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Homeless plaintiff’s RV seized by SLO police

April 26, 2012

Robert Watts and Crystal Vernoy

By KAREN VELIE

One of the litigants in a lawsuit that claims the San Luis Obispo police department is discriminating against homeless people who sleep in their cars is now sleeping outdoors after police seized his recreational vehicle on Monday.

A lawsuit filed by attorneys Saro Rizzo and Stew Jenkins on April 6,  accuses the city of San Luis Obispo and the chief of police of discrimination, harassment and the criminalization of homeless people. The attorneys are asking the court to order the city to stop enforcing a city ordinance that prohibits sleeping in vehicles and to pay financial damages and costs on behalf of their clients, several homeless residents of the city and the SLO Homeless Alliance.

“It is troubling that the signatory on the complaint for the entire SLO Homeless Alliance has had his home seized and towed,” Jenkins said.

Robert Watts, the spokesman for the alliance, was spending Monday afternoon applying for jobs when he received a call from a fellow member of the homeless community telling him that police were having his motor home towed away. No notices to move or tickets had been placed on the vehicle prior to the towing, Watts said.

He then rode his bike to Prado Road  and was informed by officers that his RV had been towed because of an expired registration. Watts then headed to a tow yard on Tank Farm Road where he found his RV. He then locked himself  and his girlfriend Crystal Vernoy inside the seized vehicle.

After police officers ordered them to open the door, they left the vehicle with Vernoy aggressively telling officers what she thought of their seizure. Officers responded by cuffing Vernoy and setting her in the dirt by the side of the road. Vernoy suffers from birth defects and is currently awaiting approval for hip surgery.

Before they moved the vehicle, officers allowed Watts to take several of his belongings including a tent, bicycles and a dog from the vehicle.

“That was our last ditch effort to have an existence other than sleeping in a river bed,” Watts said. “I’ve paid for the registration, I just needed to get the smog check done.”

Police Capt. Chris Staley said the vehicle had not been registered since 2006 and that the department was not retaliating against Watts.

“Mr. Watts’ vehicle was a subject of a call for service into the San Luis Obispo Police Department dispatch center,” Staley said. “Employees of the city’s water treatment plant called to complain that they had found dirty diapers, needles and other garbage on the other side of the fence where Watts’ vehicle was parked, and had been parked for some time.”

Watts said someone stole the tags off the back of his RV and that it is currently registered.  In addition, Watts and Vernoy said the diapers and trash did not come from them.

“Why would I be throwing diapers over the fence when I don’t even have a child,” Vernoy said.

Several witnesses, including members of the legal community, said they saw a police cruiser turn onto Prado Road facing the Watts as others helped them gather their belongings while witnesses stood vigil looking back at the police. After a short standoff, the cruiser  loudly broke rubber and screached all the way down Prado Road, witnesses said.

Last night, Watts and Vernoy slept under the Gazebo at the Grace Church in San Luis Obispo. They are spending the afternoon  under a shelter at Mitchell Park in an ill attempt to stay dry.

“It is cold out here with this rain,” Watts said. “All of our belongings are wet.”

On Tuesday, attorneys Jenkins and Rizzo filed a motion for an injunction to bar police from ticketing people for sleeping or living in their vehicles until a judge rules on their lawsuit.

“Plaintiffs have suffered from the city’s illegal actions against them and will continue to suffer if a preliminary injunction is not granted,” the motion says.


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Watts and Vernoy gives the real displaced homeless a bad empression

They are worthless freeloaders gaming the system and tax payers


1

Maybe the attorney’s for this group would like to have them camp out in their driveways/backyards…


1

I said the same thing a couple weeks ago when this all this crap began and got slammed on here.

If they can pick and choose what laws they want to follow then why can’t I?

I am sick and tired of paying taxes that are used to support those that don’t contribute to society, let them got to the dump and park, see if they like that.


1

Robert,


How preposterous! Okay, prove your point! What kind of law would you like to break to prove your insidious and child like point?


How about backing over your neighbor’s mail box? Wait, how about running over a homeless person on Prado Road? Naw, let’s see, how about telling the IRS that you’re not paying your taxes for the next 10 years! Yeah, that’s the ticket!


You go show em Robert, that to make a point, you’re no better than the people that you despise!”


0

Medicate much???????????????????????????????????????????


0

Give the real homeless a bad impression? Who are the REAL homeless? I would say the person who falls on hard times because of decision outside of their control. The REAL homeless also include those who have chosen to make very bad decisions in life with drugs, alcohol, or have experienced abuse of some kind. These are the majority of the homeless.


What level of service do we as a society need to provide for this group of people? How much do we need to spend to make their life better? What percentage do you spend personally to take care of this problem on your own without someone forcing you to as in the IRS?


This short video is from San Jose. It is typical and this exact type of pollution is occurring in San Luis Creek from Avila to the Cuesta Grade in parts. No one is reporting it and these environmentalists are ignoring the problem because if does not fit their agenda.


http://youtu.be/cUpGe7miNo8


1

Many locals refer to the creek as – Fecal Creek and there is a reason for that.


0

So? Then what are you, or what should the city do about it?


Answer this question appropriatley if you’re a Christian!


0

Massive fines to fund enforcement agencies for a little clean sand leaving a site, and never making it to the creek, yes! S**t, trash, broken glass, trash deposited directly in the creek, no money in that! And yes, transients – I don’t call them homeless as they are quite happy with the status quo – are sh*tting upstream of downtown SLO, not to mention south of town. As long as TOT revenues look good, and the Sunset Magazines ads work, don’t expect much from the government that is tasked with ensuring environmental quality for its citizens. I’d love to see citizens in Avila and Pismo sue the s**t, literally, out of the City of SLO for complete failure to enforce environmental regulations.


0

Interesting video Bob. I didn’t realize how filthy these encampments are. I would never think that they would use the water for a bathroom. I had expected that they had designated bush areas and even a trowel to dig a hole for any solid human waste. How sick and disgusting, there is no reason or excuse for that kind of filth and environmental damage. Seeing that mess really makes me angry.


I still believe that the key is to provide homeless encampments that are legal with running water and bathroom facilities. Then there will be no excuses for illegal encampments and they can be chased out as soon as they are caught squatting. The PD’s make rounds and they can simply include all those known areas when they are out on patrol. They should arrest anyone squatting off of the designated encampments (if we had legal encampments, that is).


I did have to laugh when among all that filth and danger (uncapped hypodermic needles) that one cop pointed to that little white rooster and said, “watch out for him, he’ll come after you” !!! Whaaa -haaaaa, I can relate, I had a nasty rooster, I loved that silly bird but he could be cantankerous .


1

Apply for a “grant” from Obama. He can create all the money he wants out of nothing, just like magic.


0

From what I can see, our schools absolutely suck. Poor Crystal claims to have gone to Paso High, and apparently did not make it to spelling class.


Here are a few choice lines from Crystal Vernoy’s facebook. Why do I need to pay for her lazy fat ass to sit around all day while I work like hell to make it here in San Luis? Enjoy:


“Today was the big day i finlle got my ssi so i could get my hip fixed i won my hairing sooooo happppy”


“Its raining and we got all wet last night and i have my ssi heiring tomrrow wish me luck been waiting a hole year”


“Out in see canyon camping yaaaa”


“I broke my blue pipe i had for four years sucks but i got a new one today ;)”


“Smoken that bome as hash ;)”


“Smokeing a fat bowl of hash ;) feeling good !”

Share · March 16 at 9:52pm via mobile · (NOTE THE TIME LOL)


Studies in being idle. What happened to Cuesta Crystal? Hope you get your life together and be something more that a bum your whole life.


Downtown Bob.


0

Oh Brother, Can’t afford to smog the camper but can purchase a new pipe and hash? On one hand, I have to consider that jobs are hard to come by, she needs surgery for a bad hip, she is living on the streets in a camper and maybe if I were in that situation, I would get stoned too? She also went to school in California where they probably taught half her classes in Spanish starting in the first grade so I’m not surprised that she can’t spell. She obviously needs some remedial school while waiting for her surgery rather than getting high.


What a mess. I know there is plenty of food available for the homeless but there isn’t enough shelter and regardless of the reason for their predicament, we can’t have them living on the streets. It seems to me that the city needs to open a camping park with running water and bathrooms where they can pitch a tent or park a vehicle legally.. Why is that solution so difficult? Why?


0

Cindy open up your driveway and let a couple rv’s park there and maybe a couple of tent campers in your yard and you will quickly see what the problem is. I don’t have the answer either.


1

If you continue to feed stray animals they will come to you everyday, if you stop they will stop.

We are all animals and it seems some humans take the path of least resistance, provide food water and shelter and you will have a Santa Barbara situation on your hands in 2 to 3 years.

These individuals need either to get a job or get down the road period.


1

“We are all animals”


Speak for yourself.


Everyone has a story, you don’t know this woman’s story and neither do I. I would say by the her Facebook postings that someone provided that she’s under educated with perhaps some other problems which include physical issues. What if she can’t work, what if she really has a disability that prevents her from working? Just let her lay in the streets as if we were living in Somalia and let her die? This does seem like the rights mantra, no humanity no caring for others. Just curious, do you go to church?


What about the the vets coming home with PTSD and other issues, to bad for them as well? Screw them those lazy bums. So if a person can’t work for one reason or the other just let them starve or freeze to death right. Welcome to America, home of the cruel and land of the mean and selfish.


-1

OK, let me help you out. First, I have personally spoken with both Mr. Watts and Ms. Vernoy. She does seem to have a bit of trouble with her hip but I have observed her riding her bike, so she is hardly unable to move about. She could work at some type of job if properly motivated. Mr. Watts is quite able to work, and may well be able to find work in the future, but based on my conversation with him he seems to be indulging himself in jealousy of others who have made more of themselves. If he can get past his wallet-envy, he might be able to climb out of his hole. Secondly, I am a veteran of one of our recent conflicts, and while I am OK, I do feel the effects of being over there. Anyone who has deployed does. With that said, I warn you to take most claims of homeless “veterans” with a large pinch of salt. There are a lot of BS artists out there who manipulate their fellow citizens’ laudable concern for veterans in order to run a scam. I’ve personally had guys tell me they were veterans when it was obvious to me after one minute that they were full of cr@p. There are lots of resources for veterans; I’m getting emails twice a week or more for job or educational opportunities. Veterans who really apply themselves can find these resources. I can see that you are a caring person, and that is actually cool, but sprinkle a little cynicism over your ideals; it will help keep you from being rooked. Be well


1

A close member of my family is a Vietnam vet, he was shot a few times, my father and mother were both WWII vets. I grew up on military bases and I know a therapist that works with vets as they get back from the middle east to make their transition a bit easier. I agree that there are opportunities for vets, there is also unutilized opportunities for non-vet homeless people. The problem that I don’t feel that you have a grasp of is the fact that there are a lot of homeless vets, this is common knowledge. Why do you supposes that we have a high % of homeless vets, because they’re deadbeats? Do you think that they deliberately avoid taking advantage of those opportunities. You don’t understand, you can’t be reasonable with unreasonable people, mental illness causes people to be unreasonable. Seeing that there is a high percentage of homeless people it makes one believe that there’s a bigger issue than just being lazy.


My family member has been messed up from the day he got back here, I’m not sure how he’s managed to keep a roof over his head all of these years he barely leaves his bedroom and he’s in his early 60s, if not for his family he would be homeless. How do you say, snap out of it, forget about the PTSD and/or the depression. To think that these guys have what it takes to join the military and go to Vietnam and the middle east, it’s kind of insulting to think that after all they’ve been through that they just choose to be lazy and homeless. If you tell a bi-polar person not to be depressed and to snap out of it during their down stage it won’t work they can’t do it and no matter what you say they will be down. There are a lot of vets with mental illness out there and provided them with job training or other opportunities like that it just doesn’t work, it doesn’t cure their mental illness.


0

Funny, just reading the news and came across this article:


67,400+ homeless vets in Jan of this year. That’s disgusting IMO. Thank goodness that Obama is working on this and has actually reduced the amount of homeless vets but that’s still too many.


0

These flakes/derelict grifters SHOULD be made to perform some sort of “community service”…Incentives could be given to people who hire these minimally qualified individuals…They ‘MIGHT'” even have more respect for themselves if they were gainfully employed…The sad truth is, that these flakes are just “takers” & will NEVER contribute anything “positive” to society…


0

We are all “animals”? Where did you learn to think like that, a junior high science class? What has the situation come to that you call your fellow man an “animal” without blinking an eye?


In another vein, the ultimate cause of this irritation is this artificially induced “economic crisis.” Our suffering has only just begun. Everyone is getting hurt (except the super rich who caused this and are getting richer because of it).


Thanks, Obama, David Rockefeller, Lord Rothschild.


0

Bob. Bob. Bob….


Check the heading of this website. Cal Coast News. Where the NY TImes slogan is “All the news that’s fit to print”, CCN should just go all in with “CCN… Homeless-by-choice: good. cops: bad”.


At least it would be truth in advertising.


-1

These two are really a couple of FLAKES…How the hell is she getting SSI without ever being gainfully employed…she’s just another freeloader & SLO County has plenty of them. I just returned from the San Fernando Valley & DID NOT see 1 homeless freeloader the entire time I was there. Either the Valley doesn’t have the “homless problem” or the ones they DO have, have a little more “class” than these tweakers & can “blend in” better!!


1

You didnt see them in the Valley because they went to Santa Barbara & SLO.


1

I don’t trust what Watts has said as he seems to get what should be a simple story mixed up. He said that he paid for the registration but he couldn’t get the tags because it needed to be smogged. As we know that isn’t how the system works. You pay you get the tags. He said that it hasn’t been registered since 06 so by coincidence he supposedly just got it registered. Just doesn’t make sense. I realize that if your registration is expired that as a few of you have said that they will give you a fix-it ticket. But when the car hasn’t been registered for 6 years that’s a different story.


Who knows, maybe the cops were out to get him but he was breaking the law and personally I don’t trust what he says.


We also don’t know why the cops cuffed and arrested Vernoy (unless I missed that in the story). Watts or one of them said that it’s because she gave the cops a piece of her mind but as already demonstrated, personally I don’t know if I believe them and I didn’t see where the cops gave their take on that.


I feel for the homeless and feel that something needs to be done to accommodate them but they need to follow the law and be accountable for their actions.


0

“he paid for the registration but he couldn’t get the tags because it needed to be smogged. As we know that isn’t how the system works. You pay you get the tags.”


WRONG- DEAD WRONG. You do not get the tags unless you comply with the full requirements for the registration renewal. Paying on time will only stop any late fees from being assessed but you will not get your tags until the car is smogged (if smogging is part of the registration requirement). Also what do you think Vernoy did to get herself handcuffed and made to sit in the dirt but not arrested? No doubt she mouthed off and they didn’t like her attitude but it isn’t against the law to mouth off so they couldn’t arrest her unless they decided to push things and claim she was interfering with official police business which would have taken some exaggerating on their part and with all the witnesses, that would have been difficult. So they used the excuse that she was verbally aggressive and they handcuffed her to take precautions while they proceeded with their business. It wasn’t appropriate but they have all their little tricks for messing with the public if they want to and unless you have money, you’re screwed.


There is no reason to believe that the RV wasn’t registered up until the latest renewal. Do you really think he was driving around with the wrong colored tags for the last 6 years?


0

It’s been awhile since I’ve had to get a car smogged, perhaps things have changed. Perhaps someone here that’s had it done recently can chime in. The last time I had to get smogged, you didn’t pay the fees and then get it smogged, what if the car couldn’t be smogged after paying the registration fee? That just doesn’t make sense.


I have no idea why they cuffed her and neither do you. You made up a big concocted story simply as an excuse to once again blame the cops.


“There is no reason to believe that the RV wasn’t registered up until the latest renewal.


0

Oops, my dog jumped on my lap and hit the send key.

cont..


To follow up on that last statement, this is why there is reason to believe that the RV wasn’t registered up until the latest renewal:

“Police Capt. Chris Staley said the vehicle had not been registered since 2006” As far as I know we must renew are registration every year.


0

Cindy is right. Sometimes it’s hard to get a car to pass SMOG and you may need extra work on your car. The fact that you tried to Smog the car and failed is recorded. If you go ahead and pay the fees, it’s also recorded, and even though you might get stopped for not having a current registration sticker, the cops can see that you’re in the process of being registered.


1

Citizen, …and your point is?

“Cops” have access to DMV records. “Cops” tow vehicles found on the highway 6 months or more out of registration. “Cops” hear every excuse in the book. “Cops” know alot of people lie. “Cops” know that simply being homeless is not a free pass to not follow the rules.

These people are on the street due to choices they made. They have no chance of changing their dilema until they take responsibility for themselves, stop blaming others, and expecting handouts. According to her FB, this Crystal now gets $854 a month, plus a lump sum for up to 12 mo. of arrears-$10K+ of OUR money. That should be enough to register the RV you think?


1

I agree. I was just explaining how the system works.


0

Right Typo, I just made up a reason why an angry (with cause) female Citizen was handcuffed and made to sit in the dirt but had not done something that the PD arrested or even ticketed her for. Sure, there are all sorts of reasons for the cops to go around handcuffing citizens and making them sit in the dirt without ticketing them or arresting them. SURE – it must have been because they thought she was a criminal or that they thought she posed a threat to them. I must be completely stupid to come up with the idea that it was nothing but PD harassment for a bad attitude. Funny thing is, I bet you that the cops would agree with me!!


0

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moderator has removed the content of this post


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. this comment emptied by the moderator.


0

You are funny!!


0

A professional manipulator I see.


0

No I’m not, You are! LOL


0

“Right Typo, I just made up a reason why an angry (with cause) female Citizen was handcuffed”


Oh no, you would never do that. I’m sure that you know for a fact what happened. On the other hand you are one of those that doesn’t need no stinkin facts.


” I must be completely stupid to come up with the idea that it was nothing but PD harassment”


Your words, not mine.


Cindy I see no point or reason to argue with you. Fine, she was acting as a perfect citizen and those filthy rotten pigs grabbed her and thew her in the dirt and cuffed her. All cops are horrible people and everyone they arrest or cuff are victims of the man. There, that ‘s much easier than thinking that there might be circumstances that warranted such an action Yes Cindy, I’m sure the cops would agree with you that they harass people with a bad attitude. I’ll ask one of my cop friends if he does that.


0

I already told you what the circumstances were, she was mouthing off and they didn’t like it. Cripe I didn’t say it was for nothing I said it isn’t illegal to give the cops a piece of your mind and they had no business cuffing her for it.


0

Cindy, let me spell this out for you.


From the article:

“He then locked himself and his girlfriend Crystal Vernoy inside the seized vehicle.”


Well first of all Cindy, from the article they don’t sound like the most cooperative people.


From the article again:

“After police officers ordered them to open the door, they left the vehicle with Vernoy aggressively telling officers what she thought of their seizure. Officers responded by cuffing Vernoy and setting her in the dirt by the side of the road. Vernoy suffers from birth defects and is currently awaiting approval for hip surgery.”


Cindy, let me understand how you know that Ms. Vernoy was simply ‘mouthing off’, did you get this from the above paragraph? If so, the writing of this makes it difficult to trust the source. Maybe I missed it but was the above paragraph a quote from the writer of the story, if so was the writer there, was it from Vernoy, Watts etc,??? Hey, if I skipped something then let me know, is that the paragraph that you’re getting your source from of what happened, is this how you KNOW that she shouldn’t have been cuffed, if so then what’s your source? I mean who says ‘birth defects’? I don’t believe that Police Capt. Chris Staley would use that term, sounds more like an under educated person (sorry don’t mean to be offensive) and using the term ‘dirt’ as opposed to ‘ground’ (overly dramatic a cop wouldn’t say that). Was it a quote from someone that was there, was it other homeless people or their friends? a social worker, hey maybe you were there and saw it,,,are you getting my point? I say that you probably don’t really know the story and that your statement is based on your complete disregard/hate of the PD.


It’s so much easier to blame the cops, so go ahead and stick with that.


0

Cindy, it’s clear from your “comments” that you have never worked in law enforcement or have friends/relatives in L.E. They have a tough job & dealing with these derelicts is not a fun thing to do…


0

RU4Real, I do have relatives in LE, although not in this state. My nephew and my cousin tell me all about it, sometimes they are hysterically funny, sometimes the stories of what people do make me wonder how these Officers keep it together and don’t beat the crap out of some criminals and yes, then there are the little games that the Officers play when they don’t like someones attitude.


I consider my nephew and cousin to be two of the most up standing LE that a citizen could ever run across. They have hearts of gold and love their jobs because they feel that they make a difference and protect their town, that and they readily admit that part of the love of the job is the excitement of never knowing what is coming up around the next corner.


Would they handcuff a female that gave them a bunch of lip? Probably…….. but I doubt they would do it if it was because they were towing away the only home that she had.


0

Were you there Cindy? Did you witness it? I recommend you do some ride alongs with the police department and walk in there shoes for a little while and see what they face out there. Everyone has the potential to be armed and dangerous and they never should take a chance of getting hurt or killed. Its easy to arm chair quarterback this based on what you read.


1

obispan


My post was to expose the diaper BS or con artist using denial

The details are from an article I read by Bob Wells on the WEB

Instructing how to custom a van, where and how to live in a van, its very clever


Myself I have worked low, middle and high class jobs all my life, there actually is no classification, work is work. I am retired and own my home in SLO. I and others across the past few years have discovered there is a sect among some of those displaced who are gaming all of us and will not accept any assistance less than first class (FOR REALS! – I stopped giving them money!).


0

The Tribune also featured Vernoy and her boyfriend. Vernoy is from Templeton and should probably just go home. What I remember is that she recently had a baby–so where is the baby? At home with grandma?


0

Both the Tribune and New Times article that included quotes from her do not mention a baby. Just a chihuahua.


She doesn’t look like she’s starving so they must be getting assistance from somewhere. I wonder how much they get? If she’s 23 and can take care of a dog, it sure seems like she could be working.


0

Quit screwing up the story! Baby/Dog, don’t be species-ist. And they’re getting all the assistance available without committing to anything. Our policies as a government are so stupid that these people are in fact much smarter than we are.


0

There are loads of free groceries for the needy. In Atascadero, after we get finished providing, breads, milk, butter, orange juice and fresh produce to the shelter, churches, some elderly homes, half way houses and people who show up weekly for the free groceries, the left overs go to ranchers who feed it to their livestock and left over perishable items like milk and fresh OJ get dumped. The only food item that never is left over are the meats and fish and that gets spread around so everyone who needs some gets some. No one is going hungry unless they want to be hungry or are mentally ill and don’t know to ask. Between ECOSLO, The Pantry and a couple of other volunteer groups, there is more food than there are hungry people and it doesn’t cost the taxpayers a penny to feed them.


0

Actually, Cindy, it does cost the taxpayers. Loaves & Fishes as well as CAPS, Salvation Army and all the other agencies get grants that far outreach donations and last I knew, those grants coming from the State and Federal Government come from taxpayers dollars. We pay for it in so many ways but yet we are told we don’t pay enough taxes. When is enough real enough!!! Yesterday I read that 49% of the population is getting something (unemployment, SSI, housing, food stamps, grants, etc) from the goverment.


0

The group (The Pantry on Del Rio) that I volunteer with is run by a local church. They receive no gov funding what so ever. Its all provided by donations and most of the local grocery stores participate. ECLSLO and Loaves & Fishes also subsidize the local shelter but not the elderly that we support as we deliver to them and some of the families and drop off at some churches.


I can’t believe 49% of the population is receiving gov assistance,WOW. I can understand that 10% are on unemployment, I know people who are joining those ranks everyday but the rest of it is mind boggling, how can we taxpayers sustain this? I’m really afraid that we are going to continue to slide into a deeper recession/depression and its going to get much worse and may never recover. I have a good friend who is well into the process of loosing his home. He worked hard all his life and has been out of work for over two years. I’ve never seen so many people who are embarrassed to ask for groceries but do so because they really need them and can’t afford the heat or the rent and the groceries too, its very bad, worse than many of us realize.


I have actually had to accept work in China!! Seriously, I will have to be traveling back and forth to China to keep my own mortgage paid and I thought LA was a nasty bi-monthly commute!


0

” Yesterday I read that 49% of the population is getting something (unemployment, SSI, housing, food stamps, grants, etc) from the goverment.”


“When is enough real enough”


As soon as we have a Dem lead congress again. You guys hate it when we bring up Bush but how long does it take to clean up after Repubs? Even though none of you want to admite it now, he was your guy so you need to own that but it takes quite awhile to fix things after a mess like him, it doesn’t happen over night. People expected Obama to clean up after Bush right away so after he couldn’t finish the job in the first year the people then made the mistake of voting in a repub congress so now nothing will get done. How can anything positive come from a congress whose main objective is to get the prez out of office and protect the wealthy corps as opposed to helping us, the 98%? You have no one to blame for the high percentage of food stamp, SSI etc. except the repub/tea party.


0

Your criticism of right wing politicians and many who support them is right on the money. But what makes you think that substantial numbers of the Dems aren’t just as bad. Oh, they make the noises that the Liberal left loves to hear but when it comes to action, the only thing they seem to be able to effectively do is pass legislation that THEIR corporate masters want.


They are just a mirror image of the GOP in this. Even if a few of them are honest and try to do what they say, there are way too many powerful Dems that are as “owned” as any Republican (except rare eccentrics like Ron Paul).


Case in point is that horribly mangled Health Care Act. Republican opposition alone would not have stopped passage of a sane and reasonable bill. No, it was Democrats in congress that forced a compromise bill that will be as costly as a good national healthcare program but lacks most of the benefits — i.e. a single-payer option with which to force health insurance companies to either behave ethically or lose business.


Hey, I’ve taken this thread even farther off topic than you did — sorry everyone!


0

“But what makes you think that substantial numbers of the Dems aren’t just as bad. Oh, they make the noises that the Liberal left loves to hear but when it comes to action, the only thing they seem to be able to effectively do is pass legislation that THEIR corporate masters want”


About once every six months I post my fav. Jesse Ventura quote. ‘Dem and Repubs are like Pepsi and Coke. Very similar just one’s a little sweeter’.


I don’t disagree with you in most aspects. But I don’t believe that the Dems are as heartless or quite as bad. I’m not the only one that feels that way. I believe that I read that 30% of the repubs are leaving the repub party, but the dems arn’t leaving their party. I still have hope for the dems and see them as the only alternative. They will all be distrustful stooges for big corps until we get the money out of politics. Money corrupts all, so I just pick who seems to be the least corrupt and the party that will fight more for what I want.


I am angry that Obama caved to the right regarding health care. He tries too much to pander to the right IMO. I didn’t vote for someone to do that, I voted for dem polices and values not corp and con policies and values.


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These dregs of society should be made to perform “Community service” of some sort, if they are on welfare, etc. They need to show some responsibility & not continue just being freeloaders…What a waste these tweakers are…I’m sick of these fools who just continue “TAKING” from the hard working taxpayers, the bums from “out of the area”, need to be sent back to wherever they CAME FROM…


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She’s just a PROFESSIONAL FLAKE! What a worthless piece of trash…


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Maybe a drone strike on the homeless would cure the problem!


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Slochuck is right. The police can check the DMV database to see the status of the registration. They give tickets for not having the sticker affixed if the registration has been paid. Having a vehicle towed usually means other violations.


This couple knows all the tricks. He was downtown” looking for a job”. She has birth defects and is waiting for hip surgery, so of course, she was injured sitting on the road.


If she was handcuffed, she probably should have been taken to the station and charged. The cops were too easy on these freeloaders.


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Even if you lost the sticker and never put it on the cops wouldn’t give you a ticket, just advise you to get a replacement sticker from the DMV. I just hope the City stands up and gives the police clear direction rather than do some dance and let Rizzo & Jenkins obfuscate the situation.


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“Employees of the city’s water treatment plant called to complain that they had found dirty diapers, needles and other garbage on the other side of the fence where Watts’ vehicle was parked, and had been parked for some time.”


About the diapers:

Here are some quick tips on staying clean by By Bob Wells (how and where to live in a van-very informative)


Use public restroom’s to wash. They are every where so make

use of them (gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores,

restaurants, fast food places). Get in the habit of carrying a

wash cloth in a ziploc bag and washing up as needed. Facial

cleansing pads are mild and can be used frequently.

Carry portable diaper wipes as a last step after using the

toilet.

Go to a thrift store and buy enough used washcloths or diapers

to last between washings. I usually do my laundry every two

weeks, so I have at least 14 wash cloths on hand. If I use one

on my crotch, I won’t use it again until it has been laundered.

While you are there find a large enough tub basin for spot

cleaning.


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Thanks for the details. And this is all, of course, the fault of somebody else. There are many people who work as they are able, collect government benefits, and pay rent. But you are oddly enough both incapable of and unwilling to do either, and demand to be accommodated in the manner to which you have become accustomed. And now you have lawyers.


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And WHAT does that say about these attorneys who have taken on this “case”???


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Yeah, I am thinking that the two in this article are manipulative low-lifes –probably druggies. I do have sympathy for the homeless who are in that position due mostly to bad luck (medical expenses, lost job, mental illness — to a point).


You’d think the lawyers would pick someone more deserving of sympathy than these two if they were really concerned about forcing some sort of reasonable accommodation by the government. Are they just AWs like Jesse Jackson?


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What’s an AW like Jesse Jackson,,, AW?


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Does anyone really think this latest harassment of the homeless iniated with the new SLO police chief.


The vehicle towed was owned by the PLANTIFF in a recent law suit against the city of SLO.


Can you say CHRISTINE DIETRICK, SLO city’s attorney!


I would imagine that if you are homeless then paying smog and registration fees might be a hardship. How many other vehicles were actually towed? I don’t want to even guess at what the astronomical impound fees will be to get the vehicle back.


It’s bad enough that the City of SLO enforces fines of up to $500 for the CRIME of sleeping in your car to people who obviously can’t pay.


Why can’t the heartless city of SLO issue citations for littering, eliminating human waste in public, drug violations, etc… the major complaints… but NOT for SLEEPING IN YOUR CAR!


If it truly is a WAR ON THE HOMELESS who do you think will win?


Probably not the person now living in the creek!


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The reason they don’t go after the real problems is that those are extremely time-consuming to prove and SLO Cops are not exactly poorly paid. Jobless people have all the time in the world to wait until the cops are gone before they cause problems. For some, it is an amusing way to pass the time. It is a lot quicker and easier to enforce the regs against sleeping in a vehicle — or using a vehicle with expired tags as a home. This is a case where I have less problems with the cops than with a city government that can’t/won’t find a better solution and orders the cops to be their enforcers.


I don’t know if the couple in the article did the littering that created the complaint. Maybe they were partly responsible, maybe not, maybe mostly so — maybe it was friends/guests. But their parked vehicle probably provided cover for whoever did it which is one reason for getting it out of there.


What annoys me most is that Dan Devaul managed to keep most of these particular problems at bay out at Sunny Acres. But we can’t cut anyone any slack over nit-picking zoning violations in this county no matter how much the community as a whole would benefit.


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