Real Change Organizing Project

Photo above is from the homeless civil rights demonstration December 19, 2007

**Dear friend,
The 2008 One Night Count found more than 2,600 persons surviving outside in greater Seattle on a winter night when emergency shelters were full.
Meanwhile, the Mayor's Office continues to pursue a policy of demolishing homeless people's encampments and throwing away their property without providing any alternative shelter. It is inhumane and immoral to punish people for living outside when there is not enough shelter or affordable housing to meet the need.

Mayor Nickels should stop all non-emergency sweeps immediately and expand housing and services instead of criminalizing survival. Join me in signing a petition telling the Mayor to help, not harass, homeless people.

You might also be interested to know that on March 13th, Real Change is organizing a campout at City Hall, along with a full day of demonstrations around downtown to turn up the heat on this issue. They need sign wavers and petition gatherers for daytime shifts on the 13th, people to bring a tent and a friend and spend the night at City Hall, and people to come help take
down the temporary encampment on Friday the 14th.

Sign up to help, or sign a petition calling for an end to the sweeps at
"HERE"

For more information, contact Natalie at 206-441-3247 ext. 213.**

New community service center angers residence

A SSG diversion center, at the Little Toyko lofts, was designed to be useful for homeless with mental health and substance abuse problems. (Full Article)

Broward County attack homeless

Police officer dresses as homeless, to defend, crashes Urban Core Committee of the Broward Workshop. (Full Article)

Poison of the poor young mind

The U.S. governments irresponsible, disreguard of poverty stricken children only keeps them in stuck in the same position of their parents. (Full Article)

Seattle groups team up to change policy

SHARE/WHEEL & Church of Mary Magdalene are trying to get city to change it's homeless encampment policy! (Full Article)

S.F. mayor to add spit and polish to shelter system

Revamping the city's two largest shelters a priority for mayor Newsome. (Full Article)

Poor mental health clients get no more rooms

For-profit gets turned down to free up emergency beds (Full Article)

Sacramento homeless count

After reading this story, counts remain high and affirmation of the Without Housing report. (Full Article)

The de-construction of public housing in S.F.

The plan from their view is to replace old units (they don't say how many!) with 2200 Hope IV type units. (Full Article)

Daly's proposal for 50% more affordable housing in Bayview (Full Article)

L.A.P.D. Detains W.R.A.P. members for crossing street

Under Safer Cities, LAPD has been using parole status – both legally and illegally – to increase harassment and arrests of downtown residents and to incite fear of low-income community residents. On Friday, LAPD planned a parole raid on a hotel near 5th and Towne. There were at least 30 LAPD officers and 10 parole agents on site. Someone called our office and Pete and Gerald went to document the raid. Pete had the camera and within minutes of being there and taking pictures, was cuffed and against the wall, and was publicly detained for more than 20 minutes. He repeatedly asked for a supervisor and for officers’ cards and got none. Dogon arrived with a second camera and began documenting the illegal detention. Within minutes of him filming, he was also cuffed and up against the wall. They ran him for warrants and claimed they found a felony warrant – one officer told Dogon – “we really got you now.” Of course later, they claimed it was a “mistake” – it was a different Richardson. When they released Dogon, still on the sidewalk, they also gave him a ticket stating, “observed pedestrian cross street against don’t walk sign,” although Dogon had arrived on a bicycle. Instead of releasing Pete on-site, they transported him to Central Station. When he got there, followed by 6 additional officers, they told him he was being charged with “walking in the roadway” and he needed to sign the citation to leave. Needless to say, he didn’t sign, since he didn’t commit that offense and that was not why they detained and transported him. They booked him and he spent the day at 77th Street jail.