Society’s Failure to Care Is the Root of Homelessness
In one of the richest places in the world, people become so wrapped up in their own comfort and status that they don’t care about the human beings they are stepping over.
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The Homeless Crisis: We’re All In This Together
In the “new” Oakland, we see “cool” new nightclubs across the street from encampments. The hip new people hang out in front of the club and stand in line to get inside. The “hip” people seem not to care about the homeless people facing them — and whom they helped displace.
Can Pepper Spray Save the World?
Aiming pepper spray at a crowd exposes people to a chemical implicated in at least 25 deaths in California alone. Pepper spray causes temporary blindness and panic in a crowd. Pepper spray is by nature indiscriminate. No police officer can tell who has cardiac or pulmonary issues.
‘Such Is the Magic and Spirit of People’s Park’
The mayor has no understanding of the awful defeat the loss of People’s Park would be. No comprehension of the cost in lives and the sacrifices people have made for the Park’s ideals. So many still find it a refuge in a country needing a political and spiritual overhaul.
Interview with Sister Bernie Galvin, Part Two
"What’s forming in my mind is Jesus in the temple when he became angry at the unjust and very exclusive systems of society. That is the very reason that there are the poor and the marginalized. It is not enough just to provide food, clothing and housing."
Street Spirit Interview with Sister Bernie Galvin
This atrocity was happening in a very wealthy city. It was happening right under our noses. It was very visible. And there was not the united voice of the faith community speaking out. That was the spark of Religious Witness. From that moment, I knew what I had to do.
The Invisible Natural Cathedral of People’s Park
Builders, please go away. Allow the beauty of an Invisible Natural Cathedral to remain, a living shrine of open space that gives refuge to all people.
A Life Consecrated to Compassion and Justice
On the bleak streets of the Tenderloin, a sister took a stand against inhumanity. Her solidarity was inspired by the beatitudes and consecrated to the poor.
Defending the Lives of Farmworkers and the Salton Sea
Elisa Guevara leads protests over rent hikes and high rates for undrinkable water “We’re a forgotten community. We’re invisible,” she said. “There’s hardly any housing for farmworkers, so park operators can rent us dilapidated trailers. Workers go without electricity and a sewer system, or live with contaminated water.”
Braceros Organize After Death of Farmworker
A farmworker’s death in Washington prompted his fellow braceros to put their livelihoods in jeopardy by going on strike and risking deportation. The death pushed the workers into an action unprecedented in farm labor history. When they were fired for protesting, they joined the new union for farmworkers.
Hidden Crisis of Homelessness on Tribal Lands
Large U.S. cities are known for high rates of homelessness. The housing emergency on tribal lands is hidden, but just as devastating. Housing shortages and evictions have created a quiet crisis of homelessness for Native Americans. The Trump administration plans to slash housing funding to Native American tribes.
Inmates Forced to Tear Down Camps of Homeless
Prisoners are paid a dollar a day to clear the homeless camps where they once lived. Some officials call this penal labor “a vestige of slavery.”