A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
Q: What is the holding of the Ninth Circuit case Martin v. Boise?
A: In Martin v. Boise, the Ninth Circuit determined that the government cannot arrest poor people for sitting, lying, or sleeping in public when they have no real alternative. The decision does not cover individuals who do have access to appropriate shelter or housing.
by Bradley Penner and Alastair Boone
One couple’s struggle to access resources after an encampment sweep sheds light on one way the coordinated entry process breaks down
On the morning of Monday, August 8, 2023, Shawn and Genea woke up in Mosswood Park to the sound of a track loader rumbling outside their tent. As the loader’s claw trudged through a neighbor’s possessions along the Webster Street fence line,
by Bradley Penner
Fights broke out at Freehouse Pub as tenants protested a party celebrating the end of tenant protections throughout the city of Berkeley
On the evening of September 12, local landlords with the Berkeley Property Owners Association (BPOA) hosted a private mixer at Freehouse Pub to celebrate the end of Berkeley’s eviction moratorium.
“I think it’s pretty insensitive and shows how they’re not really part of the community,” Berkeley Rent Board chair Leah Simon-Wiesberg told Street Spirit.
by Jack Bragen
Many people don’t find it difficult to work a job, and as a result they may lack empathy for those of us who find it highly challenging. They just can’t relate to the challenge of working with a disabling condition. Therefore, they might believe something is wrong with the person who finds work to be difficult. Or they might believe a person who has a problem with it is lazy or that they intend to mess things up.
by Yolanda Catzalco
First, let it be clear: Because of the current economic system we live under, the choice of how to live should be ours, not the government’s.
Rents are skyrocketing, as documented by countless local and statewide surveys, such as one that found that over 50% of unhoused seniors in California were receiving an average of $960 a month and lost their housing. Once seniors are unhoused,
by Jack Bragen
At 18, I was released from the hospital following a horrible psychotic episode for which I had been jailed and put in several psych wards. When finally released, I was back to some semblance of normality.
When I met with outpatient psychiatrists, they advised me that I should get a job doing the same kind of thing I’d done before I’d had the psychotic episode. It was never suggested that I try to go to college or do any kind of job that entailed brains.
by Agapezz
For me, it used to be that consuming was more important than eating: I needed it to fall asleep and wake up, to function. To keep from going crazy, I hold on to the high, even if it means ignoring any morality I really wanted to hold on to. Consumption lulls my traumas to sleep and covers them so they don’t wake up. I would like to deal with my negative experiences,
by Medusa/Bianca
Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, I had always been captivated by the city of San FranciscoI dreamed of one day living in a bustling metropolis. After graduating from college, I finally had my chance:. I landed a job in San Francisco and moved to the city, full of excitement and hope. My first few months in San Francisco were everything I had hoped for. I explored the city’s vibrant neighborhoods,
A statement from the Coalition on Homelessness
We know you and many of your constituents are frustrated with the presence of unhoused people in your districts. So are we.
We are suing the city on constitutional grounds for the persistent, horrific practice of violating the law by destroying unhoused people’s property and threatening, citing, fining, and arresting them just for the supposed crime of being too poor to afford a home in the face of skyrocketing rents across the city.
by Jordan Davis
In late October, I dyed my hair blue as part of a Halloween costume: I was going as death metal singer (and vegan animal rights activist, friend of trans community, and all around girlboss) Alyssa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy. I decided that since I like the color blue, and I have connections to the ocean, I would keep my blue hair permanently. I use Arctic Fox hair dye,
