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SPECIAL COVERAGE
regiones:temas especiales:géneros:actions:all action pages >> recursos:red imc
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Homelessness
This page is dedicated to homeless advocacy work, including Dignity Village, gentrification, squatting, the camping ban, and reclaiming public land.
Take the survey on Portland Business Journal http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/poll/?poll_id=6178
The link is for a poll on the sit lie ordinance The Portland City Council will revisit the city's "sit-lie" ordinance in October. The ordinance, adopted last year, prohibits persons from sitting, either on the pavement or on a chair or stool, or lying down on public sidewalks. Supporters say the law makes for a safer, cleaner downtown, but opponents say it discriminates against the homeless. Do you support Portland's sit-lie ordinance? Yes No Undecided Well it doesnt look encouraging from the results I seen today *most votes are from the suit n tie crowd I am wagering/thinking (((I VOTED NO)))
In response to the targeting of poor and houseless people in the community, a demonstration is planned for Wednesday, July 9th. It will start in the North Park Blocks at 5pm. "Hands Off the Poor," a demonstration organized by the Portland Coalition Against Poverty demands an immediate end to police harassment and arrest of poor and houseless people in the community.
From the open publishing newswire:
The Portland Police Bureau has continued its criminalization of houselessness, by sweeping 50 folks from under and atop the Burnside Bridge on 6/24, and sweeping almost 50 more folks from the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges the following night. Their possessions were confiscated and thrown away. The Portland Coalition Against Poverty is hosting a demonstration to demand an immediate end to police harassment of poor and houseless people. It is on Wednesday, July 9th, at 5pm, in the North Park Blocks.
From the open publishing newswire:
The Lane County Coalition Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) are hosting a rally and a march on Sunday, June 29th from the EMU on the University of Oregon Campus. They intend to draw awareness to the impact of the Olympics on the poor and homeless communities locally and globally.
From the open publishing newswire:
Acting in solidarity with the call out for a decentralized day of action on June 21st, an ad hoc group of Portland residents intends to establish a temporary autonomous zone in downtown Portland. The space created by our action intends to
-Challenge the Sit/Lie Ordinance through community power -Create a conversation surrounding the criminalization of poverty -Demonstrate that commodified and (para)militarized urban areas can be re-imagined through creative transformations. -Uphold the demands of the United Poor People (UPP). http://homelessliberation.wordpress.com/
-Recognize that listening and cooperation requires attention to systematic modes of oppression and privilege related to race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.
From the open publishing newswire:
This is the text from the UPP 3-fold pamphlet which will soon be made available as an online readable pdf.
The UPP was founded as a people's response to the crisis of poverty and homelessness in Portland. We recognize that this is a national crisis which needs immediate, viable solutions, not promises of future recognition. We meet in Chapman Square, across from City Hall every day at 10:00am and 6:00pm. Our meetings are consensus based and open to the public and we encourage and request that YOU come join us and help develop solutions that will WORK. - SOLUTIONS NOT SWEEPS - HOMES NOT JAILS - DIALOGUE NOT A DOG AND PONY SHOW - CREATIVITY NOT CRIMINALIZATION
Here is an YouTube video Update from a few of the protesters on Saturday evening They are letting the community know of the Monday morning City Hall Protest starting at 8:00 am Numerous homeless advocates have been arrested over this push for human rights and dignity Support and Solidarity is still needed
From the open publishing newswire:
After the Portland Police department swept protestors from City Hall at 5:30am, [on Thursday May 15th] the United Poor People have regrouped and continued their protest. We are calling for new ways to address the lack of adequate housing for the people of Portland in the hopes that it can serve as a model for other cities. More long-term solutions are being debated by UPP such as searching for ways to provide affordable housing for people who are poor. Innovative changes must be addressed with proper representation for the poor instead of solely allowing existing service providers to make decisions.
The protest has been ongoing for over 20 days, starting April 25th, since police performed sweeps at many of the common camp sites that people were staying at. Larger issues have become key such as the lack of adequate housing, shelters that provide space for those with mental and physical health issues, couples and people with pets, as well as for sexual minorities and increased space for women. The existing shelters, which police gave information for during the sweep, are already full as are the beds that Mayor Tom Potter has trumped up for the media. Protesters have stated that they would stop sleeping at City Hall if a temporary Green Zone was approved to allow those without houses to camp in a safe environment. This would require repealing the Camping ordinance and protesters would like to see the Sit and Lie ordinance repealed as well. Please come out to support members of your community because this issue effects all people. Any time is good for people to come down but especially on Wednesday morning for the City Council meeting at 9:00am. For more information please contact UnitedPoorPeople@gmail.com. [ Previous articles: More articles on homeless camp ] Updates: May 16th - City Hall Protesters return, but then cops return also, and sweep them into park
[ Previous articles: More articles on homeless camp ]
"We aren't leaving until they give us what we want" is our general consensus, although the diversity of our growing crowd has brought many new angles as to how we would accomplish such. Mayor Potter has basically refused dialog, and continues to be narrowly focused on the federal mandated "Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness," as well as on opening temporary shelter beds which do nothing over the long-term. Last night our entire camp met to discuss issues and decide what's next.
From the open publishing newswire:
we need more housed people to come out and sleep on the sidewalks around city hall. until we have more housed folks out here showing that they are on our side and that this is in fact a WHOLE community issue, we will likely and unfortunately not be taken as seriously. pull out your sleeping bag, ground pad, tarp and sign, and set up shop with us. there's lot of friends down here who are willing to help you navigate our protest while sleeping on the street. see you there!
--------------------- Yesterday while doing Food not Bombs at protest until late, I did my best to listen to what the organizers there needed and others requested. The big one is more people that aren't homeless. Tarps and Blankets. Food not Bombs served on Tuesday at City hall. Weds. Food not Bombs will be held at City hall instead of outer SE. We will also be serving on Thursday. It was requested that Saturday Food not Bombs be held at City hall. We would actually like to request that all food not bombs be held at City hall. There is the looming response of a police ticketing sweep of City hall. But there are still no where near the about of beds needed for people on the streets.
And when they get their way, they create the stale, dead world they moved here from in the first place. The city becomes nothing more than a glass and steel shopping mall. Plastic and surface and all for sale. The gritty culture is gone, the interesting people are gone, the stories are gone. All that remains is shiny, new things no one cares about, boring people just like them, and places to go shopping. And who wants that? Nobody wants to live in a place like that. Nobody wants to visit a place like that. So they all leave again. And the city begins to "decay" again. And the malls close down, and the housing prices plummet, and the warehouses empty out... and we can all move back again. And rebuild our own culture again.
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