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How a Community Was Scattered to the Wind

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At 4:30 a.m., the police came, 30 of them. Armed with assault rifles, they broke down our front gate, tore down the door to our living space and arrested us for lodging. Our home was destroyed, our puppy was taken to the pound and our possessions were scattered to the wind.

Oakland Gives Green Light to Massive Gentrification

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The West Oakland Specific Plan will target Opportunity Sites for redevelopment and maximum exploitation by wealthy developers. Low-income people need not apply, and have been abandoned to fend for themselves once this gentrification scheme gains traction. Prologis Inc. and California Capital Investment Group are spearheading this gentrification scheme.

The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2014

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According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are 1.2 million homeless students in public schools. HUD’s restrictive definition of homelessness has created a vicious cycle. An estimated 921,176 homeless families and children are left out of the HUD definition and do not receive the help they desperately need.

More U.S. Cities Make It Illegal to Be Homeless

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A survey of 187 cities finds a startling rise in laws that criminally punish homeless people for engaging in necessary, life-sustaining activities in public, even when they have no other options. More cities are banning these activities in the entire community, effectively making it illegal to be homeless anywhere in the city.

A Plan to Establish Homeless Courts in Santa Cruz

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The time is right for a new holistic approach to justice that enables homeless people to lead fulfilling lives in their community. Whether it is in the name of social justice or criminal justice or restorative justice, the Homeless Court program will advance human justice for those in our city experiencing homelessness.

A Constitution-Free Zone on the U.S./Mexico Border

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Many constitutional rights are ignored in a zone within 100 miles of any U.S. border. In Arizona, the ACLU documented “unprovoked assaults and verbal abuse, the unwarranted use of handcuffs and shackles, extended and recurring detention, invasive searches, property destruction and confiscation, and denial of food, water and legal representation.”

Moratorium on Sleeping Ban Gains Support from ACLU in Santa Cruz

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Rough sleepers and homeless activists believe the camping ban is a bad law because it criminalizes public nighttime sleeping, a necessity to survive. Outdoor sleeping is banned everywhere in Santa Cruz. Housing NOW believes that because this law is part of a system used to criminalize homelessness, it is unconstitutional.

Creating Community on Skid Row in L.A.

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“We hang out here because we’re not allowed in the upskirts of downtown. Some of us aren’t permitted because of the way we look. People have a label on us. They see me as a person who eats out of a trashcan.” — Linda Harris, a cancer survivor who lives in Skid Row

His Heart Is Always with the People on the Street

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“I don’t want to be another paper shuffler sending people to go here and there. They get plenty of that already. If I’m to connect people to mental health services or housing, there needs to be some significant investment in that. That’s why I’m not going to give up the social justice thing.”