• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
WRAP

WRAP

Western Regional Advocacy Project

  • Donate Now
  • Get Email Updates
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • 40 Years of Fighting
    • History
    • Mission
    • Strategy
    • Members
    • Board / Staff
  • Campaigns
    • Business Improvement Districts
    • House Keys Not Sweeps
    • Legal Defense Clinics Project
    • Homeless Bill of Rights
    • Oregon Right To Rest
    • Without Housing
    • Street Outreach
  • Organizing Tools
    • Without Housing Organizing Toolkit
    • Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign Manual
    • WRAP Organizers Manual
    • WRAP Artwork
  • Resources
    • Pipe Dreams and Picket Fences Report
    • Art in Action Power Point Slide Show
    • Hobos to Street People
    • House Keys Book
    • Political Education
    • Legal Research
  • Media
    • Newsletters
    • Blog
    • Hobos to Street People Art Show
    • Street Newspapers
    • Sweeps Gallery Videos
    • Videos
  • Support Us
    • Donate
    • Become a Monthly Sustainer
    • Volunteer
    • Support WRAP
    • WRAP Newsletters & Updates Sign Up

“DON’T TAKE OUR TENTS!”: HOUSING JUSTICE ADVOCATES WILL HOLD A “VIGIL FOR THE STREETS” AT MEDFORD CITY HALL THIS THURSDAY

March 31, 2021 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31st, 2021
CONTACT: Maig Tinnin, Housing Justice Alliance, maigtinnin@gmail.com, (541) 295-4573

“DON’T TAKE OUR TENTS!”: HOUSING JUSTICE ADVOCATES WILL HOLD A “VIGIL FOR THE STREETS” AT MEDFORD CITY HALL THIS THURSDAY

Medford City Council will vote at April 1st meeting amidst growing community opposition to the “Prohibited Camping Ordinance”

 

What: Don’t Take Our Tents! Vigil for the Streets

Who: Cohosted by the Housing Justice Alliance, Siskiyou Street News, the Rogue Action Center, Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity, Building a Better Future, and Siskiyou Rising Tide. Featuring speakers from the streets of Medford and allies.

When: Thursday, April 1st, at 5pm

Where: Medford City Hall: 411 W 8th St, Medford, OR

[Medford, OR] – The Housing Justice Alliance will hold a public vigil on Thursday, April 1st at 5PM to honor people who have died without shelter and show opposition to Medford’s proposed “Prohibited Camping Ordinance,” which would make it a criminal misdemeanor for people to use tents for shelter. The Medford City Council will vote on the ordinance during their 6PM meeting. The public will not be allowed into the meeting due to COVID restriction, so the Housing Justice Alliance will stream the meeting outside.

“We are gathering before the city council meeting because we want our local officials to understand the weight of their decisions. We want them to hear people’s voices and see the faces of those that their vote will impact,” said Emily Mann from the Housing Justice Alliance. “Many of us have lost friends on the streets to exposure and other hardships. If the City of Medford makes it a jailable offense to use a tent, we will likely lose more people in the coming winters.”

The Medford City Council will vote on an updated version of the “Prohibited Camping Ordinance” that will still add criminal penalties for using a tent or lying down in public — up to 30 days and jail and a $500 fine. Housing justice advocates point out that this will only exacerbate Medford’s housing crisis, making it even harder for people to survive through extreme weather and access services.

In a letter to the City Council, 68-year-old houseless Medford resident Jenny said, “Without this tent, friends by the river, I would have died in a doorway. Who would care? Don’t take our only shelter.”

The Housing Justice Alliance launched a petition in March urging Medford’s City Council to reject the ordinance and listen to unhoused people and their allies to address the root causes of homelessness and poverty in the Rogue Valley. As of March 30, over 2,600 people have signed a petition opposing the proposed ordinance, including 550 Medford residents, at least 50 of whom are currently unhoused. Over 600 people signed from neighboring towns in Jackson County. 24 local organizations and businesses have also endorsed the petition in opposition to the proposed ordinance. [Petition link: https://tinyurl.com/MedfordPetition]

Many of the endorsing organizations have been on the frontlines of providing fire relief to impacted communities in the aftermath of last summer’s fires. Rogue Climate and the Rogue Action Center have been operating a fire relief station in Phoenix since losing their office to the Almeda fire in September. In a letter, Rogue Climate said “Putting more people in jail, giving them a criminal record, saddling them with more debt, and exposing them to more trauma will make it even harder for folks to get back on their feet. The City of Medford should be working with community groups to address the root causes of the housing crisis more effectively and on a larger scale.”

Thursday’s vigil will include art, a memorial altar, and speakers sharing their experiences of living unhoused in Medford. More information about the event can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/805588726732275

 

####

Filed Under: #right2rest, #StopTheSweeps, Press Releases

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Footer

Instagram Feed

Instagram post 18007722164134316 Instagram post 18007722164134316
It is that time of year when we send a letter to s It is that time of year when we send a letter to say thank you for all you do and for your support and to ask you to please continue that support if you are able. Please share this with people you know and grow WRAP’s revolution!
ALL donations in November and December will be matched up to $10,000 by a pool of generous donors. Consider becoming a monthly or quarterly donor to support the work of WRAP with a steady gift of any size. 
https://conta.cc/3MV8aYH
We put this out in 2018 ----- This wasn’t the be We put this out in 2018 ----- This wasn’t the beginning of sweeps and sure as hell wasn’t the end 
Sweeps will never “address” homelessness – Nothing will but a home!!
https://conta.cc/3LVGRxa
Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loiter Does the litany of laws forbidding camping, loitering, trespassing, blocking the sidewalk and panhandling make society safer? https://conta.cc/3ZrNvk5
https://conta.cc/48wWLr8
Welcome to the WRAP-UP! Boise, ID. Video Shows Fam Welcome to the WRAP-UP!	Boise, ID. Video Shows Family Violently Arrested and Severely Injured for Living in Park, and more news from our members.  https://conta.cc/3R8Efzl
https://conta.cc/3r3rHhU
Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Washington D.C. PRESS RELEASE: Congresswoman Bush Re-Introduces Unhoused Bill of Rights https://wraphome.org/
After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, w After nearly 30 years of continuous publication, we have lost our funding. Street Spirit ceased publication on July 1, but we will not give up! Our newspaper is an invaluable source of East Bay news, and a vital resource for the people who sell it. Come party with us to support our effort to relaunch. https://conta.cc/3rifOod
WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer WRAP was founde WRAP is Hiring - Member Organizer 
WRAP was founded in 2005 by local social justice organizations across the West to bring about real systemic change. We are building a multi-issue, multi-racial and social justice-based coalition which brings organizations together across the local–national divide, thus giving us the strength and experience to make ending poverty and homelessness a national priority. https://conta.cc/3XD5QK9
Celebrating Resistance Relationships June 30, 202 Celebrating Resistance Relationships 
June 30, 2023 * 6:00 - 8:00 pm 
320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
State of the “Sweeps” The politics of encampme State of the “Sweeps”
The politics of encampments and displacement in the “post” pandemic order
Public panel discussion, June 14, 4-5:30pm Communications 120
University of Washington, Seattle
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook Icon

Facebook Feed

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Link thumbnail

Homelessness is a visible manifestation of a society that is lacking in justice.

conta.cc

Support the unhoused revolution and WRAP’s winter campaign! Support the unhoused revolution and WRAP's Winter Campaign Hey Everybody! San ...
16 hours ago
View on Facebook
· Share
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
View Comments
  • Likes: 0
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Twitter Icon

Twitter Feed

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

YouTube icon

Youtube Code

Our Channel

Copyright © 2023 Western Regional Advocacy Project WRAP · Log in