By Crescenzo Vellucci
Vanguard Sacramento Bureau Chief
SACRAMENTO – Sacramento City Police vehicles for hours flanked and followed more than 50 cars full of protestors – the COVID-19-safe way to protest for the time being – as they targeted state, federal and local lawmakers, urging them to make changes to help residents not just now during the coronavirus pandemic, but permanently.
The direct action was sponsored by a diverse group, including the Sacramento Tenants Union, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Sacramento Services Not Sweeps, The Liberation Collective for Black Sacramento, Sacramento for Real Rent Control Coalition, NorCal Resist and Decarcerate Sacramento.
In a prepared statement, the coalition said it was taking demands directly to “various government agencies calling for immediate changes to local, state, and federal responses so that human life 
and liberty is prioritized over greed and profit.”
Coalition members – who “toured” city streets, driving past the State Capitol, ICE HQ, City Hall, Board of Supervisors building and County Jail – said they are demanding an immediate cancellation of rent and mortgage payments and any debt resulting from missed rent of mortgage payments during and following the Governor’s State of Emergency.
Specifically, they said they wanted a “halt to all eviction filings during and following the State of Emergency, and immediate housing accommodations for all of California’s unhoused community.”
The coalition complained that although the COVID-19 crisis is disrupting “daily life, putting over 26 million people out of work while rents and other debts continue to mount, the majority of resources mobilized by government leaders have been funneled to multinational corporations and wealthy households already controlling the majority of US wealth.”
The coalition joined others out of work but still waiting for stimulus checks and/or unemployment benefits that have been delayed by an overwhelmed CA Unemployment Office – but more than $850 billion has already been distributed to large corporations and trillions of dollars in stimulus funding to the banks.
“While states like California have taken action to address the economic impacts of stay-at-home orders, many of the most urgent relief measures have failed to reach the most impacted and vulnerable to the virus, particularly low-income workers, the poor and unhoused, Black and indigenous communities of color, the undocumented community, and incarcerated people,” said the coalition.
“COVID-19 has highlighted what we’ve always known to be true: that we are only as safe as our most vulnerable communities,” said Ibraheem Bangura of ACCE. “We demand our public resources go to ensuring public health, which means prioritizing people’s basic needs, including immediate housing.”
Homeless advocates noted that “Despite state officials booking more than 900 hotels and motels across California in March, stringent qualifications have meant that the vast majority of acquired shelters have yet to be filled, including in Sacramento.”
They are also demanding an immediate moratorium on the enforcement of all “quality of life” ordinances that criminalize homelessness, in accordance with Center for Disease Control directives to 
suspend encampment closures, vehicle tows, as well as arrests and citations by local law enforcement.
“While City and County officials have worked to maintain a deadly status quo, volunteers have worked to build hand-washing stations, feed the hungry, provide services to those being released from jail, and raise money for our hurting families,” said Cathleen Williams of the Sacramento Services Not Sweeps Coalition.
“Our local officials should have these same priorities; instead, they continue sweeps of encampments and seizure of hand-washing stations and other life-saving property. It’s about time they stop criminalizing poverty and use our public dollars to lift people out of this crisis,” she added.
Coalition members are also demanding the City Council place the Sacramento Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Charter Amendment on the November 2020 ballot.
“Time and time again, elected officials in Sacramento County and City, have failed to protect renters by withholding the amendment from voters and failing to pass emergency eviction moratoriums, multiple times, to keep families in their homes,” the coalition said.
They are also demanding an immediate moratorium on the enforcement of all “quality of life” ordinances that criminalize homelessness, in accordance with Center for Disease Control directives to suspend encampment closures, vehicle tows, as well as arrests and citations by local law enforcement.
Decarcerate Sacramento and the Anti Police-Terror Project demanded that Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones and other County officials to significantly accelerate early releases and immediately implement COVID-19 protections for incarcerated people.
“We celebrate the fact that our jail population has been reduced by 30%, but it’s not nearly enough to prevent an uncontrollable outbreak in our jails,” said Niki Jones of Decarcerate Sacramento. “We demand the County Board of Supervisors continue down the path of reduction, and cancel their newly announced plan to build a new five-story jail tower downtown. Those funds should be redirected to support reentry services and community-based programs that keep people out of jail.”
The coalition wants the release of all ICE detainees, noting that “horrific conditions and medical neglect prior to COVID-19 were already costing lives at an alarming rate. Action must be taken now to save lives.” The coalition is urging Gavin Newsom to use his authority to release all individuals held in CA by ICE immediately.
“Leaving these communities behind is not an option. ICE must empty their cages and shut down before this virus becomes a death sentence,” said local organizer, Mackenzie Wilson.
The full list of groups participating include, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Anti-Police-Terror Project Sacramento, Decarcerate Sacramento, Doctors for Camp Closures,
Gender Health Center, NorCal Resist, Sacramento Justice League, Sacramento for Real Rent Control Coalition, Sacramento Services Not Sweeps, Sacramento Tenants Union, Still Here Coalition, Students Together Reducing Exploitation And Trafficking (STREAT), The Liberation Collective for Black Sacramento and Trans and Nonbinary Housing Collective.
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Bring on the Jubilee!
Pretty sure I get your referent… nice choice! Fits…
Seems like everyone has a “group” these days.
Groups are more effective than individuals
Maybe but over saturation of all these small groups just blend together to the point where nobody cares or listens to them.
Not necessarily – you have a group that deals with rent control, a group that deals with the Sac jails, a group that deals with immigration detention, they happen to be coming together on this issue, but mostly they are working in their own spaces.
Famous quote… united we stand, divided we fall… the multiplicity of groups, each with their own ‘silo’, that no other silo had better cross… not likely to be effective, over time… those with political clout might win… at the expense of the other’s goals… it is what it is… individual ‘silos’ can be ‘bought off’… and probably will be…
Keith
I think perhaps it would be more accurate to say that you and perhaps some that share your philosophic perspective do not care or listen to them. I happen to care a great deal and doubt I am completely alone.
It sounds like any three people can get together give themselves a fancy social justice name and label themselves a group.
But you’re right, I could give a hoot about them.
Really? What groups made Lincoln, King Jr, both Roosevelts, Kennedy effective?
Differences between leadership, moral or otherwise, and the
‘mob’organizations/groups… there was a guy in Germany who used organizations/groups, effectively, in the 1930’s.If you think there is no comparison, think about how those organizations came into being… financially/economically stressed populace… same for the Russian/Chinese revolutions… and those just set up a different “ruling class” based on politics… (it’s for the people!) …willing to put aside laws for their benefit [rent/mortgage forbearance/terms are one thing… eliminating any rent/mortgage obligations is another, and is arguably a ‘taking’ under US/CA Constitutions]…
Assistance (aka ‘charity’), yes… temporal accommodation, likely… free ride, no… IMO.
But just an opinion…
So Martin Luther King was with the SCLC which was a non-profit, helped staff him. The civil rights movement was an overlapping maze of groups like SNCC, NAACP, CORE, and others. Freedom Summer was organized by COFO which was actually all four of those groups. The Montgomery Boycott was organize by the Montgomery Improvement Association. They actually brought King in. A lot of the sit ins across the country were done by CORE. John Lewis and Marion Berry were part of SNCC which organized the march on Selma. Bayard Rustin was part of CORE who organized the March on Washington.
Are you sure this is the argument you want to make?
Upon reflection, you are correct David (your 11:50 post)… MLK Jr did next to nada… it was the groups you mentioned… we should rename the holiday for THEM! Excellent point!
Are you sure this is the argument you want to make?
You did not address the other American leaders I listed… see where Lincoln would be especially tough for you… to credit the infant Republican Party… anathema!
Are you sure this is the argument you want to make?
The question was whether he could have accomplished what he did without the groups – and the answer is no. In fact, a close reading suggests that a lot of the heaviest lifting was done by others. But the point wasn’t that he did nothing, but rather than the groups were extremely important.
Alan Miller, an individual, disagrees.
And yet… when push came to shove it wasn’t Alan Miller it was the Old East Davis Neighborhood Association.
“It“? What antecedent are you referring to, that isn’t mentioned in the article, my comment, or anywhere but in your mind?
Keith
This is nothing new. Chambers of Commerce, apartment owner associations, police, firefighters, custody, teachers unions, pro-life groups, the NRA. There is a longstanding tradition of interest-based groups in our society.
Sounds like they are more interested in a ‘control’ that means zero rent… free ride…
One of my favorite concepts in the PC cluster-F world we live in is “The narcissism of minor differences” This is the idea that similar and overly-subdivided communities with close relationships are doomed to engage in feuds and mutual ridicule because of hypersensitivity to minor details of differentiation.
Well, they aren’t wrong about that.
Great as far as that goes, but what do you do, in today’s world, with those that won’t take the offered housing?
Well that’s asinine. Great as far as it goes, but that also leaves communities impacted by bad behavior in the camps no recourse for criminal activity occurring there and affecting the “quality of life” of those in adjacent communities by hand-tying law enforcement.
Is that a group that wants to get rid of cars in Sacramento?
Actually, only impounded cars… particularly Toyota Coronas… not sure about the registered owners…
They can start with their own cars lined up in the protest.