June 15 Issue
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JUNE 15, 2018 | BIMONTHLY | STREETSHEET.ORG INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED BY THE COALITION ON HOMELESSNESS SINCE 1989 MINIMUM SUGGESTED DONATION TWO DOLLARS. STREET SHEET IS SOLD BY HOMELESS AND LOW-INCOME VENDORS WHO KEEP 100% OF THE PROCEEDS. VENDORS RECEIVE UP TO 75 PAPERS PER DAY FOR FREE. STREET SHEET IS READER SUPPORTED, ADVERTISING FREE, AND AIMS TO LIFT UP THE VOICES OF THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY IN SAN FRANCISCO. NEWFLASH BART HAS FAILED ELECTION RESULTS POLICE AT PRIDE TREATED STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED 2 PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 3 AN ANALYSIS 4 ARE A PROBLEM 6 LIKE AN “ADDICT” 7 P R I D E I S S U E Cover image by Oliver Northwood @allofthenorth image description: Two figures, one standing in front flexing biceps, the other standing behind with hands on the other’s shoulders. Image reads “UNBURY YOUR GAYS” As of April 15 there are SHELTER WAITLIST UPDATE: 1,014 people on the shelter waitlist in San Francisco. JUNE 15, 2018 PAGE 2 ASK US COALITION ON HOMELESSNESS NEWSFLASH ANYTHING HOMELESSNESS HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED HAVE A QUESTION YOU WANT US TO AN- AmAzon Flexes muscles, seAttle BAcks Down on Business tAx The STREET SHEET is a project of the (New York Times) SWER ABOUT HOMELESSNESS OR HOUSING Coalition on Homelessness. The Coalition on Homelessness organizes poor and IN THE BAY AREA? ASK US AT homeless people to create permanent The city of Seattle, after resistance from Amazon and other compa- solutions to poverty while protecting the nies, will end a tax on companies making at least $20 million. The [email protected] civil and human rights of those forced to remain on the streets. tax had been proposed to raise funds to fight homelessness. OR (415) 346-3740 AND IT COULD BE Our organizing is based on extensive peer HuD proposAl to rAise rents on poor coulD increAse Homelessness, ad- ANSWERED IN THE NEXT ISSUE! outreach, and the information gathered directly drives the Coalition’s work. We do vocAtes sAy not bring our agenda to poor and homeless (NBC News) VOLUNTEER people: They bring their agenda to us. The Trump administration proposal will raise rents on households WITH US! receiving subsidies from the government by 20%, putting many rent- ers at risk of eviction. PHOTOGRAPHERS STREET SHEET STAFF VIDEOGRAPHERS NYC to open First ever youtH sHelter to address lGBtQ Homelessness TRANSLATORS The Street Sheet is a publication of the (Curbed) COMIC ARTISTS Coalition on Homelessness. Some stories are collectively written, and some stories have NEWSPAPER LAYOUT individual authors. But whoever sets fingers The city also plans to increase the number of services at youth shel- WEBSITE to keyboard, all stories are formed by the ters, with the goal of eventually having a 24/7 drop-in center for MAINTENANCE collective work of dozens of volunteers, and youth open in each borough. GRAPHIC our outreach to hundreds of homeless people. DESIGNERS Editor, Quiver Watts Homelessness spenDinG Gets Boost in Budget DeAl reAcHeD By Governor, INTERNS leGislAtive leaders WRITERS Assistant Editor, TJ Johnston (LA Times) Vendor Coordinator, Emmett House The $500 million to fund local homeless programs is substantially DONATE Our contributors include: less than the $1.5 billion mayors had asked for. EQUIPMENT! Jennifer Friedenbach, Sam Lew, Jason Law, Jesus Perez, Miguel Carrera, 'we Don't have nowHere to Go': conFusion persists after DelAyeD evic- LAPTOPS Vlad K., Mike Russo, Scott Nelson tions oF lower wAcker Homeless encAmpment DIGITAL CAMERAS Julia D’Antonio, Chance Martin, (Chicago Tribune) Nicholas Kimura, Jim Beller AUDIO RECORDERS Robert Gumpert, Art Hazelwood, SOUND EQUIPMENT the Ghostlines Collective, Leo Schwartz Homeless advocates say the city’s plan to erect a fence around the Dayton Andrews, Kelley Cutler, encampment is discriminatory and that eviction timelines have not CONTACT: Raúl Fernández-Berriozabel, Jacquelynn Evans, Roni Diamant- Wilson, been clearly communicated. Julia Barzizza [email protected] #JoggerJoe ArresteD after tHrowinG Homeless mAn’s BelonGinGs in lAke: seconD recent inciDent At lAke merritt settinG off Debates on rAce, Homelessness AnD GentriFicAtion (Mercury News) WORKGROUP MEETINGS The man who set off a social media firestorm last weekend when AT 468 TURK STREET he was videoed throwing a homeless man’s belongings into Lake HOUSING JUSTICE WORK GROUP Merritt while out for a jog was arrested Monday on robbery charg- es. He was being held on $100,000 bail at the Santa Rita Jail in Every Tuesday at noon Dublin. The Housing Justice Workgroup is working toward a San Francisco in which every human being can have and maintain decent, habitable, safe, and secure housing. ERIC YOUNG This meeting is in English and Spanish and open to ev- Food is Murder eryone! I woke up on a bed of rice HUMAN RIGHTS WORK GROUP Don't know how I got there but it was nice Every Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. Though I soon figured out that I was doomed The Human Rights Workgroup has been doing some seri- To be somebody's dinner that afternoon ous heavy lifting on these issues: conducting direct re- So I tried to jump up and say catch you later search, outreach to people on the streets, running multi- ple campaigns, developing policy, staging direct actions, But I was pinned down by a baked potater capturing media attention, and so much more. All those With two pieces of garlic bread down for the cause are welcome to join! Like pillows underneath my head Then I asked myself what kind of chef EVERYONE IS INVITED TO OUR WORK GROUP Would have made an entreé of my death MEETINGS. Unfortunately our space is not wheelchair And why I'd never thought about the cost accessible, but we will move our meeting location to accomodate people who cannot make it up the stairs. 'Til I was being complemented by applesauce For access needs contact [email protected] Food is murder. To learn more about COH workgroup meetings, contact us at : 415-346-3740, or go at : www.cohsf.org PAGE 3 JUNE 15, 2018 new BART disaBility policy May target poor and HoMeless people disabled people have difficulty with IBS pitiful $15/hour), and they will be quick feel safe as a paying BART customer. As and other challenges that make this to call BART police for any issues. Tim a wheelchair user I see this as a potential anopenletter incredibly problematic. Chan did not respond to my concern as to access barrier for myself, not to mention Another concern is BART's lack of whether or not this new employee would those with non-visible disabilities. providing one-time disability use passes. carry weapons (gun, Taser, or baton). Of course, I want BART to improve Dear BoarD I sometimes need to just make one trip Both Civic Center and Powell Stations services for the disabled. If BART really of SuperviSorS across to the East Bay and I cannot buy a are high-traffic areas for the disabled poor cares about the disabled community, I anD concerneD BART disabled pass at any station. Instead, of the Tenderloin, the African-American would support them in doing any of the citizenS the disabled are forced to travel by some community that lives there, and for nearby following: , other means to wait in lines and buy our China Town. I am extremely concerned as tickets beforehand at the Civic Center to how these populations will be treated by 1. Provide bathrooms at all stations in I am writing you as a concerned station, only during specified business this new elevator gate keeper. San Francisco so that the disabled and disabled resident of San Francisco in hours. These tickets can only be purchased It is no secret that the BART Police weary travelers can relieve themselves. regards to the new $1.2 million proposal in very specific amounts and I always has a shameful history of brutalizing This will undoubtedly improve the to "improve" the MUNI/BART Elevators have an unused (wasted) portion at the and murdering unarmed people of color elevators which are currently being used at Powell and Civic Center Stations. This end. This is a noticeable barrier, especially under dubious circumstances. Only with as a public bathroom by some people. item proposal was presented by Tim Chan for me, since I don't live near Civic Center. modern cell phones has the full extent 2. Increase janitorial staff and pay a yesterday (5/18/18) at the Mayor's Office Spending another hour long painful of BART police violence been able to be union-based living-wage to routinely clean on Disability meeting at City Hall, which commute to buy a pass that is supposed to widely acknowledged. The most infamous elevators. I attended remotely. I am specifically help me is completely illogical. MUNI is far incident, which became the subject of 3. Increase elevator repair staff and pay concerned that this project has absolutely ahead of this of course, and does not force the critically-acclaimed movie Fruitvale a union-based living-wage to improve nothing to do with helping the disabled disabled people into this situation. Station (2013), was the murder of Oscar elevator maintenance. Commit to keeping and everything to do with further I mention these examples as a reference Grant: an unarmed father who was shot all elevators functioning. prosecuting and criminalizing the poor for BART's incredibly bad track record in the back by BART police while begging 4. Provide single-use disabled passes at and communities of color in the Tenderloin serving the disabled. Years back many for his life. After the shooting, BART all BART stations. Let disabled people buy area for fare evasion.