Why aren’t CA stimulus checks automatically given to the poor?
By Jack Bragen on Author Jack Bragen laments how difficult it is for low-income people who don't pay taxes to receive stimulus checks.
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Garbage pickup gone wrong: Berkeley’s Homeless Response Team
By Berkeley Copwatch on Berkeley provides garbage pickup to some homeless encampments, but this process is often disruptive and ends in residents losing important possessions. It doesn't have to be this way.
10 ways to support Street Spirit this holiday season
By Alastair Boone on We need you to help us grow! Here are some ways you can support us.
Encampment sweeps on the rise in Berkeley
By Berkeley Copwatch on Berkeley is aggressively enforcing municipal codes that make living on the street illegal, signaling a return to pre-COVID encampment management.
A government must—
By Jack Bragen on Jack Bragen reflects on the government's responsibility to protect its people.
When seasons change: the nature of winter light
By Jesse Mentken on Winter is coming, and as is the case with all natural cycles, you can see so much by paying close attention.
Misinformation about Berkeley’s ‘homeless response’
By Berkeley Copwatch on Berkeley Copwatch writes a response correcting the misinformation in a recent letter by the Berkeley City Manager.
From George Jackson to George Floyd
By Kevin D. Sawyer on Half a century since George Jackson was murdered, with so many Black lives slain since, remember that everyone is a potential George until wanton police violence against all people is stopped.
How COVID-inspired charity can hurt more than help
By Anita de Asis Miralle aka Needa Bee on The coronavirus pandemic inspired many to get involved with lending aid to the unhoused community. Author Needa Bee asks, are these groups truly providing mutual aid?
An economic straightjacket traps people with disabilities
By Jack Bragen on Let’s face it: we are harshly penalized for any work activity that we might try to do. I’ve experienced this firsthand. The Social Security Administration boasts otherwise and claims that they offer incentives toward working. This is bogus.
Money can be used as a weapon
By Jack Bragen on Money brings power. While it doesn’t give power over oneself, it gives power over external conditions, events, and people.
On Cal’s development plans: Don’t let the UC call it housing
By Carol Denney on High-end, for-profit housing is no substitute for real housing and honest efforts to permanently address the housing crisis, Denney writes.