provid- In this May 17, 2019, file photo, a tugboat assists as a container
a council meeting Tues- ing a ship for emergency ship is prepared for docking at the Port of Oakland in Oakland,
day that the ship would housing, and that the Calif.
be brought to the Port of companies were reaching Associated Press
Oakland, but port officials out to the Port of Oakland
said Wednesday the move about what options exist Homelessness has spiked Kaplan compared her vi-
would be “untenable.” to park a ship at the port, in Oakland in the past sion for an Oakland cruise
“We respect President Ka- the San Francisco Chron- two years with the num- ship to something like
plan’s desire to address icle reported. She didn’’t ber of unsheltered people the Queen Mary in Long
homelessness but Port of provide further details on increasing from 1,900 to Beach in Southern Califor-
Oakland docks are de- those companies. more than 3,000 people. nia. The 1936 ocean liner
signed to work cargo ships, Kaplan said she plans to “It could be a great way is now a floating hotel with
there isn’t the infrastructure present a proposal to the to house a lot of people 347 rooms. A room with two
to berth a cruise ship,” port council in January that will quickly,” Kaplan told The twin beds rents for $141 a
spokesman Mike Zampa be “no or low” cost to the Chronicle. “Cruise ships night and $146 a night for
said. city because residents of have been used for emer- a full-size bed.
The port is among the 10 the cruise ship would pay gency housing after natu- “It could be like that,” Ka-
busiest in the nation and for rooms based on their ral disasters and for ex- plan said. “But as afford-
safety and security issues income. The city would not tra housing for things like able housing instead of
in the federally regulated buy the cruise ship. Olympics.” hotel.”q

Civil rights group

sues over Oklahoma

bail practices

By SEAN MURPHY counsel when bail is set,
Associated Press that hearings are taking
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A place in private, and that
civil rights group has filed the system unconstitution-
a federal class-action law- ally discriminates against In this Feb. 7, 2017 file photo, Ryan Kiesel, right, Executive
suit against court officials in people with disabilities. Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma,
central Oklahoma, alleg- One plaintiff, 40-year-old speaks during a news conference in Oklahoma City. At left is
ing a county’s bail system Misty White, who was ar- Brady Henderson, Legal Director. Associated Press
unconstitutionally discrimi- rested last month for vio-
nates against poor and lating a protective order,
disabled people. began suffering withdraw- The county also has a prac- tolerated,” Kiesel said.
The American Civil Liberties al symptoms because she tice of denying court-ap- The lawsuit seeks an end
Union of Oklahoma filed wasn’t provided with her pointed attorneys to any to the county’s bail-setting
the suit late Tuesday in fed- medications in the jail, ac- inmate who does manage policies and asks the court
eral court in Oklahoma City cording to the lawsuit. to pay bail, according to to require hearings be held
on behalf of six inmates When she was finally ar- the suit. promptly after arrest. Those
currently being held in the raigned before a judge The suit focuses on Cana- hearings should include,
Canadian County jail. more than a week after her dian County, but such un- among other things, an in-
The lawsuit alleges that the arrest, she was not asked constitutional practices are dividualized inquiry into a
county’s bail system rou- whether she could afford taking place in counties person’s ability to pay bail
tinely keeps poor people an attorney. across the state, said Ryan and the presence of an at-
in jail before a trial, not be- “The judge did not ask Kiesel, executive director torney for those who can’t
cause they are a flight risk whether Ms. White has a of ACLU of Oklahoma. afford it.
or a danger to society but job or if she could afford to “We are here this morning A telephone message left
only because they can’t pay $4,500,” the suit states. to put every judicial district Thursday with presiding
afford to pay bail. The suit “The judge did not provide on notice that the contin- Canadian County District
also alleges that inmates any explanation for why ued use of unconstitutional Judge Paul Hesse was not
aren’t provided access to her bail was set at $4,500.” bail practices will not be immediately returned.q