The fight for homeless rights is a fight for the commons

Latest

Members of the ‘First they came for the homeless’ and Stop Staples campaigns, at their 24-hour table outside the Berkeley, CA Staples. PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE
Members of the ‘First they came for the homeless’ and Stop Staples campaigns, at their 24-hour table outside the Berkeley, CA Staples.
PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE

SAN FRANCISCO — For the homeless and the housed. We are, ‘First they came for the homeless.’
Our summer of occupation began June 1 in San Francisco. A small number of homeless people began occupying the only San Francisco Staples location. The battle for the commons, the U.S. Post Office, has begun. For eight days we promoted a boycott of Staples, in protest of the unconstitutional privatization of the publicly owned Post Office, using near-minimum wage Staples employees with no background checks or training, handling the mail. The Post Office is not broke. They want to break it. So for eight days we said no.
On the ninth day we moved to Senator Diane Feinstein’s office. She and her billionaire financier husband, Richard Blum, have connections to Staples and have been pushing Post Office privatization. We held out there for four days against increased police pressure. At that point we went to the Federal Reserve. All hell broke loose. The last time we stayed more than a single night we occupied the sidewalk outside the Fed for nine months.
We were immediately targeted by DPW (Department of Public Works) and the SFPD. Numbering from two to six people, we stood against illegal, unconstitutional assaults by the SFPD. We even recorded a cop saying the Constitution does not cover protests.
What DPW did was worse. We recorded them using Simple Green, which is toxic (check the Internet), out of an unmarked bottle. They used bleach and pine. They used a water canon mounted on a tanker truck on us. This is policy from the San Francisco city government. It’s illegal, unconstitutional and against the Geneva Conventions. The city is guilty of crimes against humanity, which we have documented.
We lasted there one week. Unlike most of the homeless who are forced to endure the torture because they have nowhere to sleep but on the streets, we left.
We are currently protesting at the Staples location in Berkeley, CA. We have been here 19 days. Things are just starting to heat up. The police are acting illegally. We are documenting it. In the day we protest Staples, at night we protest for the right to sleep.  The battle for the commons, and our human rights, continues.
You can follow us on Facebook at ‘First they came for the homeless.’

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

1 COMMENT

  1. This is a wonderful article. You are right. We are fighting for the commons. You are on the front lines, first to engage in the battle. Everyone else will be forced to follow. They just don’t realize it yet.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Emmy-Winning Journalist Deported After Reporting on Anti-Trump Protest

Emmy award-winning journalist Mario Guevara was deported to El Salvador – a country he fled over 20 years ago — in retaliation for filming law enforcement activities, says the Committee to Protect Journalists.

A Salute to Chicagoans Fighting ICE

A salute to Chicagoans fighting ICE and to the food delivery worker on a bicycle who outrode ICE agents after they tried to kidnap him on the streets of downtown Chicago.

Over 60 Lawmakers Launch Investigation Into Trump Administration’s Disappearances

Some Democrats in Congress have announced they are investigating the Trump administration’s practice of disappearing immigrants to other countries.

America Cannot Afford This Dangerous Step

Americans should be chilled at government's recent designation of “Antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization (it isn't an organization). This allows for the criminalization of broad swaths of dissent, and won't stop with "Antifa."

America is Divided—But it’s the Wrong Divide

The real divide is between those who have and those who don't. We have the abundance to care for everyone and government must see to it that people's needs are met.

More from the People's Tribune