In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cashless

by Justice

Cashless society can be harmful to low-income and homeless people. It makes basic needs more inaccessible, increases surveillance and gives government and private companies more control over people. As society moves in an increasingly technologically dependent direction, people are relying on cashless payments for convenience and ease. But this current wave of invisible currency, which stands in the shadow as the pandemic’s primary use, becomes a gaping hole when it comes to homeless and low-income people of the city.

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Homeless-related Arrests, Citations Soared in These California Cities After Supreme Court Case

by Marisa Kendall/ CalMatters

In major cities and more rural areas, arrests and citations rose in the months following last summer’s Supreme Court decision. In some places, officials insist the events are unrelated.

Homeless residents of some of California’s biggest cities increasingly are facing criminal penalties for the actions they take to survive on the street, according to a first-of-its-kind CalMatters analysis of data throughout the state.

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Coalition on Homelessness v. San Francisco

UPDATE: On July 23, both sides agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor’s office.

What’s at Stake: Coalition on Homelessness is a challenge to the City and County of San Francisco’s efforts to criminalize homelessness through an array of unconstitutional practices, including confiscating and destroying the personal property of unhoused people without adequate notice or due process,

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For Disabled People, Things Will Get Ugly Under “Big, Beautiful” Act 

by Jack Bragen

Donald Trump just signed his big bill. It isn’t a “beautiful bill.” It is a crime against the American middle class and poor. And we are in a war of misinformation—but that’s beside the point. This will impact me as a disabled writer, and it won’t be “beautiful” at all.

I am at the bottom, and I can attest from that perspective to all of the power-hungry politicians who want in on the political and monetary pie.

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D5 Supervisor Wants a Shelter in Each District, But Where’s the Housing?

by Jordan Wasilewski

I am no fan of my new supervisor, Bilal Mahmood, whom I think cares more for his wealthier constituents in his district than Tenderloin residents. He just proposed legislation that affirms my viewpoint.  

In May, he introduced an ordinance that would require the City to approve new health and homeless facilities in each supervisorial district by June 30, 2026. Those facilities would include new homeless shelters,

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