Santa Cruz Lawsuit
from page three
makes sense to both sides. The longer it continues, the more money he makes. Other cities' city attorneys are on a salary basis, and only get so much money. Their motivation is to settle such cases. The City Council depends on information that comes to them from the City Attorney's office, which can be slanted anyway they want.
RN: Why wouldn't the City Attorney in my case, then, take it to trial, if he has everything to gain ?
KW: Because we embarrassed him in the Blue Lagoon case. When there is a case that appears to have absolute liability, which is your case, it is smarter for the City to settle than it is to take it to the bitter end and lose.

RN: It also might be an election campaign coming up. All four City Council incumbents are running for reelection, including Mayor Scott Kennedy.
Is this decision going to have any significant effect on how the law is enforced?
KW: Yeah, it's had a deterrent effect. We have finally educated them about their own law.
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Afterword: On September 22, Sgt. Baker was observed circling the block in his squad car and videotaping the homeless civil rights table located 10 feet from the site of Norse's January 2002 arrest.
Norse's interview with Kate Wells for Free Radio Santa Cruz is archived at www.santacruzcopwatch.org/robertwebsite.
Robert Norse can be reached at rnorse3@hotmail.com. He has a radio show, "Bathrobespierre's Broadsides," that streams live at www.freakradio.org on Thursdays at 6-8 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

October 2004