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Homeless Art Exhibition in Berkeley, CA on March 9, 2019 | PRESS RELEASE First They Came For The Homeless

February 2, 2019 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

PRESS RELEASE | First They Came For The Homeless
Homeless Art Exhibition in Berkeley, CA on March 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marcia Poole 510-549-3345 mpoole1082@gmail.com

Creativity Unhoused;
Adaptation and Creativity that Moves the Movement

On March 9, 2019 an art show dealing with multiple aspects of homelessness within our communities will open at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, sponsored by the advocacy group, First they Came for the Homeless. The main focus of the art will be on the efforts of homeless people to survive within urban environments and, especially, on the benefits created by the communities that develop within and around homeless encampments and shelters, as well as among people sleeping in the rough. The exhibition will explore the differing ways utilized by individuals in these communities to insure safety, solidarity, camaraderie, and other positive aspects of the communal experience. The show will also address the problems faced by the homeless on a daily basis.
The participating artists, homeless and housed, will be drawn from members of our community who have either experienced homelessness directly or have been touched by the plight of the homeless . This event will be the first opportunity for some of the participating homeless artists to display and sell their work in a professional gallery and will incorporate art in many different media, including painting, photography, printmaking, digital art, installation art, videos, sculpture, crafts, jewelry, clothing, and ceramics.

The participation of homeless artists will be facilitated through their collaboration with First They Came for the Homeless (which will provide access to materials as well as assistance in the presentation and submission of their work) and Expressions Gallery. Funds and materials for the effort will be secured through donations.
The Creativity Unhoused exhibit will run from March 9th, 2019 – May 24th, 2019 at Expressions Gallery, located at 2035 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA. Phone # 510-644-4930.

The gallery, one block from the Ashby BART station, is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, Noon – 5 PM and Sundays from Noon – 3 PM. The Opening Reception will be held at Expressions Gallery on Saturday evening, March 9th, from 6-8 PM and will feature local participating artists, musicians, and refreshments. The reception is free to the public.

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WRAP has the power of collective mobilization whil WRAP has the power of collective mobilization while remaining accountable to the realities of local communities. By bringing together some of the fiercest organizations fighting homelessness, for 21 years WRAP has developed a unique structure that combines documented street outreach, movement building, and national policy work, helping us bridge the local-national divisions that have hindered homeless organizing for the last four decades.
 #HousekeysNotSweeps #HousekeysNotHandcuffs #WeWillNotDisappear
Check out WRAP sweeps handout to learn the truth d Check out WRAP sweeps handout to learn the truth directly from the streets on the impact of sweeps! 

WRAP members continue to fight sweeps in their communities through utilizing documented street outreach to dispel stereotypes on what a “sweep” actually is. 

Sweeps fracture communities, displace people, & damage physical and mental health. 

When asked, what alternatives/services were people offered? 88% were not offered any services and 74% had all of their belongings thrown away at the sweep. Sweeps are not a solution to addressing homelessness but rather another phase in the cycle of homelessness! 

This handout is available for use! Go to bit.ly/wrapsweepszine to download. 
Learn more and connect with the nearest WRAP member and join the fight against sweeps! 

All members are tagged in the post and the list can be found on our link tree. List below:

 @coalitiononhomelessness
 @housekeysactionnetworkdenver
 @humanrighttohousingcollective
 @judismidnightdiner
 @lacanetwork_official
 @loveandjusticeinthestreets
 @unumissoula
 @streetspiritnews
Check out WRAP sweeps handout to learn the truth d Check out WRAP sweeps handout to learn the truth directly from the streets on the impact of sweeps! 

WRAP members continue to fight sweeps in their communities through utilizing documented street outreach to dispel stereotypes on what a “sweep” actually is. 

Sweeps fracture communities, displace people, & damage physical and mental health. 

When asked, what alternatives/services were people offered? 88% were not offered any services and 74% had all of their belongings thrown away at the sweep. Sweeps are not a solution to addressing homelessness but rather another phase in the cycle of homelessness! 

This handout is available for use! Go to bit.ly/wrapsweepszine to download. 
Learn more and connect with the nearest WRAP member and join the fight against sweeps! 

All members are tagged in the post and the list can be found on our link tree. List below:

 @coalitiononhomelessness
 @housekeysactionnetworkdenver
 @humanrighttohousingcollective
 @judismidnightdiner
 @lacanetwork_official
 @loveandjusticeinthestreets
 @unumissoula
 @streetspiritnews
Sweeps are a way to push people further into the m Sweeps are a way to push people further into the margins of society and out of the public eye. They are a sham response to a manufactured issue. Sweeps will never solve homelessness, instead they play into the vicious cycle of homelessness. 

Organizers keep fighting back! Our outreach to the community tells us the trends of criminalization, dehumanization, & a gap in actually moving towards viable solutions are on full display. 

Criminalization of poor and unhoused people will continue to expand so long as the reins on America’s neoliberal approach to fiscal and social policy remain untethered. 

We must seek the commonalities between our communities in order to thread the power of our organizing together! 

*Note: This is an abridged version of the full article which can be found on our blog at bit.ly/fightsweeps 

Continue to support the work of WRAP members. All members are tagged in the post and the list can be found on our link tree. List below: 

@coalitiononhomelessness
@housekeysactionnetworkdenver
@humanrighttohousingcollective
@judismidnightdiner
@lacanetwork_official
@loveandjusticeinthestreets
@unumissoula
@streetspiritnews

Donate to WRAP to support our work! Donation link can be found in our link tree!
For 21 years, we’ve worked alongside @lacanetwork_ For 21 years, we’ve worked alongside @lacanetwork_official and other local groups, with community outreach guiding all our campaigns. 

The #Right2Rest Bill was introduced in Colorado, Oregon, and California, and WRAP member groups in all three states built it together from the same outreach to our collective community. 

It lost nine times across those states. 

The point was never just the bill. The point was the movement behind it. #HousekeysNotSweeps #HousekeysNotHandcuffs #WeWillNotDisappear
As part of our 21st Anniversary Celebration, we ho As part of our 21st Anniversary Celebration, we hosted an IG Live conversation between Paul and General Dogon with @lacanetwork_official about why WRAP was created: the idea of building a broader network of community organizations down for the serious fight for dignity and respect for our communities. 

We know that our job as organizers is to connect accountable organizations and build power collectively, because that makes us all stronger, it makes us all smarter, and it gives us more skills. #WRAP21 #HousekeysNotSweeps #HousekeysNotHandcuffs
The systems are doing what they were built to do: The systems are doing what they were built to do: displace people, criminalize poverty, protect profit. WRAP + our members organize and fight for dignity and respect.

Every one of us has a role right now; If you have resources, you make space for the folks with time, skills, & energy to work that magic. Every dollar keeps us moving.

$21, $210, or $2,100...it all keeps WRAP + members in sync. Link in bio!
Every day we witness the criminalization of povert Every day we witness the criminalization of poverty and homelessness where local governments across the country unleash the force of the State against people forced to live in public space. Blaming unhoused people for the fact homelessness exists while they continue to ignore the devastation of public and affordable housing program for people.

Read our post to understand what sweeps are and how they’re used in the cycle of homelessness! #StopTheSweeps
San Francisco, CA. We have an abusive government! San Francisco, CA. We have an abusive government! Speak out against cuts to senior & disability programs! April 15 Join the board of supervisors' budget committee hearing to share your story! Meet at noon for an action. Hearing begins at 1:30pm Room 278
WRAP's birthday month is coming to a close in less WRAP's birthday month is coming to a close in less than 10 hours! Continue to support our work in the following ways: 

✨Help us raise $2,100 by the end of today! 
✨Grow our monthly donors by 21 people! 
✨Subscribe to our newsletter & stay updated about WRAP resources, WRAP members & articles on homeless policy! 

We want everyone to keep celebrating with us by building, strengthening, & broadening the movement to end the criminalization of poverty & homelessness! 

Reach out to WRAP today to learn more about volunteer opportunities, how to support our work & how to get connected with our members! 

Reach out to wrap@wraphome.org 

All WRAP member organizations are tagged & links can be found in our linktree.
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