violence
Act Now: Stop Hate Crimes Against the Homeless
Published November 19, 2009 @ 05:52PM PT
It's a cruel fact: when you live without a home, you are more vulnerable to violence on the streets. Next week, the Senate Judiciary is scheduled to vote on legislation that would add homeless people to the federal hate crimes statistics statue. Take action today to tell your elected lawmakers to support this important bill.
The legislation - called the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act (S. 1765) - was introduced by Senator Cardin of Maryland and Senator Collins of Maine. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the legislation has been placed on the Senate Judiciary Committee schedule and could be marked up as early as November 19, but more likely the week of the November 23.
This bill is timely; as homelessness has increased over the past decade, so has the number of brutal, violent attacks against the homeless. From 2002 to 2005, hate crimes against the homeless increased 300%. Fatal attacks rose by 67%. And the latest study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that this number has increased even more - 65% - since 2005.
But it's important to remember that hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, they also "leave a special emotional and psychological mark on victims and their communities, leaving them feeling isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected by the law."
Unlike other categories protected by most hate crime laws - such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion - a person's "homeless" status is not permanent. In fact, it is preventable and can be ended with one thing: housing. Of course, until housing becomes regarded as a human right, we will have to settle for such incremental steps to protect the most vulnerable among us in the short term.
Tell your lawmakers to vote "yes" for this important piece of legislation!
Image: Matt From London
Nearly Half of Homeless U.S. Veterans are Black
Published November 15, 2009 @ 06:05PM PT
Veterans experience homelessness at a greater rate than non-vets in the United States. But a new study finds that minority veterans - particularly African-Americans - are disproportionately represented among the homeless veteran population. Today, a whopping 45 percent of the homeless veteran population is African American, proving that race is still relevant to any discussion about poverty and homelessness in America.
These findings were revealed in a study by the Homelessness Research Institute at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The study was released shortly after President Obama rolled out his bold-but-necessary plan of ending veteran homelessness in five years.
M. William Sermons, Director of the Homelessness Research Institute, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that the factors driving disproportionate homelessness rates among minority veterans are the same as those causing disproportionate rates of homelessness of minorities in the general homeless population. "Some of the risk factors affecting African-American men are high unemployment rates (almost double that of whites) and highly disproportionate rates of discharge from prisons and the foster care system."
In a perfect world, race would no longer be a factor when discussing issues of socio-economic equity. But clearly, this is not the case. This new data exposes the complex and continued link between poverty and race in America, even among those who have worn the uniform. To address poverty, to end homelessness, we must confront these challenging issues directly.
Image: scanned
Homeless Youth and Survival Sex
Published November 01, 2009 @ 06:27PM PT
It's a sad but ugly truth: roughly one in four homeless youth engages in survival sex. A new research brief out this week from the National Alliance to End Homelessness paints a scary picture of the harsh realities faced by homeless runaway youth. Whatever you do, do not just read these numbers and shake your head. Let this be a call to action, the start of a grassroots movement to help these victimized homeless youth get the help they desperately need.
Here are a few of the most compelling (terrible) points that caught my eye from the research brief:
- 40-60 percent of homeless youth have experienced physical abuse and 17-35 percent have experienced sexual abuse. These young people are much more vulnerable to survival sex, prostitution, and sexual exploitation.
- Homeless girls face a significantly greater risk of being raped or assaulted than homeless boys.
- Sexually exploited youth rarely report their situation or ask for help.
- LGBTQ homeless youth experience are at a greater risk of sexual exploitation than non-LGBTQ homeless youth.
- Long-term psychological effects from sexual exploitation are more likely the longer a youth remains on the street following an assault.
- Sexual exploitation of homeless youth is not a city or coastal issue - research shows it is just as common in rural and Midwestern communities.
- One study noted that of the youth engaging in survival sex, 48 percent reported exchanging sex for housing or food, 22 percent traded sex for drugs, and 82 percent traded sex for money.
If these numbers don't trouble you, then maybe this will: the research brief concludes by pointing to the complete lack of community-based resources for victimized homeless runaway youth. In other words, their plight is largely unknown by most of America and there are few specialized services to help them.
But here's the good news: you can take action to stop this type of activity in your community. Here are a few things you can do (straight from the report):
- Learn about youth homelessness in your community. Find out how many homeless youth are enrolled in the public schools and what kinds of resources are available to help them. Be informed about the realities of your community.
- Be a vocal advocate for increased housing resources. Youth are less likely to be exploited when they are off the streets and in stable housing. There are model youth housing programs that can be developed in rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods. Is there enough affordable housing in your neighborhood for older teenagers and young adults who are fleeing abuse and neglect?
- Make sure that local law enforcement is targeting the businesses (pimps, strip clubs, escort services) and customers (johns) of the commercial sexual industry and not the victims (youth and young adults) for prosecution.
Learn more here.
Youth homelessness should not be a reality. But the sexual exploitation of runaway homeless youth is flat out unacceptable.
The Family of a Homeless Hate Crime Victim Speaks Out
Published September 14, 2009 @ 08:30AM PT
Tonight, thousands of people across the United States will sleep on the streets. The situations that led them there are varied and complicated; each person has their own unique story. At the same time, violent attacks against people living without a home in the U.S. are on the rise. Yet, few families of homeless hate crime victims have spoken out about the tragedy of losing a loved one twice; once to life on the streets, and again at the hands of extreme violence. Until today.
Holly Case's uncle, Daniel Case, was the victim of an attack by two teenagers in February in Bradenton, Florida (read the original story here). She writes on behalf of her family about how her uncle's life and needless death have affected her family.
By Holly Case
As I sit down to write this, it has been six months since my uncle, Daniel Case, was murdered. My uncle was homeless off-and-on for the last 10 years. The night he was murdered started just like any other night for him: taking shelter behind a local business instead of a homeless shelter. Unfortunately, this made him incredibly susceptible. Two teenagers (known gang members) violently assaulted him and he succumbed to those injuries. They left him behind the business, him screaming as they ran off.
The reaction towards my family following that night has typically been "Why was this man living on the streets? How could his family allow that? How could you not help him get off the streets?" I am writing this to help answer those questions and to give a little bit of perspective on our situation (an all-too-common one.)
I should start out by giving you a little background of my uncle: he was born in 1950, the second oldest of seven children. He played football in high school and served his country in the Army in Vietnam. Unfortunately, his time in Vietnam changed him as a person; after returning, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and would have night terrors almost nightly. During these night terrors, he would suffer flashbacks and re-live the terror of the war: shouting, "Take cover!", and picking up furniture to hide behind. This ordeal was not only traumatic for him, but also quite scary for his family. He had three girls and a wife at home who dealt with this on a regular basis.
Dan started drinking to battle the night terrors. He drank to pass out; in his state of unconsciousness, he would not have to deal with the terrors. Eventually he built up an alcohol tolerance and the drinking lost its efficacy. He ended up divorced and living in Florida, while his girls, Erin, Amy, and Danielle, stayed in Ohio with their mom.
When he did become homeless (after losing his job because of an injury,) he was determined to make it on his own. He was stubborn and retained his pride; he refused to accept help from anybody. His daughters offered numerous times to let him live with them, but he always respectfully declined, citing that he did not want to be "a burden." He would go to the Salvation Army for dinner, but most often chose to sleep on the street so that someone else could have that spot in the shelter. All he ever asked for from anybody was beer, and when he was in the mood for it, company. He rarely asked for money. He just wanted to talk with someone.
In the months leading up to his death, things were starting to look up. He had a hearing set up so that he could start receiving VA benefits. He had been trying to save up money so that he could live in the apartment above the business behind which he was had been staying (he had actually worked out a deal with that business, where he would help them unload trucks in exchange for sleeping behind their building and getting his mail delivered there.) Most recently, and by far the most tragic, is that he had finally agreed to move back to Ohio to live with his daughters; he was to leave in the next couple of weeks. He was finally starting to piece his life back together when two selfish teenagers ripped that away from him.
I do not want to go on ad nauseam about how he will never get to see his grandkids grow up or the multitude of other experiences of which the teens robbed him and his family. The point of this is simply to point out why we "did not help". Simply put, he did not want it.
Not every homeless person wants gratuitous handouts. Sure, they appreciate a meal, a conversation, or a place to sleep that night. However, many feel as though they should provide their own means to get back on their feet as much as possible. Living on the streets is by no means easy. Nevertheless, some people do choose that life; I know my uncle did.
Thanks to Erin Case, Amy Case, Danielle Case, and Bob Case for their help preparing this story.
Pictures below provided by the author.
Why are "Bum Fight" Videos Rising in Popularity?
Published August 27, 2009 @ 08:19PM PT
Last year, more "bum fight" videos were uploaded to YouTube than ever before. Could this renewed interest in dehumanizing videos that exploit the homeless have anything to do with the recent rise in violent crimes targeting the homeless?
"Bum fights" are videos of homeless people being beaten or forced into humiliating acts. Usually, those filming (and instigating the antics) use money or alcohol to lure homeless people into participating in these schemes, often with no knowledge that they will be posted on the web.
Many "bum fight" videos fall into one of two equally-disturbing categories:
- Physical violence
Examples: "Bums Fight In Street," "$20 Ass-Wooping," or "Bum vs. Dog" - Homeless people doing humiliating things
Examples: "Bum Smashes Head Into Glass" or "Desperate, Crazy Bums"
I haven't seen many of these videos myself (since I don't want to give the "filmmakers" the idea that people like their content by increasing the number of views). But I understand that the subjects of the films are often intoxicated or mentally unstable.
In other words, people who need to be helped, not humiliated.
If the nature of these videos isn't bad enough, they are rising in popularity, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. In July, nearly 86,000 degrading videos of homeless people were posted on YouTube, 15,000 more than a year earlier. And since "Bum Fights" began gaining popularity on the web in 2001, over 6.8 million videos have been sold.
You read that correctly. More people have bought "Bum Fight" videos than Mamma Mia! DVDs.
So perhaps it's no coincidence that the rise in popularity of "Bum Fight" videos has coincided with an increase in violence targeting the homeless. In 2008, 106 homeless attacks were reported, 27 of those resulting in death. Ten years ago, only 60 attacks on the homeless were reported. But, according to the NCH, incidents targeting the homeless often go unreported.
Furthermore, 95 percent of the perpetrators in these attacks are men, most of whom are white and under the age of 25. The increase in violence has brought new urgency to pass hate crime legislation for the homeless both federally and in states and cities across the country.
But the question remains: What is with the increasing fascination with Bum Fight videos?
What's Killing Alaska's Homeless?
Published August 23, 2009 @ 07:42AM PT
Since the spring, twelve homeless people living outdoors in Anchorage, Alaska have mysteriously turned up dead. The unusual string of deaths has alarmed street people and advocates and highlights the dangers of living without a home. But the question remains: What is killing Alaska's homeless? While conspiracy theories about the causes of these deaths abound, others blame it on a combination of alcohol, violence, and weather.
The state medical examiner says that the cause of death is pretty clear for several deceased. One man was hit by a car, another was beaten to death. Two others died from hypothermia and drowning. Many authorities believe alcoholism was a major factor in all of these deaths. This, in turn, is leading many of those living on the streets to believe that someone is distributing poisoned alcohol to the area's homeless.
Still, the fact remains: the only confirmed commonality between the deaths of Anchorage's homeless is that each of the victims was living outdoors without a permanent home at the time of their death. As one advocate told the Anchorage Daily News, many of these deaths are due to the "cumulative effect of years of living in unsafe conditions." Sad, but probably true.
The long-term solution here is obvious: safe, supportive housing. But what's the short-term solution here? Are wet shelters the answer? Additional street outreach? In light of these deaths, how can Anchorage authorities protect those living on the street?
Real Stories: Meet Juan
Published August 19, 2009 @ 06:51AM PT
Since 2007, the City of St. Petersburg, Florida has passed a number of ordinances that specifically target homeless people, including laws that outlaw panhandling, prevent sleeping on the streets in certain parts of town, and limit the number of belongings people can store on public property. Needless to say, St. Petersburg, Florida holds the dubious honor of falling in the number two spot on the list of Top 10 Meanest Cities towards the homeless.
I met Juan in a downtown St. Petersburg park that he calls home. Living homeless in St. Petersburg, he says, is not easy. In addition to the city's outrageous criminalization of homelessness, the threat of violence is constant. The night before this interview, a homeless man was stabbed. One week earlier, another homeless man was murdered in the same park. If that's not bad enough, Juan says that youngsters will regularly taunt or kick people while sleeping in the park. (Perhaps the area's youth have learned how to treat the homeless by following the lead of their city officials.)
While it's easy to focus on the difficult living conditions Juan faces in such an unfriendly city, to Juan it's about pride. He says one of the toughest things about being homeless is the way people look at him. "People look at you when you are homeless like it cannot happen to them," he said. "I've had things in my life; I've been married. I've had a home."
I hope Juan ends up in a place where he is safe from violence, criminalization, and judgement. No person should have to endure what he faces on a daily basis.
Special thanks to Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless and Hanes.
Juan from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
