September 12th
Poor People’s March For Human Rights!
Marching for safe shelter, healthcare, healthy food, and Dignity FOR ALL.
Starts 10am, Eureka- 14th and Summer, next to Food For People: March together through neighborhoods and to Highland Park for a noon picnic, an open speak out, listening and gathering to share and to confront all aspects of poverty.
People For a Human Rights Sanctuary?
We’re a group of very concerned, active, and local residents who have united to address consistently ignored issues of poverty, of certain chronic suffering, and oppression of homeless people- that requires greater focus by everyone. Each day harassed, and with another pending nightfall… the necessity to rest, to sleep… and with no sanctuary.
International Treaties, the U.S. Constitution, courts at every level in this country have established the obvious- that sleep is a human necessity. Also, they’ve established that depriving someone of sleep is cruelty. However, local police, judges, and the public continue to treat homeless people who must live and sleep in public as if they’re committing crimes. In the rare instance that a homeless person has support to challenge, in the local courts, “criminal charges” of sleeping, he or she wins or the case is dismissed.
The public’s belief that homeless people are living outside of the law hardens personal prejudice and adds more conflict to a people already facing painful and critical situations. Homelessness growing, no relief in sight, all of us facing deeper economic woes, lost jobs, state budget cuts, etc.
The illegality of local police and government practices against homeless people is never mentioned in the media nor talked about by officials. It is imperative that all of us who know the truth help bring it to others now, so that these practices of harassment, threatening arrest, physical abuse, and confiscating peoples’ personal property ceases. Such practices cause great stress and injury and allow prejudice to grow. Criminalizing of homeless people must stop.
We have plans to create a well organized and well maintained camp, a human rights sanctuary, with and for homeless people- a prototype for other sanctuaries that may follow. This will take skills and effort from people from all walks of life. We are also being advised by competent legal support. Communities in other cities are busy following this same course.
Tell everyone you know about the March on September 12th . We are open to and encouraged by more folks who would like to share ideas or get involved in any way.
PEOPLE FOR A HUMAN RIGHTS SANCTUARY
444-3155 442-7465
peopleforahumanrightssanctuary@gmail.com
Just came back from spending 2 nights sleeping in a camp for homeless persons at SafeGround in Sacramento.
The Mayor agrees that this camp is not a recreational “campground” in the traditional sense but is a Human Rights sanctuary and their attorney (who owns the land the homeless are living on, Mark Merrin) believes that the ordinances that make “camping” illegal within the city is not the same as what a sleeping area is when homeless persons are occupying it. He is confident that he can win the case that will come out of this encampment and change the camping ordinance to decriminalize campers.
The police are using the CSI unit of the Sheriffs Dept. that take pictures at 6-7am. The group has been raided twice and lost all their belongings while arresting 17 people. Some have lost bikes and trailers, tents, sleeping bags, medicines, the usual. But there was no report from anyone of abuse other than material goods, arrest, etc. Seems the Sac law enforcement are more polite than Eurekas.
SafeGround organizer Maureen Black told me while I was helping to plant the first plants in their camp garden that she will support us when we need them. So good to hear! When we left I told our brothers and sisters not to give up and they sounded determined to stay for the long haul even though it means personal sacrifice for all of them as they learn how to get along with each other under such stressful circumstances.
We could have had a campground in 1992, but there was not a strong enough group at that time to accomplish the daunting task. It is happening all over the country, we ARE going to do it! The time is right!!!!!
See ya at the march!!!!