Tag: criminalization of homelessness
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Street Sweeping in Denver, CO
By Giles Clasen Courtesy of INSP.ngo /Denver Voice Photos: Giles Clasen Denver police and cleanup crews armed with brooms and trash bags met angry homeless men and women last month on sidewalks just north of downtown Denver. The goal of those in uniform was to clean the sidewalks. The homeless campers feared they would lose their…
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Criminalization of Homelessness Persists, Report Finds
Despite efforts to help homeless populations get back on their feet, a new report finds that the criminalization of homelessness is on the rise. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has reviewed state laws over the past decade and has determined that as many as 187 cities continue to impose harsh penalties on…
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Don’t Feed the Homeless, It Only Encourages Them
Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs, in 1988. “Street feeding programs without comprehensive services actually increase and promote homelessness”—Marbut Consulting. Over 70 cities in the United States have passed laws banning or restricting the sharing of free food with the poor outside. A new theory being used to justify limits to the sharing of meals…
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Court Case Result Counters Trend on Criminalization of Homelessness
As this past June came to a close, so too did a crucial case which affirmed to the state of Massachusetts that homelessness would not not be considered a crime within its borders. Commonwealth v. Magadini–which was taken on by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts–was a saga beginning in early 2014, when complications…
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Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of the Homeless
I had the wonderful opportunity to see a screening of the documentary “Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness” at Cambridge City Hall. The evening was made possible by Vice Mayor Marc McGovern, who brought together an audience of local social services providers who work day-in and day-out on issues touching the homeless of Cambridge.…
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Homes not Jails: Santa Cruz City Council votes to continue the sleeping ban
The crackdown on the homeless took another ugly step in Santa Cruz, California. On March 8, 2016, the city council voted 5 to 2 to continue to criminalize sleeping. This follows votes to implement harsh stay-away orders from parks and beaches for people engaging in activities like sleeping at night, smoking or being in a…
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Supreme Court Protects Homeless Rights
As this article will explain, numerous important issues involving the rights of the homeless have been addressed recently by our legal system, including a major victory for the homeless through the Supreme Court’s June 29 ruling in Thayer v. City of Worcester, in which the Homeless Empowerment Project was involved. As most of our regular…
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RISING TIDE: The fight against the criminalization of homelessness
Last month, the Homeless Empowerment Project’s Vincent Flanagan, in his last action before leaving his post as executive director of Spare Change News, testified before the Massachusetts State House regarding a Homeless Bill of Rights. The law would make it illegal for an employer to discriminate based on whether an applicant has a permanent address…