PHOTO/GLORIA SANDOVAL
MERCED, CA — I got a chance to do something last month that made me want to tell everyone about it. There was a bill brought forth to a Senate committee, SB 876, the Right to Rest bill. That was the first time I had ever been to our State Capitol, which is in Sacramento, California.
I was amazed that the building was so beautiful. I got to go to the Senate Hearing Room and watch government live. The Right to Rest bill was turned down. What I learned was that without more voices and more support from everywhere, next year the same could happen for all of the homeless. Your voice does matter. I’m homeless. I come across a lot of homeless every day and I tell everyone this: If you don’t stand up for yourself, the police will always harass you if they know that you don’t know your rights. This can lead to an easy ticket. Stop letting them.
The Right to Rest bill would stop the harassment and the tickets. Then the homeless would stop getting run off public places. We have the right to rest. I know from experience. I go into a store to buy something to eat or drink, then I go outside and find a spot to sit to consume what I purchased, only to have a store worker call the cops. Most store workers just call the cops; not many will come out and tell me to leave. They are afraid of me.
In California, 83 cities opposed the Right to Rest bill. We must take a little time to get some information. Write your congressman, the governor, your senators and make your voice be heard. And for you non-houseless persons, do the same. Get information. Write letters. Let our government know that we’re not going to take it anymore. I for one have had enough. Most of us are not houseless because we want to be, and we are not all bad.
And we need support to help provide public restrooms. These things would not just be for the houseless. It would help everybody in the community. So stand up. Thank you.
