Homeless Woman Offered Shelter by Police, Then Arrested

By Nuala Sawyer, originally published in SF Weekly

Homeless advocates are crying foul over an arrest that occurred on Turk Street Thursday morning, after a 28-year-old unhoused woman was offered a bed in a Navigation Center by police. When she gave her name to them, she was arrested.

Quiver Watts was standing outside their job at the Coalition on Homelessness on Turk street when they spotted three cops rolling up.

“They got out of the car,

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Legislation Passes to Give First Right of Purchase to Nonprofits

By Jarred Quarles

“When tenant rights are under attack, what do we do? STAND UP AND FIGHT BACK!”

This was the heartfelt call and response headed by South of Market Community Action Network activist Abigail. The moving chant was perfectly positioned at the end of the press conference for the Community Opportunity to Purchase (COPA) legislation on April 16, 2019. This press conference was based on the fight for basic human housing rights which continues to be under attack here,

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#SAVETHEREDSTONELABORTEMPLE

100 years of working-class Mission community in a historic landmark building that we will not allow to succumb to the forces of speculation and displacement!

About the campaign:

The San Francisco Labor Council built the Labor Temple in 1914. The building was a hub of union organizing and work activities and a primary center for the city’s historic labor community for over half a century. It was the epicenter of organizing for the San Francisco General Strike of 1934,

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AFTER A STORMY MEETING, A SAFE HARBOR FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE?

Pink background, black text reading "Hate Has No Home Here"

By TJ Johnston

Judging by the raucous community meeting about the proposed navigation center by The Embarcadero, it’s safe to assume nobody was satisfied.

The City’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing hosted the meeting on April 3 at the Delancey Street Foundation, less than a four-minute walk from the potential site on Port of San Francisco-owned property at Seawall Lot 330.

And the audience was divided into two camps as distinct as the separate GoFundMe campaigns related to the would-be shelter.

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AN INSIDE LOOK AT OPIOID OVERDOSES AND DEATHS

By Shyhyene Brown

Growing up with my mom was truly a struggle. My mom was a true heroin junkie, doing anything and everything to get her fix. But one day, she got tired and decided to quit cold turkey. And for seven whole days, I detoxed my mom from heroin. She stayed clean and sober for 15 years until five years ago, when she relapsed and died from a heroin overdose.

One year and two months ago,

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HEARTLESSNESS TOWARDS HOMELESS PEOPLE

Black background print with my text reading You Belong Here

By Darnell Boyd

How could we as a wealthy, prosperous city be so heartless against the homeless people, especially those with mental health issues? We all know that we need a new state-of-the-art shelter and shelter system, but no one wants it in their neighborhood. Profit before people, is what anti-homeless people think and say, we don’t want anything to interfere with our precious tourist industry. While visitors to the city are are practically worshipped,

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Supervisors Debate Whether to Close Juvie

by Anisha Tammana

On Tuesday, April 9, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, alongside co-sponsors Shamann Walton and Matt Haney, introduced legislation to shut down San Francisco’s Juvenile Justice Center by the end of 2021. A rally to support the initiative took place on the city hall steps that day, and with speakers ranging from city officials to formerly incarcerated youth, the common message rang clear: we need to take action, and we need to stop imprisoning our kids.

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Preying on the Poor: California’s Towing Practices Hurt Everyone

Emily Garcia

Everyone loses in California’s vehicle towing game. The state of California, it’s taxpayers and the people as a whole all lose massive amounts of money, time and -for those most vulnerable- their vehicles. For many, a vehicle is not only a means of transportation but also a shelter. In a climate where housing is impossible to afford and sustain, people are using their vehicles as shelter. Even for those with homes,

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Pain

by Lorne Thomas aka Sewer Rich®

pain

is but a 4 letter word to try to explain

all the emotion struggles that a person must strain

to carry on their shoulders walking through life trying to maintain

a smile that is plastered hiding the fact that it is the emotion that we cannot face

it can bring tears to your eyes and makes you feel displaced

it renders your soul empty leaving you in disgrace

making you want to vanish without a trace.on

Pain!!

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