Forwarding my HPN intro statement

Donald Bokor (boko7751@uidaho.edu)
Thu, 22 Jan 1998 14:26:39 -0800 (PST) 

Dear HPN,

I wanted to send this note to reintroduce myself to the group who haven't
had a chance to read my intro.

Some of my history and ideas are on my webpages at
"http://www.uidaho.edu/~boko7751",
"http://www.uidaho.edu/~boko7751/home.html", and
"http://www.uidaho.edu/~boko7751/homeless/homeless.html".  Pleas check
them out and provide me with any feedback that you think will help.

I just wanted to state a personal opinion about the war on drugs (which I
believe is actually a war on poor people).
And my opinion:  Homeless people use all kinds of drugs, and the free
availability of these drugs would go a long way toward ending their
homelessness.  A lot farther than politics will get them, at least.
Speaking practically, all humans will eventually be free to make their own
decisions, it is just a technicality as to when and how they become so.
Speaking politically, no human will ever really feel at home unless they
have the right and ability to make their own decisions about their role in
creating the environment in which they live.

More of my opinions on what . . .
> We've also been talking about:
> criminalization of poverty,

Let's have mock trials of landlords and communities that are especially
notorious to the plight of the poor.  For example, Eugene, Oregon,
recently made it illegal for homeless people to stay in public parks.  We
can publicly try this community for human rights violations, and sentence
it to a consumer strike or some other such action.  Even if we can't put
the community in jail, the publicity would make great press for our cause

> how to prevent and end homelessness,

There is only one way to end homelessness and that is for the homeless to
organize and act in their own interests.  And the only way to prevent it
is to abolish all economic and power motivation systems that profit off of
stealing the earth for themselves at the expense of others.

> problems and prospects for homelss-run groups,

The only thing to say here is that we must go downstream in seeking
support.  If we go upstream then we are creating a need for the oppressive
systems of government that currently cause poverty.

> "systemic" vs. "personal deficit" models of homelessness,

On a systemic level, poverty is a function of money, and the placing of
economic valule on human life.  At the personal level, people remain poor
because they are greedy and materialistic.  What I am saying here is that
as long as we strive to get the same things as the rich people we are
being greedy and materialistic, and because of that we refuse to look to
ourselves and each other for the mutual support necessary to create a new
and free community which does not tolerate poverty.

> voting vs. direct action,

Voting is like offerring yourself up to slavery and oppression.  It is
irresponsible to delegate your decision making responsibility to someone
else.  And anyhow, can anybody tell me what percent of poor people do not
have the right to vote.  For example, I cannot vote because I am a felon.
Direcct action serves two purposes,  First, it makes the individual take
responsibility for the decisions made for them.  Second, it gives the
individual a sense of self-esteem and empowerment to directly act on their
own beliefs.  And in any case, no politician is ever going to do things
for the poor, especially if those things might threaten some of the
politician's biggest financial contributors.

> homeless economic development,

Forget economic development.  Work for social development and the standard
of living will rise despite there being no money.  The reason for poverty
is economic and is the desire to place economic value on human life.
Here's an example of what I mean.  OJ can kill Nicole and get away with it
because her family valued her life at whatever the court awarded them, and
OJ could afford that price.  On teh other hand, an indigent is framed for
murder and gets the death penalty and is executed because that individual
has no money and cannot afford a lawyer to save his life, thus his life
has no economic value and is easily spent.  If that is the world you want
to live in, then you deserve your poverty because poverty is necessary for
great accumulations of wealth to occur.  Now, if you are more interested
in social development, through the cooperative actions of all poor people,
we can create a system that has zero tolerance for poverty.  The way to do
that is to volunteer your time and energy into the "free" feeding,
housing, and caring of all people.

> innovative housing

Housing cannot be on a nuclear family level, and still be socially and
environmentally sustainable.  We have to find ways to live and work
together with tolerance and in harmony.  Our personal space must be
limited such that it is for all of us to share and for none of us to
control.

> writing an organizer's manual for homeless-led groups,

I am especially interested in this project, and have taken some initial
steps in this direction.  I would appreciate direct contact with any other
collaborators.  My background is in organizational theory with my Master's
in Business Administration, and with Ph.D. work in sociology.  I was
kicked out of my doctoral program because I was an activist, and I am
refused work in the business and agriculture professions for the same  
reason.  So I figure that my life purpose is to help people organize so
that they can become self-reliant and only dependent on themselves and
their community of like-minded others.

> and aims for HPN.

Truth, love, peace, tolerance, and an end to hunger, homelessness, and
anomie.

Peace and Love Always (All Ways),
Donald W. Bokor