The Freedom Movement left an enduring legacy by overcoming a brutal and seemingly all-powerful form of segregation that Vincent Harding calls a “terroristic system” of violent subjugation. Its legacy now extends far beyond America’s shores, for it has ignited the hopes of millions of people waging struggles for freedom overseas.
The Patron Saint of Charity and Justice
Martin de Porres was a defender of homeless people, a healer of the sick, a protector of unwanted animals, and the patron saint of all victims of racial prejudice. Martin broke through all the stereotypes and racial prejudices of his society and offered charity wherever it was needed.
The Street Spirit Interview with Vincent Harding
Martin was attuned to the Hebrew prophets, and that was their constant message: Don’t talk about loving God or being religious unless you stand with the outcasts and the weak. Jesus said the same thing. There’s no way to understand Martin’s urgency about standing with the poor without taking into consideration his deepest religious grounding.
A Poet’s Sendoff for ‘Saint Carlos the Melodious’
In a city full of poets, there are few whose very lives are poetry. Carlos was one whose whole life was poetry. He radiated kindness and good will. No one can remember hearing Carlos say an unkind word about another person. His phone message was a musical invitation that included waltzing bears.
First Victory for Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights in California
Rhode Island has already passed a Homeless Bill of Rights. Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut and Missouri are joining California in calling for one. A Homeless Bill of Rights is particularly significant today. The federal government has abandoned any pretense of its responsibility to “ensure safe, decent and affordable” housing for the poorest people.
Nationwide Protests Demand That Congress Uphold Immigrant Rights
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin accused ICE of undermining her city’s devastated economy in the middle of a recession. “Their firing is a violation of their human rights. When they say that [immigration] raids are targeting criminals, it’s not true. People who are just trying to make a living are being targeted big time.”
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Homelessness Isn’t Just an Accident—It’s a Plan
A homeless man sleeps outside a building advertising units at sky-high rents. New buildings are constantly built — but not to house the poor. Photo by Robert L. Terrell
by Carol Denney
The average monthly apartment rent jumped 10.1 percent to $1,811 in July 2012. California’s minimum wage is eight dollars an hour, or $1,280 a month. If you did the math just then, you’ll know why I’m saying what comes next: Homelessness isn’t an accident.
Homelessness is a plan.
We all know how people manage this treacherous sleight-of-hand because we, our friends, our sisters, our brothers, are the ones working the night jobs, hoping the unpaid internships turn into money, and selling our books, our records, the painting, the old Martin guitar.
We know we’re one paycheck away, one injury away from being that person our policymakers just wish would leave town if we can’t keep up with exorbitant rents or if we can’t find jobs.
Why do our political and planning representatives continue to build unaffordable housing instead of addressing the most pressing housing needs?
The media is full of coverage of this schizophrenic policy; the high-end penthouses are celebrated in city press releases even as homeless people are chased up and down city streets, trying to figure out where they can sit long before the anti-sitting law was even enacted.
This policy has long been tradition here in California. The wealthy classes want our labor, our strong backs, our willing hands and hearts. They want our music and our brilliant ideas. But they don’t want to live anywhere near us.
Just don’t ever think it’s an accident — it’s a plan.
Tags: California minimum wage, Carol Denney, eviction, Homelessness, homelessness is a plan, rent increases, Robert L. Terrell