Unhoused People Silenced by Oregon Legislature
The ACLU of Oregon documented 224 laws in the state that criminalize or punish homeless people for life-sustaining activities.
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Hate Man Chose Life on the Streets Until the Very End
The Hate Man, Mark Hawthorne, had been a New York Times reporter before dropping out. Hawthorne’s sister visited him two or three times a year and admired his every move. “We like to say he lived the way he wanted to live,” she said, “and that’s a rare thing.”
Homeless Spike in Rural California Linked to Silicon Valley Sprawl
Housing costs are soaring and homelessness is rising in Central Valley communities due to Silicon Valley sprawl and the influx of Bay Area commuters
Gentrification Is a Virus
On the top half, I depicted gentrification as a three-eyed dollar-sign demon injecting oppression into a young boy, resting on bars of money and bags of gold. Behind the demon, mother nature comes out of the sun, wielding a sword, and about to intervene to kill gentrification.
Cost-Free Improvements for the Pathways Project
Berkeley’s public was tired of paying for the destruction of poor people’s tents decades ago, let alone picking up the tab for circling them through courts and jails. Criminalizing people with nowhere to go is unethical, expensive, a ridiculous assault on the dignity of everybody involved, and a civil rights violation.
Tiny Houses: Salvation for the Homeless or a Dead End?
Depending on who you ask, moving homeless people into wooden cabins either rescues them from the streets or paves the way for dead-end shantytowns. Rhonda, homeless after losing her job as a restaurant manager, is grateful for the shelter but says it’s a cramped place to bring up her five-year-old daughter.
Preserving People’s Park as a Public Commons
People’s Park provides refuge for the “indigent” (as the University of California calls us), and remains important as a place for free speech and alternative cultural events. The Park is a public commons, and preserves trees and green space. It is a historic symbol of the era of peace and freedom.
Berkeley Activists Created a Park That Still Lives Today
For nearly a half-century, the community has continued to defend and maintain the park in spite of periodic confrontations with the University of California. The latest threat to the park — the announcement that UC officials are considering building student housing on the land — will not go unchallenged.
The Visions of Young Artists Flourish in Berkeley
The beautiful mural splashes the brilliant colors of wild nature on the drab gray streets. Hummingbirds, zebras, giraffes and black panthers show the ecological connections of life on Earth.
Richmond's Mayor Does the Bidding of Landlord Lobby
Richmond’s mayor accepted contributions from California Apartment Association (CAA) and then voted against a proposed 45-day urgency moratorium on rent increases and no-cause evictions. The CAA is a wealthy organization representing the interests of landlords, not tenants. They have been spending big money in Richmond to block renter protections.
The U.S. Relationship to Violence in Mexico
More than 150,000 people have been killed in Mexico since former president Felipe Calderón declared a drug war, with U.S. support, in 2007, and another 27,000 disappearances have been reported. The most well-known example is the forced disappearance by police of 43 student teachers in Ayotzinapa in September 2014.
The Doors Close Forever at Alliance Recycling
As the door was closing and people drifted away, a crew was taking down the Frog sculpture under the watchful eyes of the man who was buying it. The gorilla also has been sold. Someone commented, “The forces of capitalism won — money, politics, gentrification won out over the needs of the powerless.”