The death anniversary of Hate Man, ‘American philosopher’
By Ace Backwords on It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since Hate Man croaked in 2017. But his effect lives on.
Opinion
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For people with mental illness, jail should never be normalized
By Jack Bragen on People who violate our overly complex and needlessly punitive web of laws, when they do so due to being disconnected from reality due to a psychiatric illness, are suffering from an illness and they are not criminals.
The ‘secret homeless’
By Ace Backwords on Generally I like to think of myself as the “secret homeless"—you would walk right by me and never guess I was homeless.
Good terminology is necessary for good mental health treatment
By Jack Bragen on Mental health consumers are rendered impotent by the verbal and psychological tactics of those in the mental health treatment system. This prevents us from building decent lives for ourselves.
In San Francisco, a non-police response to homelessness is in sight
By Stella Kunkat on On January 19, San Francisco’s Compassionate Alternative Response Team (CART) working group presented its plan to end the law enforcement response to homelessness and to roll out a new community-run response team.
My first holiday free, alone, and away from my prison family
By Jonathan Chiu on This year, I’m spending my first Christmas in 16 years as a free man, but because of the pandemic, I am again separated from my family. I feel the same loneliness I felt inside, but it’s by choice.
The final days of Jerkle, the wild turkey of the Berkeley hills
By Ace Backwords on I had a poignant moment at my campsite this morning. Involving those goddamn wild turkeys, believe it or not. My hated enemies. But as much of a nemesis and a pain in the ass they can be, I realized there was a bond there.
How the climate emergency exacerbates homelessness
The increasing influx of natural disasters is more than a warning of the impending climate crisis. Homeless people will suffer first.
The five steps to becoming homeless: this could be you
By Timothy Busby on With evictions notices becoming legal once again, tens of thousands of Americans who once believed that they would never become unsheltered are going to experience homelessness firsthand.
House keys not sweeps: A campaign for dignity and respect
By The Western Regional Advocacy Project on “Sweep” is a euphemism for “kicking someone’s ass.” To those who are fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with sweeps, the word may sound gentle, but it’s eradication, displacement, and eviction through physical force.
People living with mental illness are not represented in politics
By Jack Bragen on As an adult with mental illness and progressive values, my primary focus is not on national politics or getting Trump out of office. My main concern is about the treatment of people who live with mental illness and our lack of opportunities to better our conditions.
Waking up outside under an orange sky
By Alastair Boone on While he specter of climate change has already arrived for people who live outside, they also have far more pressing daily needs created by the conditions of their lives.