A Change Is Gonna Come
The weather forecast was “continued heavy rain and gale force winds.” We knew this would impact the size of the crowd for our first public event, but it didn’t matter. The stormy weather seemed fitting for the tumultuous times we’re in. It was a sharp reminder that people live and die in these conditions all winter long. This doubled our resolve.
Around ten in the morning the rain mellowed and by the time the rally began the clouds had parted to reveal bits of blue sky that had been hidden for over a week. The plaza crowded with people and banners, energy and anticipation filled the air. There were a lot of smiles going around. Eyes shone with determination and recognition that this was the time to take the next step together in this nascent West Coast movement. (more…)
Police watched as more than 100 people blocked a busy intersection at 6th and Market yesterday, near the Federal Building, to call attention to the nation’s housing crisis. Speakers questioned national priorities, with President Obama sending 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan as thousands of Americans continue to be pushed into poverty and homelessness. The group, organized by Kensington Welfare Rights Union and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, demanded a moratorium on evictions, and vowed massive nationwide civil disobedience at the end of January if Obama has not taken adequate steps to address the housing issue. 
The debate continues in Congress and across the country over health-care reform, but one group of people who have a lot of interest in the issue but are often overlooked are the homeless.
At some point in history, people will look back on this country’s responses to homelessness during the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s, and most assuredly will wonder, “What the hell were these people thinking?”
Los Angeles is famous as the nation’s capital of movie stars and rich and envied people. But its lesser-known distinction as the nation’s homeless capital has earned it a new title: the “Meanest City” in America.