Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Group Continues Protest of Confiscation Policy

Advocates for the poor staged another demonstration at Santa Ana’s Civic Center plaza Monday to protest the city’s policy of confiscating the unattended belongings of homeless people.

The policy, which went into effect at the end of May, is part of the city’s effort to clean up grounds near the Civic Center, where many homeless people sleep and store their bedrolls, clothes and food.

The demonstration was intended to “give public testimony to the moral outrage felt by Santa Ana citizens who protest the city council’s cruel treatment of persons who have no home,” leaders of the Human Rights for the Homeless Coalition said in a written statement.

The demonstration, which began at noon and lasted about an hour, attracted about 60 people, according to Scott Mather, a member of the advocacy group, which sponsored the protest. Mather said the group, which has staged protests for three consecutive Mondays, will continue the weekly demonstrations until the city abandons its confiscation policy.