Homeless woodcarver killed by police

You're a homeless, hard of hearing First Nation woodcarver, somewhat inebriated, walking down Howell Street in Seattle on a sunny August afternoon. You're carrying a stick of wood that your next totem is hidden inside of, and a closed carving knife.  You are completely unaware that you are about to die.

On August 31, John T. Williams was shot by Officer Ian Birk four times in the side. He died at the scene.  An inquest is pending and there are many unanswered questions.  Birk says he saw a man with a knife and shouted three times to drop the knife.  But the knife was found in a closed position and a knifemaker says the knife cannot close by itself.  At first Birk said Williams approached him but later changed his story.  Did Williams ever even hear Birk yelling?  With four shots in the side, Williams certainly wasn't facing Birk.  You can read more at Seattle Times.

Seattle's Street Newspaper, Real Change, has been following William's story and the story of other members of Williams family, who are still being harassed by the Seattle police.  It's a sad and infuriating story you can read here.

Homeless in the big cities

I suppose some people would say that anything is better than being homeless, but fortunately the New York City City Council doesn't agree. The council announced it intends to bring an end to the practice of sending the city's homeless from shelters to illegal and unsafe boarding houses being run for a profit by unscrupulous owners. This follows two years of pressure from homeless advocacy groups, including Coalition for the Homeless.

Lindsey Davis, a director at the Coalition for the Homeless and the author of the 2008 report, described conditions that she said she had recently observed at overcrowded boarding houses.

In one building, Ms. Davis said, an external wall had collapsed while people were living inside. One room was filled with 12 bunk beds. “There was mold covering the walls, and the floors and ceilings were not structurally sound,” she said, adding that people were sleeping in beds placed within feet of stoves. New York Times.

Another bit of help for New York's homeless comes from singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper, who is opening a homeless shelter for LGBT youth with funds from her True Colors Fund.  Of the 20,000 young people homeless in New York City, a quarter of them identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.

In Tampa, FL, it's OK to solicit donations from passing traffic as long as they don't disrupt traffic AND, since a new ordinance was passed in January, they wear reflective vests or risk being cited and fined.  Not everyone who solicits donations is homeless; one mother of two who lost her job is trying to avoid homelessness by alternating her days job-hunting and soliciting donations. Tampa Bay Online.

Now that the risk of dying from hypothermia is diminishing, many homeless people in Washington, D.C. are leaving the shelters, many of which are due to close, and heading back to the streets.  12,000 people are estimated to be homeless in D.C., although that number is expected to climb when the results of the latest homeless census are released.  Washington Post.

Photo of homeless D.C. man from winged photography's photostream at Flickr.

Kicked to the curb, ignored, homeless man dies while others step around him

OK, so everybody knows about this by now, but I have to comment because by tomorrow, the story will be gone.

A homeless man is struck by two others, hits his head, falls unconscious, and dies shortly afterwards. He lays in the middle of the sidewalk in Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C., for twenty minutes before someone calls an ambulance.

That's what happened to 31-year-old Jose Sanchez last Tuesday. People in the neighborhood said they're used to seeing people passed out drunk in the neighborhood, and put Mr. Sanchez in that category.

Sorry, though-- Mr. Sanchez was in the middle of the sidewalk, NOT where people choose to pass out. People stepped around this guy, for God's sake.

But actually, who cares where he was laying.

I have never passed by someone on the street who was not conscious without at least stopping and making a judgment about his or her well-being. Sometimes I speak to the person. Sometimes I tell a cop, or call an ambulance, and sometimes I pass on-- but never without thought.

I think many people are like me, and I think there are many more who would take some kind of action if they had any idea how to do it. But they don't know the protocol, don't know what's polite or impolite, don't know what to do.

So I ask everyone to take a moment, right now, and think about what you would do if you saw a person unconscious on the sidewalk. A little mental practice will make it easier to act.

Murders and freezing deaths haunt homeless communities

The L.A. Times is reporting that police have arrested Benjamin Mathew Martin in the gruesome burning death of John McGraham last October. Apparently the motive was pure personal dislike. I posted about his death and others last year, but so many homeless deaths have continued to occur, it's impossible to keep up with all of them.

A homeless man was one of two people shot to death last Wednesday in Brockton, Massachusetts by a man looking for "non-white" people to kill. Arlindo Goncalvis, like many homeless people, made a few dollar a day collecting cans, which he was doing when he was killed. Mr. Goncalvis was also a musician who carried a keyboard and played around town, where he was well-known. the Daily News Transcript has more about Mr. Goncalvis' life and death.

A homeless man who lived in and watched over a junkyard in Blue Island, ILL was found shot to death last Thursday. Ryan Briggs was 36. the Chicago Sun Times has a little more information, but there's not much info available so far.

On Christmas Eve, 61 year old Yoshio Nakada was found dead on the George Washington University campus in Washington, D.C. where he was well-known. He'd received a number of severe blows to the head and his skull was fractured. Although Mr. Nakada spoke little English, he liked to sing and had recently been attending Quaker services, where he occasionally spoke in his native language. The student newspaper GW Hatchet has a report on the murder's impact on campus.

Woodstock, ILL police are still searching for a motive in the stabbing death of 28 year old Robin Burton, allegedly killed by Kyle Morgan, who brought Mr. Burton to his apartment and then killed him. Morgan's MySpace page, since taken down, seemed to show an interest in serial murders. The Daily Herald is following the story.

Of course not all homeless deaths are the result of murder. Many die quietly from illnesses exacerbated by being homeless. Other-- too many-- die from exposure, and I expect this winter to take a particularly high toll. Tallahassee.com reports that weather was a factor in the death of 42 year old Stacy Bradish, who was sleeping outside in a campsite and could not be awoken the next morning by his friend. Eric Victor Spence was probably trying to get kerosene for his heater when he couldn't go on anymore. he was found dead with an empty gasoline can nearby in the woods in Taylor, MI, the News Herald reports.

Safety is not guaranteed by seeking shelter, however. In early January, five men died in a swift-moving fire at a men's shelter in Paris, Texas. Earlier this week, a homeless man was stabbed-- fortunately not fatally-- at the Worthington St. Shelter operated by Friends of the Homeless here in Springfield, MA, my home city. Overcrowding often leads to short tempers and Worthington St. is packed to the gills.

While the total of homeless deaths will almost surely be higher for 2008 and 2009 than ever before, our information will remain sketchy and anecdotal, because no agency or governmental body tracks these deaths. Each year, dozens of cities participate in the Homeless Persons Memorial Day on or around December 21st, the longest night of the year, but far more cities let these deaths go unremarked.

Photo from the National Coalition for the Homeless: 2007 D.C. memorial service.

The Friendly Police Officer and Other Tales from the Homeless Blogs

So: you're a homeless guy in Seattle and you're hungry and tired and about to act stupid in front of a police officer. Your friend, who is a street vendor for Real Change, is trying to keep you chill. What happens next? You can find out at Apesma's Lament.

Now you're a homeless guy in San Luis Obispo, CA, just trying to get the weight off your feet, sitting down, when a car with two women in it drives by for the second time. A woman gets out and asks if she can take your picture, and you say no. Then she asks again and offers money. You still say no. What happens to you and who are some of the other non-homeless people who approach you? What do they want? Check out SLO Homeless.

You're a homeless woman in deep despair, ready to jump off the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Vancouver, BC. The police halt traffic while they attempt to stop you. What do you think the drivers in the waiting cars are talking about? Homeless in Abbotsford, BC.

You're a homeless guy camping out in the woods and a raccoon tries to steal your bag of food. Who wins? Homeless Man Speaks.

You're homeless in beautiful Eureka CA and sleeping at the Eureka Rescue Mission. One evening, right after the nightly (and mandatory) sermon, staff announces that if you're caught sitting down in the daytime within a two block radius of the Mission, you will be kicked out of the shelter and will be denied food at St. Vinnie's Soup Kitchen. Now what? The People Project.

In Portland, OR, you're sleeping under the Burnside Bridge with 50 other people when the police come, roust you with foghorns and boots , and give you two minutes to gather up your belongings and get out. Whatever you can't take in those two minutes will be thrown in the trash. Wait a minute-- what happened to the 24 hour notice the city has said it will give homeless encampments before disbanding them? Joe Anybody Homeless Blog.
Photo by SamPac at Flickr

LA's Homeless Blog has a new look

Joel John Robert's LA Homeless Blog is always full of good information, but with its new look has seemed to come a loosening of provider mentality and a tightening of anger at the ridiculousness of homelessness in the world's wealthiest country. His recent stories include a post about multimillionaire Ed McMahon's brush with foreclosure compared to the hundreds of thousands already homeless, the destruction of one squatter community in Seattle and the growth of another squatter community in Reno, Nevada. Check it out.

The State of Tent Cities in August

NEW ORLEANS: Homeless people and advocates have been camped out in a pavilion across from City Hall since July 4th to protest the lack of housing in the post-Katrina city. Blogging New Orleans. For a more in-depth look at the New Orleans housing crisis, check out the People's Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Committee.

In King County, WA, homeless advocates from ShareWheel took over some apartment buildings to protest their demolition. KNDO TV. ShareWheel runs one of the nation's longest-operating tent cities.

Edmonton, Alberta's homeless encampment is being fenced in by the city and residents are not happy. Not only will residents now have to have official ID cards, no one new is being allowed in. Edmonton Sun.

San Francisco's Mayor Newsom is determined to clean up all the homeless encampments in the city. For the story of one clean-up, see SFGate. Here's one man's story of how he became homeless and what it took for him to get out.

Edmonton photo by Tim Smith, Sun Media.

Meanwhile, the city of Lacey, WA is drawing up plans for an approved homeless encampment.Lacey is one of two Washington cities that recently decided to make homeless encampments legal. The Olympian.

Tent cities rise, fall, rise....

Wednesday was the last night for the Warming Place shelter and its guests UNLESS shelter guest Ali Mohammed wins his injunction in Housing Court today. Mr. Mohammed's actions have actually put the city of Springfield and the Open Pantry on the same side as defendants-- at least for the the moment. He is trying to keep the city from closing the Warming Place by focusing on the problems homeless people will face at Springfield's two other shelters

Meanwhile, I can catch up on some other homeless/tent city news....Huntington, Ohio police cleared several small tent cities from the banks of the Ohio River this week. ""This is insanity," one homeless man said.. "It's one big family down here. We don't mess with nobody." Herald Dispatch.

Two city councils in Washington are considering an ordinance which would legally recognize and regulate tent cities.

"In an unusual move, Olympia and Tumwater are considering the same measure at the same time. Olympia Councilman Jeff Kingsbury will bring the ordinance to the Olympia City Council on Tuesday and ask for a vote July 17. The Tumwater City Council will have a public hearing about it July 17, Councilwoman Karen Valenzuela said, and she wants to pass the measure as an emergency ordinance the same night.
“If you don’t have an ordinance, essentially, whoever is hosting a tent encampment can do so without any rules whatsoever,” she said.
Kingsbury, who once was critical of homeless encampments, said he now thinks tent cities offer a good option for transitional housing and that the city should work with churches.". The Olympian.

Four teenagers in Huntsville, Alabama have been arrested for robbing and physically assaulting homeless people in a small homeless encampment. Huntsville Times.

In Edmonton, Alberta, a street pastor is calling for the city to open its parks and abandoned buildings to the homeless. About 2,600 people are homeless in Edmonton. Radio News 1130.

A sad story with-- maybe-- a happy ending: A University of Pittsburgh student who has been missing for some months was found at Glacier National Park in Montana, living in a small homeless encampment. Will he go home now? KX News.

Fresno tent city photo by Mike Rhodes, Fresno Alliance

Brief News About Homelessness

A Charlotte, North Carolina woman takes in the homeless but the city wants to shut her down: The Charlotte Observer. The city of Fresno, CA has bought a lot to be used for a homeless encampment. BCS47.TV. A homeless Seattle man in a sleeping bag was killed by a brushcutter. NBC12.TV. Freemont CA is using its Project Connect to give homeless people voicemail. Maybe Springfield's Project Connect could do this? Grand Central.

St. Petersburg, FL cops cut up the tents of homeless people this week. Acting at the city's request, police cut about 25 tents down Friday afternoon.

"They came in in about four different vehicles, the police department did, and they immediately started cutting off the tops of the tents," a homeless man said. "They cut the tops off and left with them. They never said anything to us or anything." Anonymous 1%.

A fellow blogger also picked up on the amount of attention given to the mother and baby whales who'd gone astray and compared it to the media attention given to homeless people. Humanity for Homeless.

MEDIA: Thought-provoking photo essay in Time on what families around the world buy/grow and eat. Vegetables are abunant in some and lacking in others. Matt Silady has a new graphic novel, The Homeless Channel, about a producer's struggle with her conscience after she successfully launches a program of webcams of the homeless.

Some Homeless News

Tasered Homeless Woman Dies: 35 years old, mentally ill, handcuffed. Houston Chronicle

Tent Cities: A dozen homeless people in Edmonton, Alberta stood up to the police and refused to move from their encampment.. Corus Radio

Meanwhile, the city's plans to disrupt a tent city of about 100 people in Gainseville, Florida were brought to a temporary halt when homelessness advocates protested. There are only about 350 beds available for homeless residents in Alachua County on any given night, out of an estimated 950 homeless people in the county. Offtopicz

Now that a federal judge in Fresno, CA has ruled it is unconstitutional for city police to destroy the belongings of homeless people that they roust from encampments, advocates and city officials have to figure out who will store the belongings and how the belongings can be reuinited with their owners. Redding.com

Camp Quixote residents have settled in for a stay at the United Church of Olympia, WA. Olympian Online

Some Homeless News

ARRESTED FOR SMOKING? Berkeley CA's Mayor Tom Bates is behind a recently-passed ordinance to make it illegal to smoke a cigarette on city streets. He thinks it will help drive away the homeless from the downtown area. Thanks to TalkLeft.

CHURCH SAYS GOODBYE TO TENT CITY: The Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation's turn to host Quixote City has come to an end and Rev. Arthur Vaeni reflects on the blessings and difficulties of the experience. The Olympian Online.

TENT CITY AIDED BY FRESNO, CA MAYOR:

Fresno mayor Alan Autry announced on April 17 that the City of Fresno, in a joint project with the County, will set up a homeless center in the downtown area. The center will provide this communities large homeless population (estimated at over 8,000) with a place to put up a tent, there will be portable toilets, trash bins, and a facility (probably a trailer) where homeless people can get information about social services like job training, employment, etc. Humanity for Homeless.

CLEVELAND ADVOCATES WORRY ABOUT INCREASING VIOLENCE TOWARDS HOMELESS:

A guy was beat up outside of Franklin Circle and wound up in the hospital. His attackers targeted him because he was homeless and an "easy" target. Then a couple were attacked when they were sleeping off the beaten path near the Flats. The group that attacked the couple first wanted to buy the couple's dog, when the couple refused they came back and beat up the man and stole the dog. The homeless man sleeping in the Flats broke his collar bone. The worst part of this is that the police were called three times and never came. Then the group came back the next night with a larger crew and again attacked the homeless couple. Coalition for the Homeless.

Is the “Housing First” model being used to clear out the homeless?

From around the country:

New York City is finishing “cleaning up” 70 sites where homeless people are encamped. Of 300 people, 68 were placed in temporary housing; the rest have moved on, possibly to living underground in the subways.

Birmingham, Ala is also “clearing out”: the homeless from area encampments, at the same time as the city is trying to figure out how to give the homeless a “virtual” address and phone number to help them look for work.

“Quite honestly, we've taken them from one spot to the next, and we realize that. We've gotten some off the street. We've been successful in some cases. We've offered services to every one of them,” said Don Lupo of the City of Birmingham.

In Tacoma, Washington, 42 people out of an unknown number have been placed in permanent housing after the city used some of its “Housing First” money to clear out 13 homeless encampments.

On the other hand: In Oakland, CA, city officials plan to open a temporary encampment and step up outreach to the more than 60 semi-permanent camps across the city, currently sheltering 600 to 900 people. They want to place 20 people a month from the temporary encampments into stable housing. About 6,000 people in Oakland are homeless at any given point in time.

Oakland has a fifteen-year plan to provide 7,380 affordable housing units with supportive services by 2020.

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Two homeless people I couldn’t do much for: A 17 yr old girl I’ve known for three years and who has been homeless for most of them called me…she’s homeless again but not eligible for shelter because she’s under eighteen, even though her mom and dad are in a shelter right now. So far she’s managed to avoid addiction, disease and pregnancy. Last night, I got a phone call from a guy who described himself as “62 and unexpectedly homeless.” When he became homeless he had two dogs; one was quite elderly and he had her put down earlier this week. He has his small dog still with him, but shelters don’t accept animals. He’s been sleeping in his car….

Tent City News

Arcata, CA police arrested homeless advocates April 25, in an attempt to break up their People Project tent city encampment.

In Oregon, Thurston County officials visited Dignity Village, considered to be the only government-sponsored tent city in the country, to see if it was a potential model for a tent city that sprang up in downtown Olympia and which is currently housed-- at least till May 19-- at the Unitarian-Universalist church.