Twelve charged for defying California city's ban on feeding homeless

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Twelve charged for defying California city's ban on feeding homeless

• Police issue citations to volunteers giving out food and socks
• El Cajon says ban aims to tackle outbreak of hepatitis A

Ari Honarvar in El Cajon, California
Mon 15 Jan 2018 23.03 GMT

A California city has brought charges against 12 people who defied a ban on feeding homeless people at a neighborhood park, as officials try to rein in a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 20 people and prompted mass vaccinations and the bleaching of streets.

Officials in El Cajon, east of San Diego, argue that the ordinance aims to protect the public from hepatitis A, which has mostly affected those who are homeless or use drugs, by preventing the person-to-person transmission of pathogens. But activists have decried it as a draconian measure to criminalize homeless residents.

Jen Loving, a Bay Area advocate who has followed the situation, said it reflected a broader breakdown in trust, with locals losing confidence that their elected representatives have effective solutions for what, in other contexts, might be recognized as a humanitarian disaster.

“From afar, it feels like a community struggling with crisis and wanting consensus in a comprehensive solution to this problem,” said Loving. “This points to a much bigger issue all around the country. All communities are starved for long-term solutions for decreasing homelessness.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/15/twelve-charged-defying-california-el-cajon-ban-feeding-homeless

[Cha]

1. K&R

[GReedDiamond]

2. I live in the L.A. area and have witnessed the rise in the numbers of homeless...

...and over the last 10 years (since The Great Republican Recession of 2008) it is like nothing I've ever seen in the almost 42 years I've been living/working/existing here.

The hepatitis thing is real, it's a public health crisis.

It's spread by contact with feces, even in miniscule amounts one is unaware of - like from contact from a hand on a dirty-fecally tainted-restroom-door knob.

I had to clean up a pile of human feces from my driveway a few months ago.

An above average number of homeless seem to be mentally ill/drug-alcohol addicted/or both.

My girlfriend was assaulted by a homeless guy when he spit directly into her face/eyes as he walked by us, we still have no idea what the ultimate health ramifications of that may be.

This country is a shithole, Trump.

That said, leave it to the fascists to deny food to people, whoever they are.

Being arrested for giving free food to people is unconstitutional, in a sane world.

[onethatcares]

4. seen the uptick here also

In St Petersburg FL. New arrivals everyday, no where to place them, nothing for the homeless to do. The city does have outreaches and sleeping locations but the warmer than other places weather draws a lot of jobless/homeless.

We've had the problem of them defecating in that alleys, against fences, and in little returns of the buildings because none of the commercial establishments will allow restroom use because the mentally ill ones will destroy a lav oratory or trash it.

Advice is welcome.

I was donating to FoodNotBombs then they disappeared.

[Trillo]

5. Plastic bag ban believed linked

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/sep/08/stringers-plastic-bag-ban-led-hep-health-crisis/

It's been awhile since I read the story, but the gist of it is that homeless people used the one-use plastic bags grocers gave away for free (to shoppers) for their poop. California banned the cheap, one-use plastic bags. Months later, hepatitis outbreak.

[GReedDiamond]

6. Thanks for the link, that is a very informative article...nt

[Liberty Belle]

3. More on this story here:

The ACLU believes the ban is unconstitutional and has threatened a lawsuit, as have the activists:
http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/el-cajon-police-arrest-people-feeding-homeless-wells-park-mlk-weekend

[GReedDiamond]

7. I just found this YouTube channel called Invisible People...

...here's the video they did on Robert, a 68 y.o. man on living on the streets of Los Angeles for 3 1/2 years at the time of the video (late 2016).

About Invisible People:

Since its launch in November 2008, Invisible People has leveraged the power of video and the massive reach of social media to share the compelling, gritty, and unfiltered stories of homeless people from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. The vlog (video blog) gets up close and personal with veterans, mothers, children, layoff victims and others who have been forced onto the streets by a variety of circumstances. Each week, theyíre on InvisiblePeople.tv, and high traffic sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, proving to a global audience that while they may often be ignored, they are far from invisible.

Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way we think about people experiencing homelessness.

Invisible People YouTube Channel