Homelessness

Act Out! Episode 14 – Occupy Venice & France

June 5, 2015 Eleanor Goldfield, www.occupy.com Resistance Report France, Homelessness, Los Angeles, Occupy, Strategy

By Eleanor Goldfield in Occupy - This week, we test our math skills in the name of systemic dumbshitedness. Then Occupy Venice shows us how to fight the power while helping the powerless: hosting a people's potluck every Sunday with locally sourced organic foods. Martin Kirk, founder and head strategist at /The Rules talks about breaking them, shifting paradigms and planned poverty. He talks strategy, Occupy Wall Steret and the role of scientific knowledge in campaigns. We ask the Internet, what are we? Oligarchy, plutocracy, oligarch-racy? Even after LA raises minimum wage to $15, too many folks remain homeless. And finally, France schools us on architectural design and food, but not in the ways you’d expect. Eleanor Goldfield performs spoken word for the movement, flipping the paradigms.

Newsletter – Overcome Fear With Love

May 16, 2015 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter BXE, Chile, Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Economic inequality, fast track, FERC, Finance and the Economy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Greece, Homelessness, Human Rights, Inequality, Injustice, Living Wage, Obama, Police violence, Racism, TPP, United Kingdom (UK), Urban decay, Walmart, Water, World Economic Forum

Instead of taking action to prevent or mitigate the next crisis, politicians are causing more harm as they work hand in hand with the wealthy elites who are trying to grab even greater power and extract even greater riches. Maryland's governor was quick to bring in the National Guard and militarized police, but just cut Baltimore education funding by $11.6 million to fund pensions, while last week the state approved funding for a youth jail the people in Baltimore don't want. This article provides five key facts about Baltimore and a graphic that shows how the United States built its wealth on slavery, Jim Crow and racially-based economic injustice and kept African Americans from benefiting the economy. Also, as a special addition to recognize BB King, he sings "Why I Sing the Blues" describing the history of African Americans from slavery until today.

Homeless Jump By 44,000 In LA County In Two Years

May 14, 2015 Al JAzeera, www.facebook.com Educate! California, Employment, Homelessness, Housing, Los Angeles, Poverty

he number of homeless people in Los Angeles County jumped 12 percent in the past two years, to more than 44,000, amid a sluggish economic recovery that has left the poorest residents of the second-largest U.S. metropolitan area falling farther behind, a study released on Monday found. Most of those counted weren’t staying in homeless shelters. The study also found that the number of tents, makeshift encampments and vehicles with people living in them jumped by 85 percent, to about 9,500. “California was one of the hardest-hit states in the country during the economic recession, suffering high unemployment and high job losses,” the housing authority said in a news release. “There is a lag in rebound, and the working poor and low-income individuals have been hit particularly hard, with the trifecta of unemployment, stagnant wages and a lack of affordable housing.”

Bank Occupied In Liverpool, Turned Into Homeless Shelter

May 1, 2015 Squat! Net, www.en.squat.net Resist! Austerity, England, Homelessness, Occupy

We make this document a Statement of Intent regarding the old Bank of England building on Castle Street, Liverpool. The intentions are as follows to feed, cloth and help all those who seek it and for the local community to help resource this project. We intend to use this building for the community, to inspire a feeling of community, which is lacking. We do this in direct response to a local council and government who are lacking in their efforts to help those in need and in fact, the local Council and government seem intent on making matters worse for the people by putting more and more austerity measures in place. We wish by the direct action of occupying an empty unused building and using said building to provide certain needs for the street people or for that matter anyone else who needs to use what is provided by donations, which come from the local community.

The Numbers Are Staggering: U.S. Is ‘World Leader’ In Child Poverty

April 25, 2015 Paul Buchheit, www.alternet.org Educate! Children, Homelessness, Poverty, wealth inequality

The U.S. has one of the highest relative child poverty rates in the developed world. As UNICEF reports, "[Children's] material well-being is highest in the Netherlands and in the four Nordic countries and lowest in Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and the United States." Over half of public school students are poor enough to qualify for lunch subsidies, and almost half of black children under the age of six are living in poverty. Nearly half of all food stamp recipients are children, and they averaged about$5 a day for their meals before the 2014 farm bill cut $8.6 billion (over the next ten years) from the food stamp program. In 2007 about 12 of every 100 kids were on food stamps. Today it's 20 of every 100. he U.S. ranks near the bottom of the developed world in the percentage of 4-year-olds in early childhood education. Early education should be a primary goal for the future, as numerous studies have shown that pre-school helps allchildren to achieve more and earn more through adulthood, with the most disadvantaged benefiting the most. But we're going in the opposite direction.Head Start was recently hit with the worst cutbacks in its history.

Why SF Needs To Use Public Lands For Public Benefit

April 6, 2015 Joseph Smooke and Dylan Ruiz, www.truth-out.org Create! Homelessness, Land, Public Housing, San Francisco

A record number of students are homeless. Essential nonprofit organizations are being displaced from the communities they serve. Small, locally owned businesses can't survive as rents soar. The angst that is swelling throughout San Francisco and pushing outward to other Bay Area cities is not because people are resisting change. The angst is over the largest growing inequality gap in the country. At the forefront of people's concerns is how much people now have to spend on rent. Market-rate housing is catering to the region's new wealth, while the government is rolling out policies to make the city a rich man's playground.

Resisting The Criminalization Of Homeless Lives

March 31, 2015 David Roddy, www.dsausa.org Resist! Homelessness

Since December 9, 2014, over 100 of Sacramento’s poor and homeless have lined up every Tuesday for a free organic meal outside the doors of City Hall hosted by the Community Dinner Project, organized by Occupy Sacramento. The food line starts two hours before city council is called to session. Hundreds of Sacramento's poor line the sidewalk in front of City Hall to share a hot meal. Although these dinners take place on city property, the event is not sanctioned by the city government. In fact, it is expressly forbidden. In October of 2013, the City passed an ordinance requiring all community groups to obtain a permit before sharing food with the homeless. The Community Dinner Project addresses this and other community issues by providing a hot meal and an environment for discussion.

Occupy Takes Over Six Buildings In ‘Sleepover’ Housing Protest

March 20, 2015 James Caven, www.thisislocallondon.co.uk Resist! Homelessness, Housing

Activists occupied six houses on the Sweets Way estate following a ‘sleepover’ protest. Comedian and actor Russell Brand joined hundreds of people at the housing estate in Whetstone last night, to oppose the redevelopment which has seen families evicted from their homes. He left early this morning. Campaign group Sweets Way Resists has occupied an empty house on the estate since last week, and other activists broke into five more empty houses last night. Housing activist Liam Barrington-Bush, who is involved with Sweets Way Resists, said: “We had some fireworks and there was some music. Then people hung about. At least several dozen stayed the night. “Residents came together at the end of the night and were overwhelmed to find out the petition has now reached 35,000 signatures. We are pretty excited by that. “It’s been a pretty hectic period. There’s been a lot of support coming in from different causes, the strength of the community is the primary thing. Russell pledged to keep the fight going. He has really connected with the kids here.”

John Tory: Toronto Will Rent Motel Rooms For The Homeless

January 23, 2015 The Canadian Press, www.huffingtonpost.ca Create! Homelessness, Housing

Toronto's mayor says the city will be turning some motel rooms into shelter spaces for the homeless, with at least 90 spaces to open as early as next week. John Tory says the city will be renting blocks of rooms in two Toronto motels in an effort to make extra space available as needed during the cold weather. It will cost roughly $100,000 from now until March, but Tory says it's just a short-term solution. A report on the city’s homeless shelter system is expected in a few weeks. Four homeless men died in just over a week in the city, three of them due to the frigid weather.

Anonymous Wages War On Montreal Police

January 16, 2015 Hack Read, www.hackread.com Resist! Anonymous, Homelessness, Montreal

The online hacktivist Anonymous has sent a threatening message to the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SMPV) and Montreal police against bulldozing of a homeless camp set up by Anonymous in Viger Square for OpSafeWinter. In retaliation Anonymous has called for occupy Viger Square movement in which a protest will be held against police activity against homeless people. Anonymous has also asked its supporters to bring with them protective gear such as gas masks, material for building barricades, and anything else that might be useful in defending the encampment should it be attacked by the SPVM (Montreal Police).

Anonymous Wages War On Montreal Police For Attacking Homeless

January 15, 2015 Hack Read, www.hackread.com Resist! Anonymous, Canada, Homelessness, police brutality

The online hacktivist Anonymous has sent a threatening message to the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SMPV) and Montreal police against bulldozing of a homeless camp set up by Anonymous in Viger Square for OpSafeWinter. The purpose of setting up shelter village was to save homeless people the extreme cold weather, but on January 7th, the Montreal police dismantled the camp calming “they are saving lives”. In retaliation Anonymous has called for occupy Viger Square movement in which a protest will be held against police activity against homeless people. Anonymous has also asked its supporters to bring with them protective gear such as gas masks, material for building barricades, and anything else that might be useful in defending the encampment should it be attacked by the SPVM (Montreal Police).

Albuquerque Police Officers Face Murder Charges

January 12, 2015 Staff, www.inquisitr.com Organize! Homelessness, killed by police, Police abuse

Two Albuquerque police officers are facing murder charges in the shooting death of a homeless man. Dominique Perez and Keith Sandy are accused of police brutality in the March 2013 death of 38-year-old James Boyd. According to reports, criminal charges will be filed against both Perez and Sandy on Monday. In March 2013, the Albuquerque Police Department responded to reports that a homeless man was camping in a restricted zone. As Boyd refused to leave the area, the officers eventually used a flash-bang grenade and a police dog to force him to comply. As reported by KRQU, Boyd continued to refuse the officers’ demands. Perez and Sandy then opened fire. The Albuquerque police officers shot the homeless man a total of three times. Boyd was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. As one of the officers was wearing a helmet camera, the grisly scene was captured on film. The resulting footage went viral within days.

Homeless For The Holidays – Part VII

January 12, 2015 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! Holidays, Homelessness

The stories of homelessness told in this series are but a few of thousands unfolding every day in the Nation’s Capital. These photos depict people who told their personal struggles but there were many more who could not or would not tell their story. There are thousands more in the Nation’s Capital whose stories won’t be told. Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 9.33.55 PMThey are extraordinary people who went to school, learned skills, and held jobs. Some owned homes, others paid rent, some are fathers and mothers, others are children. They are the ones abandoned by our society. They have hopes and dreams, families and loves, needs and fears, and…they are a little bit like you and me: they are us.

Homeless For The Holidays: Can’t Find Work

January 11, 2015 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! Homeless, Homelessness

Byron Hawkins speaks of his most difficult challenge on the street is not living on it but “dealing with fools.” Assaults and fights between the homeless are common as are disputes over choice spots. “I’ve seen more stuff happen here on the streets than the average man.” He speaks of his worst experience in prison and why he knows he’ll never go back. His mother died while he was there and the experience broke his spirit. “They strapped me to a chair in a jacket with my arms pulled around me.” He couldn’t accept that the prison warden would not allow him go to bury his mom, and how hard it was he would never see her again. The prison psychologist sedated him with a shot to calm and put him to sleep. It took seven guards to hold him down. “They kept me there for three days until I broke.” “They didn’t let me out even to go to the bathroom-you s— and p— in this chair until you calm down.” He tells of it as the worst experience of his life.

Homeless For The Holidays – H-Boy The Poet — Part V

January 10, 2015 John Zangas, www.dcmediagroup.us Educate! Homelessness, New York City (NYC)

H-Boy “Homeboy” Poet is a towering slender young man with a few whisks of grey in a curly black beard. His dark unblemished skin is carefully wrapped in a head scarf. His hands are strong with pulsing veins. He wears the clothes he wore last week and the week before, almost never changing. A transplant from the Bronx, he speaks softly and has been living on streets for three years. He writes tiny poems for donations of “whatever people will give.” For him living homelessness is “just another challenge for me to get through.”Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 11.05.56 PM A few days after Christmas he is waiting for a bus near Franklin Park after most of the men have left to get out of the cold.

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