Hey People!

Last week was a big week for WRAP on the international front. WRAP members provided leadership for packed town halls offering testimony on poverty and human rights abuses in the U.S. for visitors from the United Nations (UN).

The UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights visited San Francisco and Los Angeles and WRAP member groups were there to make sure they heard about the systemic violence against our communities as well as the movements we are building to say "no" to this violence. WRAPs powerful artwork, research, street outreach and documentation enhanced the testimonies.

The Rapporteurs cannot visit every region, and WRAP's connections through outreach and organizing helped to bring a voice to those areas not visited on this tour. For those not able to attend, WRAP will provide a full video shortly on our site. Thanks to all the WRAP member groups and allies who made this happen.

And please don't forget (this is a loving reminder) WRAP needs your support and we have a 1 to 1 match for all donations in December up to $15,000 - a $10 match grows to $20, $100 becomes $200 and a $1000 gift will provide $2000 to support the vital work of WRAP - thank you! If you've already donated during this end-of-year match - thank you! We can't do all we do without you - our community.

U.N. monitor on extreme poverty tours skid row in L.A.

By Gale Holland, LA Times

Alston's street ambassador for the tour was General Dogon, a skid row organizer with (WRAP core member) the Los Angeles Community Action Network, which hosted the town hall.

Dogon was highly critical of the city's approach to homelessness as he led Alston on a walking tour. He said the street cleanings were designed to harass homeless people, accused police of confiscating their belongings and said skid row enforcement was aimed at driving the poor out of downtown.

But there's no place for people to go, said Dogon, who recommended the police budget be diverted to building low-cost housing on city-owned lots.
Alston acknowledged Dogon's street-level view was very different from what he heard in the halls of power.

"Politicians in any context are there to put a positive spin on what they're doing and to insist that existing problems are about to be resolved, he said. That's all to be expected."

Picture by Maria Cardona/ Los Angeles Times

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UN poverty expert investigates efforts to address San Francisco's homeless

By Laura Waxmann, San Francisco Examiner

A United Nations human rights expert met with San Francisco homeless rights advocates and service providers on Wednesday to investigate whether the U.S. government is upholding its obligations to eradicate poverty under international human rights law.

"I have (to try to) make the argument that a system that purports to respect civil and political rights, but does not provide any economic and social underpinnings - no rights to basic social protection - is not actually a system that is really protecting civil and political rights," U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston said.