Hey People!

YES! Our Bill has a Hearing Date!

Note: We apologize for the amount of emails lately, we emailed you yesterday before the bill was scheduled for a hearing. See below for hearing time and the contact information for the committee members (now included within the email.) We will confirm the time for a rally prior to the hearing soon and email you again with the rally time and location.

Colorado organizers are so excited announce that HB 17-1314, The Colorado Right to Rest Act has been introduced and has been scheduled for its first hearing in House Local Government Committee on Wednesday, April 19th at 1:30 in room 271, on the second floor of the State Capitol. We need you all to speak up!

Colorado state legislators Salazar and Melton introduce HB 17-1314 - The Colorado Right2Rest Act - for the third year. The Right2Rest Act is stronger, clearer, and more powerful! If HB 17-1314 passes this year - it will force the state of Colorado to abandon its practices of criminalizing homeless people for engaging in basic life-sustaining activities like sitting, lying, sleeping, resting and eating in public. The criminalization of rest must end if we are ever to turn the tide on our homelessness crisis.

You can read the full bill language here and you can read the main talking points here

Follow These 2 Easy Steps to TAKE ACTION!

1) Send a letter of organizational support!
Click here for a sample letter.

Please send your letter on organizational letterhead, to: info@denverhomelessoutloud.org and coral@wraphome.org

2) Email and call the members of the Local Government Committee by Friday, April 14th, and urge them to support HB 17-1314 , the Colorado Right2Rest Act

James Coleman james.coleman.house@state.co.us 303-866-2909 Democrat
Tony Exum tony.exum.house@state.co.us 303-866-3069 Democrat
Matt Gray matt@matthewgray.us 303-866-4667 Democrat
Steve Lebsock steve.lebsock.house@state.co.us 303-866-2931 Democrat
Larry Liston larry.liston.house@state.co.us 303-866-2937 Republican
Hugh McKean hugh.mckean.house@state.co.us 303-866-2947 Republican
Clarice Navarro clarice.navarro.house@state.co.us 303-866-2905 Republican
Kim Ransom kim.ransom.house@state.co.us 303-866-2933 Republican
Paul Rosenthal paulrosenthal5280@gmail.com 303-866-2910 Democrat
Jonathan Singer jonathan.singer.house@state.co.us 303-866-2780 Democrat
Dan Thurlow danthurlow55@gmail.com 303-866-3068 Republican
Donald Valdez donald.valdez.house@state.co.us 303-866-2916 Democrat

Sample Script:

My name is ________ and I am calling to urge you to vote YES on the Right To Rest Act. You will be hearing HB 17-1314: Colorado Right To Rest Act in the Local Government Committee. This bill provides critical civil rights protections to ALL Coloradoans that every Coloradoan is able to meet the biological need of rest.

The practice of criminalizing poor and homeless people for engaging in basic life-sustaining activities like eating, sleeping, resting, and lying is unjust, cruel and entrenches people in homelessness. HB 17-1314 will allow homeless people more time and energy to access services, search for employment and apply for housing that would otherwise be spent responding to police harassment, tickets, courts and jail time. Please vote YES on HB 17-1314: the Colorado Right To Rest Act!

Right now, as we write, 3 people are on trial in the City and County of Denver - defending their right to survive in public space. This is the first Camping Ban (more aptly called "Survival Ban") Trial in Denver's history. The time to act to end the criminalization of "certain types of people" and defend the rights of all Coloradoans is NOW!

See the camping ban in action



Onward,
The Colorado Homeless Bill of Rights Organizing Team

Oregon Committee chair refusing to schedule hearing for Right To Rest Act (HB 2215)

In spite of an unprecedented seven co-sponsors, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Representative Jeff Barker has confirmed he will not schedule House Bill 2215 for a hearing, prior to the deadline for a vote, in the assembly Judiciary Committee.

"This is a sad day in Oregon," says Israel Bayer, Executive Director of Street Roots. "People experiencing homelessness deserve more than being swept away by the Oregon legislature and forced into isolation and criminalized for no other reason than their housing status."

The Right to Rest Act has been introduced twice in the Colorado legislature, three times in the California legislature and twice in Oregon. This will be the first time a state legislative body refused to allow it to go before a committee for a full hearing of the issues and a vote of the members.

Representative Barker's decision to not hold a hearing, and allow a vote on HB 2215, is eerily reminiscent of local governments trying to make poor and homeless people disappear from sight in local communities.

The Right to Rest Act aims to end the criminalization of rest and accompanying violations of basic human and civil rights for all people. This legislation protects the following rights and prohibits the enforcement of any local laws that violate these rights:

• Right to move freely, rest, sleep and be protected in a public space.
• Right to rest in public spaces and protect oneself from the elements in a non-obstructive manner
• Right to reasonable expectation of privacy of your property in public space
• Right to occupy a legally parked vehicle.
• Right to share food and eat in public.

The Right to Rest Act would not affect localities' ability to enforce laws against such things as trespassing on private property, littering, or obstructing passageways. It would simply end the practice of criminalizing people for the simple acts of resting or sharing food in public listed in the bill.

Homelessness, and the criminalization thereof, are of statewide concern. As local jurisdictions are increasingly passing and enforcing such unconstitutional ordinances and rules against necessary rest, a state law is needed to prevent such occurrences.

The harsh reality is that local communities don't have an answer for what to do for thousands of people experiencing homelessness throughout our state. It's unacceptable to maintain laws that punish people for nothing more than their existence.

Unfortunately, Oregon has a long, documented history of local communities passing and discriminatorily enforcing ordinances to remove "certain" people from their towns.

According to the newly released ACLU of Oregon report, "Decriminalizing Homelessness: Why Right to Rest Legislation is the High Road For Oregon," - there is an entire legal infrastructure in Oregon that makes meeting basic survival illegal in public spaces.

The report analyzed local laws in 69 cities throughout Oregon and found that 225 laws that create clear barriers to performing life sustaining activities and legalize unfair and harmful treatment of unhoused communities.

More so, the report outlines that beyond the approximately 125 laws that outlaw some form of sleeping in public spaces throughout Oregon - restrictions extend beyond simply sleeping. For those individuals that have access to the security of a car, bus, trailer or RV - sleeping may still be a crime. Thirty-one cities in Oregon restrict sleeping in one's vehicle even if it's in normal parking place and posing no safety hazard.

With Oregon's $1.6 billion budget deficit, and massive federal and state budget cuts to housing and human services being planned (Trump administration has called for 6.6 Billion in HUD budget alone), this legislation is more important than ever.

The solution to homelessness is simple - it's housing. Unfortunately, thousands of people remain without a safe place to call home in Oregon and therefore must conduct their survival activities in public space. We must work collectively to end the criminalization of homelessness and create the necessary affordable housing in our community.

"At the end of the day, this bill deserves a hearing," says Paul Boden, Director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project. "The practice of law-enforcement targeting people experiencing homelessness has to be stopped. These laws have to become a part of the past. People's lives are depending on it."

Press contacts:
Paul Boden, Western Regional Advocacy Project, 415.430.7358
Karissa Moden, Sisters Of The Road, 503-222-5694 ext. 119
Ibrahim Mubarak, Right 2 Survive, 503.839.9992
Israel Bayer, Street Roots, 503.228.5657

SB 310 - the Name and Dignity Act for Incarcerated Trans People got out of its first committee in a 5-2 vote!!!

We are beyond excited that our bill will continue through the Senate to the Judiciary committee on April 18th @ 1:30 in room #112 in the California state capitol.

Woods Ervin, Policy Director and KellyLou Densmore, Legal Director - both from the Transgender Gendervariant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP) - testified in support of the bill and about 25 community members were there to voice their support for SB 310. Only 1 person voiced opposition for the bill from the California sheriff's association.

"Transgender people face daily violence while incarcerated and misgendering trans people is itself violence" said Woods Ervin, Policy Director at the TGI Justice Project in the committee hearing.

If passed, SB 310 or the Name and Dignity Act for Incarcerated Trans People would make it possible for transgender prisoners to change their legal name and gender by applying through the superior courts.

With your help, we go through the Senate Public Safety committee but now we need your help to get us through the Senate Judiciary Committee.

If you work for an organization, you can use the sample support letter here: http://wraphome.org//upl/2015/02/SB310SupportLetter-2.docx

If you want to voice your support as yourself - call the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and tell them to vote YES on SB 310 on April 18th and honor the dignity of transgender prisoners.

Hannah Beth Jackson (Chair) - (916) 651-4019
John Moorlach (Co-Chair) - (916) 651-4037
Joel Anderson - (916) 651-4038
Robert Hertzberg - (916) 651-4018
Bill Monning - (916) 651-4017
Henry Stern - (916) 651-4027
Bob Wieckowski - (916) 651-4010

Sample script:
Hi, my name is _____ and I'm from ______. I am calling to urge Senator _______ to vote YES on SB 310 - the Name and Dignity Act on April 18th in the Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 310 would make it possible for transgender prisoners to change their legal name and gender by applying through the superior courts. This bill is crucial in supporting the dignity of transgender people while they are incarcerated and breaks down many of the barriers for transgender people re-entering the community.

Love and struggle, y'all.