Poverty in US is “stunning and cruel” Says U.N. Rapporteur on Adequate Housing

Latest

Mike Zint and others of ‘First they came for the homeless’ meets with UN Special Rapporteur on housing and homelessness on the steps of Berkeley Old City Hall, the site of the Poor Tour tent community.
Photo/Sarah Menefee

 
In clear view of some of the most expensive property in the world, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha remarked while walking San Francisco streets: “I have traveled all over the world seeing slums and people living in poverty, but what I have heard and seen here in the US is stunning to me. There is so much hatred towards poor people here.” She was referring to the anti-homeless laws against activities like sitting and sleeping or sharing food when there is no housing or shelter. “It’s just so… cruel,” she said. She said the slums in Mexico were the slums, but there was community living in poverty working together to support each other. Here the US government does sweeps to break up communities and tells them to “move along.” (This information was reported in the dailykos.com.) “Homelessness is an “egregious violation of human rights […] requiring urgent and immediate human rights responses. […] Homelessness is caused by states’ failure to respond,” said Leilani Farha at a UN meeting in Europe recently.
Only the American people can solve this. As automation eliminates more and more human labor from the workplace, the crisis can only grow. We have to act. As stated in the People’s Tribune editorial on page 2, “The government should take foreclosed-on homes back from the banks that fraudulently stole them, and give them to those without shelter.” This is a step toward a whole new society where everyone life has meaning.
 

“Momma” Crystal of the Dare to Change tent community, part of “First they came for the homeless” at Berkeley Old City Hall, speaks to a fellow resident. She, with her son and two teenage daughters, helps provide recovery tents for people from the streets with substance abuse issues, as a sister part of the Poor Tour. The U.N. rapporteur expressed admiration for this community.
PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE

 

Fight or Freeze


 

Homeless reader responds to ‘The Real Plight of the Homeless told by the Homeless’


 

The uncanny hatred towards the homeless endangers the homeless community


 

Iowa Chamber of Commerce decisions could render seniors homeless


 
http://peoplestribune.org/pt-news/2018/02/homeless-james-thomas/
 

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

The People’s Tribune opens its pages to voices of the movement for change. Our articles are written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Articles entitled “From the Editors” reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: peoplestribune.orgPlease donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement for change. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff. The People’s Tribune is a 501C4 organization.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Trump Demands End to Birthright Citizenship Ahead of Supreme Court Decision

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling on Trump's challenge to birthright citizenship by July. Trump publicly pressured the court recently to rule in his favor.

Voters Rights Coup Shakes Foundation of Our Fragile Democracy

The dismantling of voting rights directed at the African American community can only be described as re-traumatizing and opening old painful wounds in this long-suffering community. Yet this community is rising and resisting. But if the resistance takes the form of African Americans fighting alone, can the assault be overcome?

Protestors Gather Outside Michigan ICE Facility, Immigrant Detainees Launch Hunger Strike

Citing dangerous conditions, lack of adequate food and medical care, and cruel legal obstacles that keep many in captivity for months, protesters gather outside as several hundred detainees go on hunger strike at the ICE North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, MI.

We’re ‘Still Trying to Wage Peace,’ Says Veterans for Peace Member

Stephen Bare of Veterans for Peace Chapter 11 in Santa Cruz, CA, describes how the chapter is regrouping and renewing its efforts to "wage peace."

Nothing Makes Money Like War

The cost of war is astounding — in terms of lives lost, tax dollars spent and human suffering as social programs are cut to pay for war spending. But, giant corporations, billionaires, politicians and others in high places, profit immensely from war.

More from the People's Tribune