PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE
By David Joshua Teague (Ninja Kitty)
Editors note from the People’s Tribune’s Sarah Menefee: On March 17, homeless people led a march to Berkley City Hall to protest a draconian new law that criminalizes many survival activities and greatly restricts where homeless people can sit. On March 19, two workers employed by the Downtown Berkeley Association attacked two homeless men, brutally beating them for trying to defend their property from confiscation. The incident was caught on camera and went viral. A protest rally, press conference, and another march was called by the homeless and street kids of downtown Berkeley, with wide media coverage. Below are the words of one of them. These brave kids have no future under this mean system, but are the visionaries and creators of a new one.
BERKELEY, CA —The incident that sparked this protest was when the two private guards started arguing with two homeless guys. Then one of them sucker-punched one of the homeless guys, choked him and knocked him down. The guy who did it got fired but the two homeless guys they attacked were taken to jail.
We are standing up against an ongoing pattern of discrimination. There is a lot of demonizing of the homeless; they’re using the homeless as scapegoats, using sweeps and laws. It’s already illegal for us to sleep. All we need is a hand up. There are people out here who have Master’s degrees in math and science and other things. It’s not a matter of intelligence; it’s about being given opportunities.
They are using intimidation tactics to move the homeless kids along. It doesn’t just stem from the individual ones, though. The shit rolls downhill from the top. We’ve grouped together for our protection. They take our bags when we have to leave them for a minute. They’re trying to force us out to make room for rich people.
It’s a cycle—every two or three years they try it, make a new ordinance to make it hard to be homeless. It shouldn’t be illegal just to exist.
I’ve been fighting this battle for nine years. I was homeless at 13. When I was 14 they broke my ribs when they kicked me awake for sleeping on a bench, right here in Berkeley.
This is part of the general gentrification of the area. If you don’t have money you can just get out—that is the attitude of the police. It’s the same fight for equality for everyone.
For some reason, society needs a particular people to target. I’ve noticed the same kind of targeting as in Nazi Germany, of people they want to get rid of. I’m Jewish and I lost relatives in the Holocaust. They’re creating an environment where they can do it again. Look how they demonize people in the media and the movies, whatever group they’re blaming. It’s already bad enough that it’s illegal for me to sleep.
[homelessBox]
