Homeless Union demands rights of the homeless be respected
Photo / Adam Gottlieb
CHICAGO, IL — Me becoming homeless was because I was in a domestic violence relationship, so I had to make a choice. I worked as a registered nurse for 15 years before I got disabled.
I knew a veteran who fought for this country. He was out there for two and a half years, rain sleet and snow. He died in February last year, my companion is the one who found him, he had froze to death.
From my experience being a disabled homeless woman, it don’t make no sense that the country we are living in be named ‘united’, cause there ain’t nothing about it united. When they wrote ‘we the people’ they didn’t tell us they was talking about people that have power, the people that got the money.
The Constitution doesn’t say it only applies to you if you’re in a house or have a job. We the people, not no specific race. The reason is not because I’m Black, not one particular race, cause all our nationalities have had a struggle and have went through something, all of them.
We formed a Union of the Homeless in October. The Chicago Union of the Homeless was able to put people in hotels. The government gave $200 million to the police – for what? They ain’t doing nothing but killing us.
Homeless people want what everyone wants, to wake up in bed, in an apartment. Housing is a human right. You’ve got 465 vacancies in Cabrini Green alone. Clean up these buildings and put homeless people in there. Give us access to those things and stop withholding them.
There are people out here that are willing to fight back. Give us access to the things we need. We need to stand together and not look down on each other, not just the homeless but all of us. I am going to encourage my brothers and sisters to fight for the good life, fight for our lives. I feel in my heart if we all come together we will get what we need.
