March 25, 2003
Protesters try sleeping for peace By By LEAH ETLING Santa Barbara has an ordinance against sleeping in public, but since the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq, up to 14 people have been taking their rest under the stars in De la Guerra Plaza to protest the conflict. "Join the Peace Camp," reads a sign next to "Bubbha," whose real name is Derrick Wilkins. "We just want to sleep for peace," said Mr. Wilkins, who has been camped out on the lawn in front of City Hall since Thursday. "We'll stay as long as they allow us to." But according to Lt. Michael Aspland of the Santa Barbara Police Department, the protesters are not allowed to sleep there. "If we get a complaint or an officer comes across them sleeping there, they will be cited," Lt. Aspland said Monday. City police officers have visited the group every night, Mr. Wilkins said, at one point responding to a caller who feared the men might be dead. Two officers told them that as long as they kept the area clean and didn't lay out more than one sleeping bag during the day, they could stay, Mr. Wilkins said. Lt. Aspland could not confirm that interaction and emphasized that there is no exception to the sleeping rule for peace protesters. "If you're going to engage in civil disobedience, then you run the risk of being arrested," he said. Some, but not all, of the sleeping protesters are homeless, according to Mr. Wilkins. Many of them have received citations for sleeping in public before, he said. "We have lots of people who have houses. We have families, couples, even children were sleeping out here," he said. "We encourage other people to come out." Though Mr. Wilkins disagrees with the no-sleeping ordinance and believes the available shelter is not a permanent solution to the city's homeless problem, his motives for camping outside this week are firmly rooted in Iraq, he said. The group is regularly asked for information about antiwar rallies. "We think the war is totally bad and that they're using this as a reason to go take oil. Bush is influenced by his father to go in and do what his father started," he said. Daniel Harbison, a homeless 20-year-old who has been in Santa Barbara just a week, has slept out on the plaza four nights. An artist who has been frustrated by laws that prevent him from selling his work while sitting on a city sidewalk, Mr. Harbison nevertheless said war irks him more. "It's pretty ridiculous that we can't just sit and sleep wherever. Sleeping is not a crime. I can't sell artwork for money in the street. But the sleeping issues and selling stuff is really small in terms of the whole idea of world peace. That's what we do," Mr. Harbison said. He gets his news about the conflict from snippets of TV coverage picked up in bars and newspapers, but calls the information "censored, half-truths." "I wonder just how many families (in Iraq) are dying," Mr. Harbison said. "Somebody's got to do it. I'm really proud of him." |
Are you affected by the possible war
with Iraq? |