Photos by Mark Armes The City of Houston is back at it again, and by again I mean finding new and inventive ways to criminalize the poor. We already run a debtor’s prison in Harris County, and now some new misguided ordinances recently passed by City Council are receiving quite a bit of attention, both locally and nationally. Under Annise Parker’s leadership in 2012, the city passed an ordinance that made it illegal to feed more than five people on public property without a permit. The 2012 feeding ordinance certainly had an impact on people experiencing homelessness, and last month the city stepped up their efforts by going after access to shelter and resources through two new ordinances. Ordinance No. 2017-261 is the new ‘anti-encampment’ ordinance. The ordinance specifically states, “Encampment means any one or more of the following: (a) The unauthorized use of fabric, metal, cardboard, or other materials as a tent or other temporary structure for living accommodation purposes or human habitation; or (b) The unauthorized use of a heating device; or (c) The unauthorized accumulation of personal property (other than durable medical equipment) that would not fit in a container three feet high, three feet wide, and three feet deep.” Did you catch all that? No longer are people in Houston allowed to have anything that resembles shelter. Not even cardboard, and certainly not tents. Also, any personal items that you would like to keep cannot be stored in a container that is anything bigger than 3’x3’x3′. And well, sorry, no grills or heaters allowed either. All three of these violations carry the risk of arrest and a fine of up to $500. Ordinance No. 2017-256 is the new ‘anti-panhandling’ ordinance. Assuming you can’t technically criminalize asking people for money, the city decided instead to limit who has access to our roadways, sidewalks, and streets. What’s really telling about the ordinance is the exemption that allows city employees to solicit charitable contributions via, you guessed it, a roadway! Gotta make sure churches, fire departments and soccer moms can block those roads and take your money. Just don’t be poor and need to do that same thing! This ordinance paired with the Mayor Turner’s new campaign – Meaningful Change; Not Spare Change – will surely hurt the folks who panhandle to get by. We understand that the city thinks they are helping. It’s obvious that these issues are not easily fixed. There are multiple organizations who are constantly trying to find resources and funding to meet the needs of folks living on the streets. They aren’t just dealing with homelessness, but all of the trauma that led to a person finding themselves without the ability to meet their basic needs. That isn’t exactly a situation that’s easy for anyone to navigate, but criminalizing folks who have limited access to basic things like food and shelter is not the answer. Part of the problem is that we consistently attempt to use law enforcement to fix issues they are not qualified to fix. Half of what makes up these ordinances is detailing what police are allowed to do when people do not comply. You cannot criminalize the poor or mentally ill and expect it to go away. We should demand better of our elected officials, and ourselves for that matter. For real change to happen in society we have to start humanizing each other. Our values and beliefs are so misguided when it comes to understanding the trauma and marginalization that occurs to the majority of the population under capitalism. And the people who have the real resources to fix these issues that plague our society are the ones who benefit from this bootstraps mentality we so often hear and see. We should work on how we think and talk about the poor in this country, and also why we criminalized them. To truly deal with this issue we don’t just need funding, we need a culture shift; one that moves away from the tired trope that it’s the fault of the poor that they find themselves in such a situation. We are better than this. So try harder to be kind and stop believing what our wealthy overlords are dishing out. We live in the richest country in history, if only there was a way to rid our communities of homelessness and poverty. Oh, wait. That said, one thing missing from the coverage around these new ordinances is the voices of the people who are most impacted by them. So we spent some time on a rainy Sunday afternoon under the US 59 overpass and listened to anyone willing to share their experience. In an effort to be more in line with our beliefs as a community paper we wanted to dedicate most of the space for this article to those stories, which we’ve compiled into a photo essay below. Out of respect for their privacy, we will only be printing first names. ________
Mikala Jay If the city really cared about what happens to us they would do things like bring us water. Instead they spend money to put up fences so we can’t access our tents. Just a few weeks ago I had some issues with the police when they stopped me for jaywalking. If they had taken me to jail like they were threatening it would have impacted my studies. I just hope they realize that sending me to jail isn’t going to help my situation. I am just going to continue to end up on the streets. I agree with Mikala, I am not looking for a handout. I am working on bettering my life, I just think the city should be more understanding of the struggles we face. Tammy I am working with the ACLU on a lawsuit against these new ordinances. Our lawsuit says the city is in violation of the 1st, 4th, 8th and 14th amendments. I am hopeful that the courts will rule in our favor. It is unreasonable to think that we can fit all of our belongings in a space as tiny as 3x3x3. I am one of the lucky ones though, hopefully next week my paperwork will be finalized and I can move into an apartment. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep fighting for the family and friends I have made along the way. No one deserves to be criminalized because they found themselves in hard times. Patrick & Diamond Steve Darius & Renesha (Engaged) Darius Renesha I would love to have access to an apartment, but I am worried about the strings attached to accepting help from the same city who is trying to criminalize me. I’m a grown woman, and want to be treated as such. A few rules are understandable, but I just think they are going to try and control my life and that isn’t something I can deal with. from http://www.freepresshouston.com/homeless-in-houston-in-their-own-words/
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April 2019
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