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HOUSING NOT HANDCUFFS REPORT SHOWS INCREASE IN THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS

November 15, 2016 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

1 2
EMBARGOED UNTIL NOVEMBER 15, 2016 at 11a.m. ET
Contact: Grace Beal
(202) 638-2535 ext. 105
gbeal@nlchp.org

HOUSING NOT HANDCUFFS REPORT SHOWS INCREASE IN THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESSWASHINGTON, D.C.

(November 15, 2016) –  Today, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (“Law Center”) releases its Housing Not Handcuffs report which shows that the criminalization of homelessness continues to increase throughout the country, despite strong evidence showing it is counter-productive and expensive. A national press conference will be held today at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the findings of the report. To register, call 202.638.2535 x112 or email llima@nlchp.org.

This is happening in conjunction with the November 15, 2016 launch of the Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign – initiated by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless, with over 100 local and national organizations involved. The Campaign has endorsed a series of Model Policies that, if enacted at the federal, state, and local level, would significantly reduce homelessness in a way that is cost-effective and supports the civil rights and human dignity of people experiencing homelessness.

“Laws that criminalize homelessness are expensive, counterproductive, potentially unconstitutional–and just plain wrong,” said Maria Foscarinis, Executive Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. “Any government that is serious about ending homelessness will focus its energy and resources on housing homeless people, not criminalizing them.”

The Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign is supported by a broad group of Americans.
“The use of the criminal justice system to punish those whose only crime is being poor and without shelter is not worth of our great nation,” The Honorable Eric Holder, former Attorney General said. “These laws are unconstitutional and are bad public policy.”
“Last year, Syracuse became one of the first cities in the country to end veteran homelessness, and we are well on our way to ending chronic homelessness as well,” said Syracuse, NY Chief of Police, Frank L. Fowler. “We are getting homeless people off the street through housing, not handcuffs, which lets police do the job they are best trained to do and service providers do theirs, saving taxpayer dollars and saving lives, and making a difference that our residents see and feel every day.”
“My struggle with schizoaffective disorder left me without a home, but the law in Tempe, Arizona left me without even a place to sit,” said David Pirtle, a formerly-homeless individual, now Public Education Coordinator at the National Coalition for the Homeless. “After walking miles in the blistering heat, I was threatened with a ticket for the crime of sitting in public. Criminalizing homelessness doesn’t make it go away. It just makes a terrible situation even worse to endure.”

About the Housing Not Handcuffs Report:
This is the 12 national report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty on the criminalization of homelessness in America. It analyzes ten years of data on the criminalization of homelessness in 187 cities across the country.About the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty:The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (www.nlchp.org) is the only national organization dedicated solely to using the power of the law to prevent and end homelessness. With the support of a large network of pro bono lawyers, we address the immediate and long-term needs of people who are homeless or at risk through outreach and training, advocacy, impact litigation, and public education.About the Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign:The Housing Not Handcuffs Campaign calls upon local, state and federal governments to end the criminalization of homelessness immediately, and believes that all persons experiencing homelessness should instead have access to affordable housing, education, health care, employment, income, and other opportunities and services that allow all to live with dignity. These are the only solutions to the crisis of homelessness from a moral, legal, fiscal, and policy perspective.
For additional info, visit www.housingnothandcuffs.org.

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On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of the Appropriations Committee. The bill was amended on the 15th and will be scheduled for a floor vote any time between August 17th and 31st. https://conta.cc/3dz2NzQ
Part 12... Infractions and Due Process Rights Ant Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
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This morning @phillysheriff ‘s came and evicted our protest encampment to Save the UC Townhomes. When asked why they were doing it, Rochelle Bilal responded that she “felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”

Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️
Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm Sunday AUGUST 2 Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

https://wraphome.org/2022/08/02/sacramento-ca-advocates-community-summit-on-homelessness-august-27-28th/
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Part 11 ... California’s “anti-Okie” laws of Part 11 ...
California’s “anti-Okie” laws of the 1930s and the South’s Jim Crow laws in effect from the late 1800s to the 1950s are examples of the kinds of local laws overturned in previous generations. Yet, modern “quality of life” legislation and enforcement targeting homeless people can be found in communities across the nation.
The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 expansion to August 2nd. If passed, this motion will add approximately 1,900 additional sites–a 376% increase in exclusionary zones across the city. 41.18 would then cover at least 88 sq miles (that’s 20% of the entire city).

Services Not Sweeps is urging EVERYONE to come to City Hall at 9:00am on August 2 and tell City Council that 41.18 is BAD POLICY and should be repealed.

When we fight, we win. 
But this fight isn’t over.

The community flooded City Hall inside and out on Wednesday to protest the expansion of 41.18 but the fight is not over. It’s clear that President Nury Martinez and friends weren’t prepared for our numbers and realized they were unable to rally their (few but loud) 41.18 supporters. Council delayed the vote to Tuesday August 2nd in an attempt to erode our momentum and stifle our voices. 
 
We won’t let that happen. The fight now is to keep the pressure on and show up next week!! See you next Tuesday 9am. Bring a friend.
 
WHO: You and your friends!
WHERE: City Hall, 200 N Spring St 
WHEN: Tuesday August 2nd at 9:00am
HOW: Read more details on our toolkit.
AGENDA ITEM 14 https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=102513
Part 10... In fact, however, enforcement is very m Part 10...
In fact, however, enforcement is very much impacted by both skin color and appearance. Local governments cannot legally discriminate against people strictly because they do not have housing. Federal protections prohibit local and state governments from removing people from their communities due to the color of their skin or economic/employment status.
Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civi Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civil Rights protections because on their face, these programs are not clearly discriminatory. Local laws are often drafted in such a way as to appear to apply equally to all people in a community.
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While certain communities highlight different controls at different times, often depending upon the outcome of local elections and legislative and court efforts, all have one primary common goal: to remove the presence and resulting impact of people without housing from local communities. As the Mayor of Las Vegas stated when she outlawed feeding people in city parks: “If we stop feeding them, they will leave.”
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Statewide fight against Newsom's "Care"-LESS Courts continues!

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Thank you to everyone who signed the open letter to Governor Newsom urging him to reconsider his CARE Court proposal. There were over 500 si...
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16 Aug 1559579585251102720

On August 11th, Newsom's "Care" Act passed out of the Appropriations Committee. The bill was amended on the 15th and will be scheduled for a floor vote any time between August 17th and 31st. https://conta.cc/3JXM4SF
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