Hi Everyone!

From the sweeps of the encampments along Division Street in San Francisco, to the “operation healthy streets” sweeps of the encampments in Skid Row of Los Angeles, to the “order of removal” of humans from their shelter in Denver, Colorado – the grim reality of criminalization is all around us. All of these sweeps, and the many more that are happening all across the country, reiterate their message clearly “move along or else.”

But move along to where?

At WRAP we know that arresting, ticketing, harassing, forcing relocation and stealing the belongings of homeless people does not do anything to support people in exiting homelessness and in fact makes homeless people’s lives exponentially more difficult. Providing adequate housing with competent and useful services while ending criminalization is a solution that will actually end homelessness.

In California, The Right2Rest Act (SB 876) is back and anxiously awaiting a hearing date. The Right2Rest addresses these problems by decriminalizing homeless people’s ability to sit, lie, rest, eat and exist in public if they have no other place to do these life-sustaining acts. By life-sustaining acts, we mean acts that are necessary for a human to engage in if they are to survive. In this way, we see the fight against criminalization as the fight for the right to exist. Knowing that none of us will be free until we all have the right to exist and the right to resist.

Help support this crucial legislation, SB 876, by writing a support letter by March 25, 2016. Please forward this message along to your allies and help us build power to end criminalization in California. You can learn more about this legislation and similar legislation in Colorado and Oregon here.