Friday, July 17, 2009

Tracking the political money trail of homelessness criminalization

Note the blog of Thursday, October 29, 2009 has the posted Censored Homeless Solutions


Abstract section of this blog posting titled;
Tracking the political money trail of homelessness criminalization

Since communities accept HUD monies to "help the homeless", it appears
to actually be a fraud for such a community to have laws that criminalize
homelessness. The contact information for filing a complain about this
with the HUD Attorney General is given below. After a better explanation
of the various circumstances that I have investigated. These "factors" or
"circumstances" appear to be true in the vast majority of communities that
have criminalized homelessness. In simple terms, such criminalization
dramatically reduces the numbers of people seeking help from "General
Assistance" and or "health care".

The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper ran a story that stated, "general assistance rolls for the homeless have been slashed by 73 percent -...in a story titled,

About 800 homeless move inside with Care Not Cash
Monday, May 2, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
By Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer Page B1
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/02/BAGO2CIGMB1.DTL

What the story does not tell you is that many of the homeless fled the area because
of their being criminalized and harassed. As was documented in a Press Democrat
story that I cite later on this blog, with the excerpts from the story titled;
UKIAH'S TRANSIENTS VANISH:
CITY'S NEW ORDINANCES BARRING PANHANDLING,
ILLEGAL CAMPING VIRTUALLY CLEAR THE STREETS,
Published on March 5, 2005, The Press Democrat


Links are given to the reports and reference material of the
meanest cities in America that have criminalized being
homeless with laws and ordinances that they have passed.
Most of which are patterned after programs in San Francisco
where the mayor is now running for governor. His "program"
reduced the general assistance rolls (welfare) by over 70%.
Resulting in swarms of homeless people descending on
other communities that had to pass similar laws because
they were overwhelmed by the flood of homeless people.
While San Francisco kept all of the money that they got
from HUD to "help the homeless".

A Youtube video is posted near the end of this blog
is a San Francisco city truck with a water cannon

mounted on the front of it, housing down a homeless
man that had been sleeping. I have met a couple of
people that have said the city has to wash the side-
walks down. And that this is not just aimed at the
homeless. But I have also spoken with the man
the made the video and of whom had lived there.
He did tell me that he had to be careful not to get
hosed, himself. And then I have a friend that goes
to an amusement park to put quarters into a water
cannon to shoot people on a water ride. He spends
between $60 and $80, just on the water cannon.
Maybe the city workers have an addiction to hosing
people ? Regardless, the homeless are getting hosed,
in San Francisco.

While about one out of three of the homeless men are veterans.
And the homeless number of people has been and is increasing
with the foreclosures of homes.

Foreclosures Force Ex-Homeowners to Turn to Shelters
Published: October 18, 2009 New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/business/economy/19foreclosed.html

The above New York Times article is partially based on reports and
research posted at the
National Coalition for the Homeless. Such as their
that lists and ranks the meanest cities (towards the homeless) in America;
Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities
Updated September 2009 [download as pdf]


Please note that "if" a community were to turn and "do the
right thing" and repeal their criminalization laws against
homelessness, they would probably be over run with people
seeking "sanctuary". While I have been "in and out of the
street" (homeless) since I was 15 and am now (November 2009)
50 years old, I just happen to know a few things about how
such things usually work. I strongly believe that the best way
to undo this mess is to demand that HUD declare it to be
fraud for a community to accept HUD money to help the
homeless, while having laws that make it a crime to be
homeless. With hundreds of major American cities having
such homeless criminalization laws, a "grace period" will
be needed from HUD, to allow time for such legislation's to
be changed or the funding to that community will be halted,
and placed in escrow.

That should get their attention.


And like the HUD Inspector General say's;

If you are aware of fraud, waste, and abuse in HUD programs
and operations, report it to HUD's Inspector General Hotline!

http://www.hud.gov/complaints/fraud_waste.cfm

You can submit your complaint ( to the HUD )one of 4 ways:

Online, through e-mail. Remember:if you submit your complaint online
(through e-mail), it is possible - though unlikely -
that others could read it since the internet is not
secure.

Call toll free: 1-800-347-3735
TDD: (202) 708-2451


By Fax: (202) 708-4829

By mail:

HUD Office of Inspector General Hotline, GFI
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410

.........................................................................................................

Text of this blog with reference material cited and linked in:


Tracking the political money trail of homelessness criminalization
aka

Hosing the Homeless and The meanest cities in America
by The Toxic Reverend aka Justice Is Homeless
No copyright claimed - (:Reproduce at will :)

A national list of the cities with criminalization of homelessness laws (including San Francisco) , the methods used, laws passed and narratives of the twenty meanest cities in the US against the homeless (San Francisco is on the list) is posted at the National Coalition for the Homeless .http://www.nationalhomeless.org

July 14 2009:
Homes Not Handcuffs: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities,

Prior reports of the meanest cities are
The 2006 report that was released in January of 2006, titled,
"A Dream Denied".

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/index.html

The also published
June 26 2009:
National Survey Finds Foreclosures Adding to Homeless Crisis
READ THE FULL REPORT HERE
and
Hate, Violence, and Death on Main Street USA: A Report on Hate Crimes And Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness, 2007
Among many others, posted at:
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/index.html

The majority of cities around the United States of America have patterned
homeless strategies after the "Homeless Connect" program of San Francisco.
This is well documented in many news stories that come up with the Gogle
search terms;
"American cities patterned after Homeless Connect San Francisco"

There are varying reports of over a hundred cities using
"Homeless Connect" as a template for their homeless services.

There are a few things that do not appear to be known by the public and or
because the news media has not "connected the dots'. There are some homeless
advocates (such as myself) that charge San Francisco has used this Homeless
Connect program for spin control, while criminalizing and abusing the
homeless for profit, in what appears to be a fraudulent manner.

Fraudulent, because San Francisco accepts Federal money from HUD to
"help the homeless". While passing laws to make it a crime to be homeless.
Thus reducing the general assistance rolls by over 70% and saving millions
of dollars in the process. Those that could not be chased out of town with
such constitutional violations of their civil rights have been harassed as
well.



Not that criminalizing the homeless around the entire country could be
"all about the money". Or could it ?

The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper ran a story that stated, "general assistance rolls for the homeless have been slashed by 73 percent -...in a story titled,

About 800 homeless move inside with Care Not Cash
Monday, May 2, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
By Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer Page B1
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/02/BAGO2CIGMB1.DTL


Other cities have been forced to pass laws against
homelessness to divert the onslaught of those fleeing
places like San Francisco and Sonoma County.
This is explained in a Press Democrat newspaper article,

Please note that "
strict panhandling and camping ordinances"
is a "euphemism" for "homeless criminalization laws".

(A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression
in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant).


In reference, the Press Democrat newspaper article is titled;

UKIAH'S TRANSIENTS VANISH:
CITY'S NEW ORDINANCES BARRING PANHANDLING,
ILLEGAL CAMPING VIRTUALLY CLEAR THE STREETS,
Published on March 5, 2005, The Press Democrat,
BYLINE: GLENDA ANDERSON PAGE: B1
You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson
at 707-642-6473 or ganderson (at) pressdemocrat. (dot) com

Quotes (excerpts), from the PD article;


Some of the transients interviewed said
they'd come to Ukiah from Santa Rosa, San
Francisco and Eureka, which already had strict
panhandling and camping ordinances, Taylor said.

..... next quote from the same article......

....I used their ordinances as examples for our
new ordinances, (in the city of
Ukiah)'' he said.

..... next quote from the same article......

....I am shocked by this unprofessional abuse of
power. Where do we go? We're not cockroaches,''
said Julie Bell, a 34-year-old Army veteran who
lived in the Ukiah homeless shelter and,
briefly, outside, before moving into a motel.

.... next quote from the same article ...

First-time offenders can receive a citation
for an infraction, punishable by a fine of up
to $300. Repeat offenders can be charged with a
misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500
or jail time.

End of excerpts from the Press Democrat newspaper.


..............

Gavin Newsom is the mayor of San Francisco where the
"Project Homeless Connect Program", that many major

American cities have patterned their homeless services after.

But I am unaware of the other cities
hosing the
homeless to make money.


To clarify, the right hand usually does not know
what the right hand is doing". The people in Project Connect
usually do not see the connection of how they are being
used and "played" with regard to "political spin".


At this time, I am unaware of any other cities using this next
tactic with the homeless. I am not even sure if it is still being
used in San Francisco. But it was video taped and posted on Youtube.

Video: Posted at YouTube
How San Francisco really deals with the homeless
This Youtube video is of a San Francisco city truck with a water-cannon
mounted on the front of it, housing down a homeless man. It is posted at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkfLFPxIVQU





Another video that was shot at street level with a close up on the

vehicle license plate and more
Posted at;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEyhuegv6Ts&feature=player_embedded






Consequently, members of the San Francisco homeless population
have left in droves. And are heading to your town, next. Of course
the San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome (of whom is now running
for Governor of California) could say that people from all over the
country come to San Francisco, making it an unfair burden on the
city to have to care for them all. In which case the city of San Francisco
should not take the HUD money to care for them.
The city of San Francisco is at http://www.ci.sf.ca.us

While about one out of three of the homeless men are veterans.



A homeless Veteran made this next Youtube video about the situation that
Veterans face, after serving in OUR military "fighting for freedom"
???
Posted at;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TBjqheag6Q&feature=rec-lis-watch-cur_only-exp_fresh+div







Latest list of the meanest cities report
"Homes Not Handcuffs" is posted with other reports at
The National Coalition For The Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org
The National Coalition For The Homeless Publications
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/index.html
Resources and helpful tips from NCH:
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/need_help/index.html


Also note:
The Center For Creative Chaos







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