Showing posts with label Criminalization of Homelessness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Criminalization of Homelessness. Show all posts
Saturday, August 27, 2016
ILLEGAL HOMELESSNESS - CITIES TARGETING HOMELESS ON THE RISE "EVERYONE WANTS TO MOVE THE HOMELESS BUT THEY HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE DON'T THEY"
300 BEDS IN BOISE - 2000 HOMELESS
A growing number of American cities are ticketing or arresting homeless people for essentially being homeless. The new laws ban behavior commonly associated with homelessness like reclining in public, sharing food or sitting on a sidewalk.
Supporters argue these measures are necessary to push homeless people into the shelter system and maintain public safety. Critics say the laws violate the rights of homeless people and ignore the more complicated drivers of homelessness like mental illness.
We found homeless people camping in the woods to escape police harassment, a homelessness consultant opposed to feeding homeless people and a city that uses solitary confinement to force homeless people into shelters.
VICE News began its investigation in Boise, ID, where a group of homeless people have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of these laws. Their case could change the way homeless people are treated across the country.
Read "New York Cops Are Now Shaming Homeless People On Social Media" - http://bit.ly/1PKH6qX
Read "San Francisco Mayor Vows to Remove City's Homeless by Super Bowl Weekend" - http://bit.ly/1Mi30iZ
Saturday, August 22, 2015
CITY ATTORNEY MIKE FEUER's PLANS CITATION CLINICS TO HELP HOMELESS RID RECORDS OF CITATIONS
LATIMES EDITORIAL - HOMELESS OP TO EXPUNGE CRIMINAL RECORD
In an attempt to end that cycle, City Atty. Mike Feuer has announced a plan to hold at least six "citation clinics" each year for three years around L.A. County. The clinics, which will be funded by the county at a cost of about $800,000, will work with homeless people to wipe out these fines and erase their records of citations and even the bench warrants in some cases, according to the city attorney's office. In return for the help, they must first start participating in social service programs and complete some community service work.
OC REGISTER on LOS ANGELES PROGRAM
*****
We don't think most of the 60,000 plus homeless in Los Angeles are SERVICE RESISTANT.
WE THINK MANY HAVE GIVEN UP WHILE ON WAITING LISTS!
In an attempt to end that cycle, City Atty. Mike Feuer has announced a plan to hold at least six "citation clinics" each year for three years around L.A. County. The clinics, which will be funded by the county at a cost of about $800,000, will work with homeless people to wipe out these fines and erase their records of citations and even the bench warrants in some cases, according to the city attorney's office. In return for the help, they must first start participating in social service programs and complete some community service work.
OC REGISTER on LOS ANGELES PROGRAM
*****
We don't think most of the 60,000 plus homeless in Los Angeles are SERVICE RESISTANT.
WE THINK MANY HAVE GIVEN UP WHILE ON WAITING LISTS!
Thursday, April 23, 2015
LOS ANGELES and SAN FRANCISCO HAVE THE MOST ANTI-VAGRANCY LAWS and RESTRICTIONS in CA - FOLLOWED BY LONG BEACH and ANAHEIM
STUDY SAYS CALIFORNIA CITIES CRIMINALIZING THE HOMELESS KPCC by Rina Palta
EXCERPT:
The study, put together by Law Professor Jeffrey Selbin and a group of law and public policy students, found California cities on average have more "anti-vagrancy" laws on the books than cities in other states.
Researchers surveyed laws and restrictions on the books in 58 California cities and compared them to a survey of cities nationwide. They found California cities were 50 percent more likely to restrict food sharing with homeless and 41 percent more likely to have restrictions on sleeping in vehicles.
Los Angeles and San Francisco tied for the most anti-vagrancy laws and restrictions in the state - 23 - followed by Long Beach and Anaheim.
Enforcement of the laws shot up between 2000 and 2012, increasing by 77 percent, according to the study.
A decade ago, anti-vagrancy laws were relatively obscure, said Paul Boden, of the Western Regional Advocacy Project
EXCERPT:
The study, put together by Law Professor Jeffrey Selbin and a group of law and public policy students, found California cities on average have more "anti-vagrancy" laws on the books than cities in other states.
Researchers surveyed laws and restrictions on the books in 58 California cities and compared them to a survey of cities nationwide. They found California cities were 50 percent more likely to restrict food sharing with homeless and 41 percent more likely to have restrictions on sleeping in vehicles.
Los Angeles and San Francisco tied for the most anti-vagrancy laws and restrictions in the state - 23 - followed by Long Beach and Anaheim.
Enforcement of the laws shot up between 2000 and 2012, increasing by 77 percent, according to the study.
A decade ago, anti-vagrancy laws were relatively obscure, said Paul Boden, of the Western Regional Advocacy Project
Saturday, November 15, 2014
FORT LAUDERDALE CRIMINALIZES CHRISTIANITY - 3 ARRESTED FOR FEEDING THE HOMELESS - SHAME ON FORT LAUDERDALE!
ABC 7 - 90 YEAR OLD CHARGED FOR FEEDING HOMELESS PEOPLE
EXCERPT:
Abbott and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were charged for feeding the homeless in public on Sunday, the city's first crackdowns under a new ordinance banning public food sharing, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.
Now they face possible jail time and a $500 fine, WPLG said.
Despite some criticism from homeless advocates, city officials have vowed the new rules will be enforced.
"Just because of media attention we don't stop enforcing the law. We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale," Mayor Jack Seiler told WPLG.
He defended the law in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
"I'm not satisfied with having a cycle of homeless in the city of Fort Lauderdale," Seiler said. "Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."
(HEY SEILER WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO SEND THESE PEOPLE?)
But Abbott, who has been helping feed homeless people in the area through his Love Thy Neighbor nonprofit since 1991, said authorities are targeting the city's most vulnerable residents.
"These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don't have a roof over their head," he said. "Who can turn them away?"
Recently, the city has also passed an ordinance limiting the storage of personal property in public, WPLG said. Then came the restrictions for food sharing.
"The city passed an ordinance requiring us to have a Porta-Potty. It's ridiculous. The whole thing was designed to rid Fort Lauderdale of its homeless," Abbott said. "Police told me anyone who touches a pan ... anyone who is involved, will be arrested."
It's a battle Abbott has fought before. In 1999 he sued the city for banning him from feeding homeless people on the beach -- and won, according to WPLG.
ANOTHER ARTICLE
ABC NEWS - 3 CHARGED WITH FEEDING HOMELESS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
EXCERPT:
Police arrested homeless advocate Arnold Abbot and ministers Dwayne Black and Mark Sims on Sunday as they handed out food to homeless people in a Fort Lauderdale park. The city ordinance took effect Friday...Black pastors The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs.
EXCERPT:
Abbott and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were charged for feeding the homeless in public on Sunday, the city's first crackdowns under a new ordinance banning public food sharing, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.
Now they face possible jail time and a $500 fine, WPLG said.
Despite some criticism from homeless advocates, city officials have vowed the new rules will be enforced.
"Just because of media attention we don't stop enforcing the law. We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale," Mayor Jack Seiler told WPLG.
He defended the law in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.
"I'm not satisfied with having a cycle of homeless in the city of Fort Lauderdale," Seiler said. "Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."
(HEY SEILER WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO SEND THESE PEOPLE?)
But Abbott, who has been helping feed homeless people in the area through his Love Thy Neighbor nonprofit since 1991, said authorities are targeting the city's most vulnerable residents.
"These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don't have a roof over their head," he said. "Who can turn them away?"
Recently, the city has also passed an ordinance limiting the storage of personal property in public, WPLG said. Then came the restrictions for food sharing.
"The city passed an ordinance requiring us to have a Porta-Potty. It's ridiculous. The whole thing was designed to rid Fort Lauderdale of its homeless," Abbott said. "Police told me anyone who touches a pan ... anyone who is involved, will be arrested."
It's a battle Abbott has fought before. In 1999 he sued the city for banning him from feeding homeless people on the beach -- and won, according to WPLG.
ANOTHER ARTICLE
ABC NEWS - 3 CHARGED WITH FEEDING HOMELESS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
EXCERPT:
Police arrested homeless advocate Arnold Abbot and ministers Dwayne Black and Mark Sims on Sunday as they handed out food to homeless people in a Fort Lauderdale park. The city ordinance took effect Friday...Black pastors The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
ZEV YAROSLAVSKY OUTLINES THE ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING PROGRAM THAT DIVERTS MENTALLY ILL HOMELESS FROM JAIL
VCSTAR - LOS ANGELES TO DIVERT MENTALLY ILL HOMELESS FROM JAIL full article
"That cycle so familiar to many Californians with mental illnesses may soon be interrupted thanks to the new Third District Diversion and Alternative Sentencing Program in Los Angeles County.
Designed for adults who are chronically homeless, seriously mentally ill, and who commit specific misdemeanor and low-level felony crimes, the demonstration project could help reduce recidivism by as much as two-thirds, Third District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said..."Clearly, treating mental illness in jail does not produce the best results," Yaroslavsky said. "At present we put offenders into the mental health unit of the jail -- it's the largest mental health facility in the state. We provide mental health treatment and custodial care for approximately 3,500 people each day."
"The program will divert adults from the traditional fines, probation and incarceration typically imposed, and instead place them on a path to secure permanent, supportive housing and treatment, the MOU says.
Up to 50 adults -- including as many as 20 U.S. military veterans -- who elect to participate in the program will be released to San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center. The diversion program provides bridge and permanent supportive housing, health and mental health care, group and individual treatment and support, and employment and vocational services, said Yaroslavsky.
Misdemeanor offenders will receive a post-filing of criminal charges option and the pre-plea diversion program. Once they've completed the 90-day program, they can continue to earn permanent, supportive housing, as well as have charges against them dismissed. For felons who successfully complete the program, the court will consider whether to terminate probation early and or dismiss the case. The program for felons runs at least 18 months, and begins with a court order of 36 months of formal probation..."
"That cycle so familiar to many Californians with mental illnesses may soon be interrupted thanks to the new Third District Diversion and Alternative Sentencing Program in Los Angeles County.
Designed for adults who are chronically homeless, seriously mentally ill, and who commit specific misdemeanor and low-level felony crimes, the demonstration project could help reduce recidivism by as much as two-thirds, Third District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said..."Clearly, treating mental illness in jail does not produce the best results," Yaroslavsky said. "At present we put offenders into the mental health unit of the jail -- it's the largest mental health facility in the state. We provide mental health treatment and custodial care for approximately 3,500 people each day."
"The program will divert adults from the traditional fines, probation and incarceration typically imposed, and instead place them on a path to secure permanent, supportive housing and treatment, the MOU says.
Up to 50 adults -- including as many as 20 U.S. military veterans -- who elect to participate in the program will be released to San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center. The diversion program provides bridge and permanent supportive housing, health and mental health care, group and individual treatment and support, and employment and vocational services, said Yaroslavsky.
Misdemeanor offenders will receive a post-filing of criminal charges option and the pre-plea diversion program. Once they've completed the 90-day program, they can continue to earn permanent, supportive housing, as well as have charges against them dismissed. For felons who successfully complete the program, the court will consider whether to terminate probation early and or dismiss the case. The program for felons runs at least 18 months, and begins with a court order of 36 months of formal probation..."
Monday, September 16, 2013
SHAME ON COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA! THERE'S A NEED FOR SIX TIMES MORE SHELTER BEDS THAN THEY HAVE!
From the article:.
Police officers will now be assigned to patrol the city center and keep homeless people out. They will also be instructed to strictly enforce the city’s “quality of life” laws, including bans on loitering, public urination, and other violations. And just to ensure that no one slips through, the city will set up a hotline so local businesses and residents can report the presence of a homeless person to police..
In order to accommodate all the homeless people who will now be banned from downtown, the city will partner with a local charity to keep an emergency shelter on the outskirts of town open 24 hours a day. However, it’s unlikely the shelter, which can handle 240 guests, will be enough to handle the local homeless population, which numbers more than six times the available beds..
THINK PROGRESS article on COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA'S CRIMINALIZATION OF THE HOMELESS
COLUMBIA NEEDS TO DO MORE RESEARCH AND LOOK AT WHAT OTHER PLACES ARE DOING TO POSITIVELY INTEGRATE THE HOMELESS AND POOR INTO SOCIETY. Though the shelter may be at the edge of town and keep the homeless rounded up and ghettoized, what exactly do they expect people to do all day, sit around and wait for death? Columbia needs to look into providing showers, feeds, and places to lock up possessions, legal assigned parking (check out Santa Barbara's program), homeless RV parks, and think outside the box for temporary shelters.
Friday, April 26, 2013
TOM AMMIANO'S HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS MOVES FORWARD TOWARD ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
RAW STORY : HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS link - one of many stories hitting the Internet this morning. See below for our commentary on Bill Handel, KFI Radio's, commentary this morning.
BILL HANDEL FKI AM 640 RADIO LINK
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The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco, would allow homeless people in California to legally sit, sleep and ask for donations in public without the threat of being arrested or cited. The bill would also allow homeless to reside in parks 24/7, regardless of their operating hours.
Ammiano explained the bill’s primary goal was to stop the criminalization of homelessness. Bill supporter and Coalition on Homelessness organizer Lisa Marie Alatorre told the SF Examiner:
“This bill calls for the immediate end of criminalizing homelessness. We need to stop allowing that to be our response to economic problems.”
The proposal lays out a “bill of rights” for people who are homeless including the right to:
“… move freely, rest, solicit donations, pray, meditate, or practice religion, and to eat, share, accept, or give food and water in public spaces without being subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment or arrest.”
If passed, the state would also be required to set up “health and hygiene centers” to provide showers and restrooms for the homeless 24 hours a day. Additionally, legal assistance must be available for anyone issued a citation for an activity related to their housing status.
While the state would foot the bill for these costs, the final price tag is still not known. Ammiano told the committee:
“Citations, arrests and jail time do not solve homelessness. They just route crucial public dollars that could be spent on housing to an already impacted court and corrections system.”
The new proposal would override San Francisco’s sit-lie ordinance passed in 2010 by voters. Sit-lie ordinances, though, would remain enforceable in cities that meet certain criteria, including having available public housing and have not been identified as “an area of concentrated unemployment.”
But sit-lie ordinances would be enforceable if strict criteria are met: the county provides adequate welfare assistance, the city isn’t identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as an area of concentrated unemployment, and the county’s public housing waiting list contains fewer than 50 people.
Assemblyman Donald Wagner, who voted against the bill Tuesday, told the committee:
“The homeless situation in San Francisco is going to be very much different from the homeless situation in Fresno, Los Angeles or central Orange County. By Sacramento passing this law, it doesn’t allow those cities to fix their own problems.”
While many local governments and business groups are in opposition of the bill, they’re probably thankful the current amended version of the bill no longer includes the controversial provision that would have legalized public urination by the homeless.
The legislation, passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a 7-2 vote, will now head to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations...
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We heard the news as part of Bill Handel's Commentary on KFI this morning. He mentioned that people say to him that he hates the homeless. Well, we did get the impression, but we think Bill is mostly IGNORANT like a lot of people who rarely come in contact with homeless. As a lawyer Bill has legal knowledge that a lot of people don't have. He mentioned that this comes down to being a revenue issue. He mentioned that while SIDEWALKS are public property, what does a business owner do when some homeless guy is peeing on the sidewalk in front of your business. He also mentioned that Amiano sees this as a HUMANITARIAN ISSUE and so there will be LOCAL HYGIENE STATIONS open 24 hours a day so that homeless can have a place to wash, pee, whatever.
Needless to say we are all for THE HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS and feel grateful that Tom Ammiano had the guts to bring up the issue. He is representing ALL THE PEOPLE including HOMELESS PEOPLE, who are usually THE POOREST OF THE POOR. He's right that people who were never criminals are considered criminals just because they have nowhere else to go. Homeless people are transient because they are moved along by police wherever they go. Being harrassed from one community to the next, trying to stay out of trouble means walking till you can't walk anymore, going hungry or panhandling for money to feed yourself, and being under constant stress. Then some people yell at you to go get a job.
BILL HANDEL FKI AM 640 RADIO LINK
*******************************************
The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco, would allow homeless people in California to legally sit, sleep and ask for donations in public without the threat of being arrested or cited. The bill would also allow homeless to reside in parks 24/7, regardless of their operating hours.
Ammiano explained the bill’s primary goal was to stop the criminalization of homelessness. Bill supporter and Coalition on Homelessness organizer Lisa Marie Alatorre told the SF Examiner:
“This bill calls for the immediate end of criminalizing homelessness. We need to stop allowing that to be our response to economic problems.”
The proposal lays out a “bill of rights” for people who are homeless including the right to:
“… move freely, rest, solicit donations, pray, meditate, or practice religion, and to eat, share, accept, or give food and water in public spaces without being subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment or arrest.”
If passed, the state would also be required to set up “health and hygiene centers” to provide showers and restrooms for the homeless 24 hours a day. Additionally, legal assistance must be available for anyone issued a citation for an activity related to their housing status.
While the state would foot the bill for these costs, the final price tag is still not known. Ammiano told the committee:
“Citations, arrests and jail time do not solve homelessness. They just route crucial public dollars that could be spent on housing to an already impacted court and corrections system.”
The new proposal would override San Francisco’s sit-lie ordinance passed in 2010 by voters. Sit-lie ordinances, though, would remain enforceable in cities that meet certain criteria, including having available public housing and have not been identified as “an area of concentrated unemployment.”
But sit-lie ordinances would be enforceable if strict criteria are met: the county provides adequate welfare assistance, the city isn’t identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as an area of concentrated unemployment, and the county’s public housing waiting list contains fewer than 50 people.
Assemblyman Donald Wagner, who voted against the bill Tuesday, told the committee:
“The homeless situation in San Francisco is going to be very much different from the homeless situation in Fresno, Los Angeles or central Orange County. By Sacramento passing this law, it doesn’t allow those cities to fix their own problems.”
While many local governments and business groups are in opposition of the bill, they’re probably thankful the current amended version of the bill no longer includes the controversial provision that would have legalized public urination by the homeless.
The legislation, passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee with a 7-2 vote, will now head to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations...
*****************************************
We heard the news as part of Bill Handel's Commentary on KFI this morning. He mentioned that people say to him that he hates the homeless. Well, we did get the impression, but we think Bill is mostly IGNORANT like a lot of people who rarely come in contact with homeless. As a lawyer Bill has legal knowledge that a lot of people don't have. He mentioned that this comes down to being a revenue issue. He mentioned that while SIDEWALKS are public property, what does a business owner do when some homeless guy is peeing on the sidewalk in front of your business. He also mentioned that Amiano sees this as a HUMANITARIAN ISSUE and so there will be LOCAL HYGIENE STATIONS open 24 hours a day so that homeless can have a place to wash, pee, whatever.
Needless to say we are all for THE HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS and feel grateful that Tom Ammiano had the guts to bring up the issue. He is representing ALL THE PEOPLE including HOMELESS PEOPLE, who are usually THE POOREST OF THE POOR. He's right that people who were never criminals are considered criminals just because they have nowhere else to go. Homeless people are transient because they are moved along by police wherever they go. Being harrassed from one community to the next, trying to stay out of trouble means walking till you can't walk anymore, going hungry or panhandling for money to feed yourself, and being under constant stress. Then some people yell at you to go get a job.
VOICE OF ORANGE COUNTY : UC IRVINE CONFERENCE FOCUS ON CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS
VOICE OF ORANGE COUNTY - article link here
... "Laws allowing police to ticket and arrest homeless people for sleeping in a car, sitting on the sidewalk — or even leaving their bags on the sidewalk while they use a bathroom — are part of a larger strategy to criminalize homelessness and by extension, poverty, according to attorneys and advocates for homeless people at a conference at the UC Irvine School of Law.
The daylong conference, called “Opposing the Criminalization of Homelessness: Building a Human Rights Framework,” drew about 100 people Saturday, including lawyers, activists, law students and academics.
Conference speakers described an aggressive campaign of arrests on charges from littering to loitering in order to drive away homeless residents of Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood. Panelists also discussed efforts to disguise the problem of homelessness in Orange County.
“We’re good at hiding it and hiding it really well,” said Renato Izquieta, attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Orange County. “You will find homeless in every park in this county, including San Clemente, Laguna Beach and more.” .."
... "Laws allowing police to ticket and arrest homeless people for sleeping in a car, sitting on the sidewalk — or even leaving their bags on the sidewalk while they use a bathroom — are part of a larger strategy to criminalize homelessness and by extension, poverty, according to attorneys and advocates for homeless people at a conference at the UC Irvine School of Law.
The daylong conference, called “Opposing the Criminalization of Homelessness: Building a Human Rights Framework,” drew about 100 people Saturday, including lawyers, activists, law students and academics.
Conference speakers described an aggressive campaign of arrests on charges from littering to loitering in order to drive away homeless residents of Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood. Panelists also discussed efforts to disguise the problem of homelessness in Orange County.
“We’re good at hiding it and hiding it really well,” said Renato Izquieta, attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Orange County. “You will find homeless in every park in this county, including San Clemente, Laguna Beach and more.” .."
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
ATLANTA HOMELESS TASK FORCE
Atlanta George Homeless Task Force reminds us that if we see someone out in the cold they may have been turned away from a shelter... lots of information!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
CRIMINALIZATION OF PANDHANDLING - GRAND JUNCTION EXPOSED
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Let's face it: THEY MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO BE POOR IN AMERICA!
Let's face it: THEY MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO BE POOR IN AMERICA!
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