The demands of the homeless are for a new society

Latest

Tents and signs at the homeless-run Poor Tour tent community, Berkeley CA.
PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE

 
As a tsunami of dispossession breaks across society, the powers that be are moving to further criminalize what homeless people must do to survive: sitting, sleeping, eating, trying to find a place to relieve and clean themselves. Tent encampments that are springing up everywhere are being raided and destroyed.  In Spokane, WA, large rocks were dumped under a highway overpass to keep people from seeking shelter there. This is an epic and criminal fail on the part of a system that creates mass homelessness as it automates millions of job out of existence. The demands of the homeless for the right to survive and for shelter and protection, whether they can pay for them or not, shame a government that not only fails to provide these basic things but attacks its failure’s victims. If people had basic economic rights, housing would be a social priority and all would be decently housed. The demands of the homeless are part of the larger social demand for a true democracy and a government that represents us all.
 

Civil disobedience at Uptown Tent City


 

psalm 137


 

Cities outlawing sharing food with homeless people


 

Life AFTER the storms


 

A Paradigm Shift from the Homeless to the Heartless


 

Oakland sweep: It’s not only immoral, it’s criminal


 

PT Logo collage
+ 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.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Veterans Launch 40-Day Fast to Protest Israel’s Starvation of Gaza

As the death toll of Palestinians continues to rise and more than a half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, U.S.-based Veterans For Peace and several allied organizations launched a 40-day “Fast for Gaza.”

Another Example of Resistance: The Community Stood Up

Agents, some in full tactical gear, arrested restaurant workers while patrons were dining. Neighbors and patrons spontaneously protested, pushing ICE agents to retreat from their community.

‘I Am a Political Prisoner’ Says Jailed Immigrant Rights Activist

In this interview with Democracy Now, Journalist Maria Hinojosa describes her recent interview in an ICE detention center in Colorado with jailed immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra.

War No More – Veterans Reflect on the Meaning of Memorial Day

Veterans for Peace say wars will not end, – and nuclear war will not be averted – unless there is a sea-change in the thinking of the U.S. people and our political leaders.

Harvard University Stands Up to Illegal Federal Government Actions

Read letter by Harvard President Alan M. Garner, about the University's stance on the Federal government's illegal actions to force Harvard to give up the school's academic independence and academic freedom.

More from the People's Tribune