Hey People,

An abridged list of WRAP's "favorite" non-solution solutions to ensure that the status quo remains: criminalizing existence

1) Criminalizing Existence - County Jails and State Prisons Instead of Housing The favorite go-to response from cities across the country is to force homeless people out of public space by criminalizing basic life-sustaining activities in public space (sitting, lying, sleeping, resting, eating, etc.). Homeless people are told to move along, ticketed and/or arrested with the goal of removing them from public space.

Under the guise of working for the public good, city politicians are quick to jump on criminalizing everything they possible can. This means criminalizing people for camping when they have nowhere else to protect themselves from the elements. It also means criminalizing people possessing "camping paraphernalia" with the intent to use.

Under the guise of public health, cities and police departments are sweeping encampments and displacing people from the place where they live and the community they live with. Often these sweeps involve confiscation of people's property claiming that it is "garbage." Other strategies include closing public restrooms, turning off public water sources and denying people the right to wash themselves or their things. More restrictions on how many belongings homeless people can have include limiting belongings to two square feet or making it illegal to store property in public space.

Under the guise of public safety, poor and homeless people are funneled into local county jails and state prisons. Most often this happens because people are given bench warrants for accruing many fines for existing while poor in public. Others are locked up in county jails for simply not having the money to pay bail. This creates a sense of safety for wealthy people but is a direct threat to poor people's safety, as jails and prisons are deeply unsafe for everyone inside.

Clip from: The Invisible Class | Upstart Media
The story of homelessness across America. Mass homelessness didn't always exist. It's time to find out why it does. https://vimeo.com/upstartmedia

All of these strategies for criminalizing homeless people's existence are meant to make it harder for people with wealth to see homelessness. They do nothing to give people access to housing, to services that people want or to self-determination. In fact, criminalizing existence entrenches people in poverty and creates more and more obstacles for people trying to get off the streets.

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Denver, Colorado

Denver, CO- A landmark settlement has been reached in the Denver Homeless Sweeps Class Action. After almost three years of litigation, the parties have forged an innovative agreement that will be an impactful step forward in protecting the rights and dignity of people living homeless in Denver.

"This will mean I can go to live and work with more stability," says Eric Plaintiff class member. "It is about time the City recognizes we have constitutional rights to our property too - even if all we have fits in a tent."

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Denver - we have a choice to make.
Let Denverites experiencing homelessness struggle to survive, to sleep at night, and to make it to their jobs. Or to take action, and take the first step toward empathy, dignity, and realistic solutions.

Right now, thousands of members of our community are experiencing homelessness, and since 2012, Denver has made it illegal to use "any form of protection from the elements other than your clothing." Meaning people, right here in our community, do not have the Right to Survive.
It is illegal for them to sleep, illegal for them to protect themselves from severe weather, and illegal for them to own anything besides the clothes on their backs.

We are talking about basic human rights and as you read this, members of our community do not have them.
This May, we have the chance to decide what kind of city Denver will be. Let's choose to be a city that shows compassion, empathy, and kindness.
Take the first step towards a kinder city with us. Add your name to change the reality.

Sleep Not Sweeps!

Portland, Oregon

Right 2 Survive recognizes that a community-controlled solution is necessary, one that allows houseless communities, themselves, to diagnose and reduce exposure to harms. RESTING SAFE brings together houseless community leaders and activist-researchers to investigate and intervene in environmental hazards in the places where houseless people are building their homes. One important piece of this project is a collectively created, environmental justice-focused "RESTING SAFE Toolkit". We have already created a pamphlet with tips and tricks for dealing with mold and mildew, and are in the process of developing a zine focused on fire safety

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Portland, Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore. - Homeless camps dot the sidewalks and just about every nook and cranny in parts of Southwest Portland. Someone got tired of them, and started posting fake anti-camping notices along Southwest Caruthers Street, 4th and 5th avenues.

Upon first glance, it looks official: it bears the city's logos and actual city ordinances: 14A.50.020, which prohibits camping on public property and public rights of way, and 20.12.080, which prohibits people from building permanent or temporary structures at parks.

Thank You!