Re: Homeless Right to Sleep campaign to nix anti-camping laws FWD

Virginia Sellner (wych@tcd.net)
Tue, 20 Jan 1998 17:11:47 -0800 

I am in agreement with you on this WB.   Virginia


At 01:30 PM 1/20/98 PST, Wandering Bear wrote:
> despite Rubans inflamitory actions to his fellow homeless advocates I 
>am willing to support this cause on the merit of its nessesity.
>Wandering Bear
>
>
>
>
>>
>>NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION: HOMELESS RIGHT TO SLEEP  fwd
>>
>>*REPUBLISH AND REPOST FREELY
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>>JANUARY 16, 1998
>>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
>>
>>The American Homeless Society (AHS) has joined
>>Burnside Cadillac's Portland, Oregon campaign, to
>>repeal the city's inhumane no "camping" ordinance
>>that outlaws homeless men, women and children from
>>sleeping in city limits, despite their being turned
>>away from local shelters, due to lack of room and beds.
>>
>>Santa Claus and the "peace and goodwill" spirit of
>>the holiday season are gone, as America must once again return to
>>reality.  El Nino is unmercifully lashing out at the homeless 
>throughout
>>the country, local and state politicians are returning to their
>>anti-homeless rhetoric and proposals, and the White House is now
>>referring concerned citizen requests for homeless assistance back to 
>the
>>states.
>>
>>The rich and well-to-do continue to complain about the visibility of 
>the
>>homeless in their cities and counties throughout the nation, while
>>well-funded "homeless agencies" do little or nothing, to stop these 
>grave
>>injustices.   If anyone is going to do something, it is those of us 
>reading
>>this NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION here and now.
>>
>>The American Homeless Society calls on concerned citizens throughout 
>the
>>United States, to research city and county laws negatively affecting
>>local homeless in your respective areas, and to organize to amend or
>>repeal these unjust laws.
>>
>>Persons interested in organizing a local drive, to amend or repeal 
>these
>>discriminatory ordinances in your area may contact AHS, at:
>>sananda@hotmail.com
>>
>>To establish a chapter of the American Homeless Society for your state
>>or area, today, visit:
>>
>>http://members.tripod.com/~sananda/homeless/ahs1.html
>>
>>Dr. Ruben Botello
>>GLOBAL HOMELESS NETWORK
>>
>>*****************************************
>>FROM PORTLAND, OREGON
>>
>>Campaign for Legal Places to Sleep (CLPS)
>>By Sharon Pearson <bcad@teleport.com>
>>
>>The woman is sleeping, sitting up while her partner
>>keeps a tired but watchful eye. She is fortunate to
>>have someone to look out for her because
>>she has no housing and no bed in which to sleep.
>>
>>She is also in danger of receiving a ticket by
>>Portland police who act to enforce Portland's
>>Anti-Camping Ordinance, even when shelters are full.
>>This attitude, that homeless people should sleep
>>sitting up, be kept moving around the city and not
>>allowed to stay in one spot, is common: the city of
>>Portland has criminalized homelessness.
>>
>>The anti-camping ordinance makes it illegal to "set
>>up, and to remain in or at a campsite."  A campsite
>>is defined as "any place where bedding, sleeping
>>bag, or other sleeping matter, or stove or fire, is
>>placed, established or maintained, whether or not
>>such place incorporates the use of any tent,
>>lean-to, shack or any other structure of any
>>vehicle."
>>
>>It is illegal in the city of Portland "For any
>>person to camp in or upon any sidewalk, street,
>>alley, lane, public right of way, or any other place
>>to which the general public has access, or under any
>>bridgeway or viaduct."  The city's got it covered.
>> For doing any of the above, upon conviction, a
>>homeless camper could be fined up to $100, jailed
>>for up to 30 days, or both.
>>
>>Since the anti-camping ordinance was passed by the
>>city council in l981, the Portland Police have made
>>numerous sweeps of homeless campsites to drive
>>homeless people from Portland.  There certainly
>>aren't enough shelter beds for people living in
>>camps.
>>
>>People would have to leave their mates to use the
>>shelters and people with dogs and cats would have to
>>get rid of their pets.  Shelters are temporary,
>>dirty, over-crowded and sometimes people are forced
>>to sleep on the bare concrete floor of the shelter.
>>
>>People living in shelters have to take their
>>possessions with them during the day.  You are
>>probably familiar with many of these and other
>>problems.
>>
>>Still, the city continues to pursue the
>>money-wasting and futile attempts to move people
>>from camps.  After a sweep, campers move back;
>>sometimes that very day.
>>
>>We are looking for people to help us with our
>>Campaign for Legal Places to Sleep that begins
>>December 23, l997.  Phone us to
>>volunteer:503-228-5657.
>>
>>We need strong leaders since the lives of homeless
>>people are at stake.  If you are a reader of the
>>Burnside Cadillac, you may be aware that we have
>>reported the deaths of two people crushed to death
>>in dumpsters and we speculate the people were in the
>>dumpsters to avoid being ticketed by Portland
>>police.
>>
>>If you can help with making copies of documents and
>>mailing them out, that would be wonderful!  Our
>>staff is already over-worked.  The following
>>represents what we hope to accomplish:
>>
>>1.  Repeal the Anti-Camping Ordinance.
>>
>>2.  Establish public campgrounds with sliding scale,
>>fees; the higher fees to help cover the costs for
>>low-income and homeless individuals and
>>families.
>>
>>3.  Establish year-round camp grounds for homeless
>>people; large enough for all who need them, with
>>tenant input on decisions, adequate sanitary
>>facilities, utilities, community buildings, child
>>care facilities and playgrounds.
>>
>>4.  Establish immediate "safe zones" on certain
>>streets and/or in certain public places that would
>>be exempt from the Camping Ban, prior to its ban.
>>
>>5.  Obtain zoning changes so property owners could
>>invite homeless people to camp on their property.
>>
>>Repealing the  Anti-Camping Ban and making safe
>>zones and campgrounds are only stop-gap measures to
>>protect our homeless citizens now.  Affordable
>>housing is an ultimate goal that will not be
>>accomplished in time to save lives; if it is ever
>>accomplished.
>>
>>We hope to gather ten thousand signatures by March
>>1, 1998.  At such time we will appeal to our local
>>government to act and if such action is not
>>forthcoming, we will reluctantly initiate a campaign of civil
>>disobedience with camp-ins and/or sit-ins.
>>
>>Two local organizations have already committed to
>>assist this campaign and we hope for many more.
>> Please contact Sharon Pearson with the Burnside
>>Cadillac at 503-228-5657 and leave a message.  We
>>only have one phone for both the newspaper and The
>>Bridge School, so we hope you will be patient!
>>We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
>>
>>Remember, your help with this campaign could save
>>one life, and if one life is saved, that life is
>>enough reward for all of our efforts.
>>
>>Sharon Pearson
>>BURNSIDE CADILLAC
>>
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>GLOBAL HOMELESS NETWORK
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>><http://members.tripod.com/~sananda/homeless/welcome.html>
>>
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>TITLE 17 USC 107:  "Spread the News!"
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>><http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml>
>>
>>END FORWARD
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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