[HPN] LAPD: Blame all around in police shooting, Rampart scandal - EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON fwd OFARI HUTCHINSON fwd

[Tom Boland]

Sally sez 'no', huh?

Wes in Seattle is right, this IS disturbing. But not very surprising, 
given our local situation with god's more militant children. They 
also refused to recognize San Francisco's domestic partners 
regulations, so they lost tons of locally-controlled  funding. With 
the typical arrogance of any soldier in a jihad, they continue to 
operate here in SF, and why not? We're talking about an organization 
that raises funds internationally, and has a portfolio worth (no 
shit) about $1,000,000,000 (for the numerically impaired, one BILLION 
fucking bucks). They continue to operate in SF, and they pretty much 
refuse to serve gays at all these days, unless they're looking to 
"recover" from homosexuality.

Likewise, this latest aberration only serves to hurt homeless people. 
An accurate census count - however unpleasant having one's life 
measured and surveyed by big brother may be - is pretty essential to 
drawing national attention to our homeless dilemma, as well as 
informing future federal dollars toward low-income affordable 
housing. If we can all take a role in ensuring every homeless child, 
woman and man in this country is counted, we will have facts an 
arsenal of to rub the authors of welfare reform's fucking noses in 
it, and we may even return to the days when HUD provides more money 
for low-income permanent housing than to "homeless programs." Or am I 
dreaming?

Or, more directly, SA is ensuring that the scope of its mission will 
grow in step with the unmeasured need of the public. Guess they 
aren't looking to help end homelessness anytime soon.

Sally's plan only provides further opportunity for 'buy-in' to the 
issue of "charitable choice." In fact, it is conspicuously timed, 
with all the public histrionics of the latest crop of contestants for 
the y2k beauty contest. Not one of these contenders has yet 
meaningfully addressed the issue of homelessness in the U.S. to date, 
and when poverty does surface it plays out in terms of how government 
might further assist in the erosion of the boundaries between church 
and state.

And what in the hell was Mary Ann Gleason attempting to say? Is that 
a position? Could she possibly make a clearer statement? Or is she 
even clear what she's trying to say?

Speaking of the government...

I'm voting for Ralph Nader (Green Party) in the California primary 
election. If the Green Party candidate can gather 5% of the national 
vote, the Green Party will then qualify for federal public financing 
for party building activities and the next national election. Nader 
is a lifelong advocate for consumer rights and the environment, and 
he openly opposes corporate welfare, globalization and privatization. 
And he's the only candidate who talks about real campaign finance 
reform.

I'm also voting against our state "juvenile crime bill" (part of Pete 
Wilson's legacy of evil), the anti-gay "Knight Initiative" (which 
will rob same-sex couples of the rights of marriage), and proposition 
E, our local addendum to welfare reform. Prop. E will put 6,000 local 
welfare recipients who are managing rent on their scant $364 monthly 
at risk of eviction.

Is this a great country, or what?

peace,
chance martin
COH-SF

>Who could benefit and lose from a census of homeless people?  What?  Why?
>
>See below for a related article:
>
>http://www10.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-Homeless-Count.html
>FWD  New York Times - February 25, 2000
>
>     SOME SOUP KITCHENS REJECT CENSUS
>
>     By The Associated Press
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Salvation Army will keep the doors to over
>500 of its soup kitchens shut to census takers looking to compile
>information from homeless people, claiming the presence of
>government workers could scare the homeless away from services they
>desperately need.
>
>The policy by the Salvation Army, one of the country's largest
>service providers to the homeless, could hurt the Census Bureau's
>already difficult task of counting that population. The bureau is
>relying on advocacy groups, shelters and soup kitchens to help with
>the effort.
>
>``The legal counsel has said that we will drive people away who
>desperately need to be fed,'' Lt. Col. Tom Jones, national
>community relations and development secretary for the Salvation
>Army, told The Associated Press on Friday. ``We've been in the
>business of feeding people over 125 years.''
>
>The Salvation Army is concerned about the Census count of the
>homeless, Jones said, ``but obviously our primary concern is to
>feed people.''
>
>Census officials said it was unclear if the bureau was
>previously notified of the Salvation Army's decision, and declined
>additional comment.
>
>The census occurs every 10 years. The first forms will be
>delivered to homes in early March, and households are asked to mail
>it back to the bureau.
>
>The process is different for the homeless since there are no
>permanent addresses to mail surveys to. Census workers will instead
>fan out to shelters, soup kitchens and street corners for three
>days in late March to count that population.
>
>The Salvation Army policy affects 520 temporary housing shelters
>that also serve meals. Census workers will be able to talk to
>residents of the facility, but not to those people who use it
>solely for meals, Jones said.
>
>Mayors across the country consider the homeless survey an
>important factor to producing a more accurate count of city
>populations. The more people a city has, the bigger chunk of
>federal funding it gets.
>
>Census officials estimate it undercounted about 1.4 percent of
>the population in 1990. They presume that most of the undercounted
>are minorities, inner-city residents, and the homeless.
>
>In 1998, the Salvation Army said it housed 622,867 people in its
>shelters, and served over 32 million people total, including both
>homeless people and those needing emergency assistance because of
>fire or natural disaster.
>
>The Clinton administration has estimated there are about 600,000
>people in the country without fixed addresses.
>
>The bureau has a tough job ahead even if the Salvation Army did
>allow access into its dining facilities, said Mary Ann Gleason,
>director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.
>
>``We empathize with the challenges of the Census Bureau. It's an
>awesome task,'' she said.
>
>``What we really have to be clear about is that it's not an
>actual count of the homeless population. It's a service-based
>enumeration that counts people who receive some services some of
>the time,'' Gleason added.
>
>END FORWARD
>
>**In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material
>is distributed without charge or profit to those who have
>expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information
>for non-profit research and educational purposes only.**
>
>
>***********************************************************
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>_______________________________________________

Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
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