On January 19 and 20, 2010, LA CAN members and friends will be traveling to San Francisco to join with allies throughout the West Coast in calling for housing justice!!

Check out the flyer below and watch the blog for more updates.  We hope you will join us!  We will be asking for a small donation per person, but no one will be excluded due to lack of funds.

Jan 20 Flyer WRAP-HUD Action

United Way Study Shows Once Again that Permanent Supportive Housing Saves Money in Los Angeles County

A report released by United Way reaffirms the resounding message that we have repeated with our allies over and over again, that permanent supportive housing is more cost efficient than the way the City and County treats (and incarcerates) homeless people now.  By analyzing the cost of substance abuse, physical health, mental health, criminal justice and housing for four previously chronically homeless men and women, researchers from USC’s Center for Community Health Studies found that permanent supportive housing resulted in a savings cost of almost 43% (United Way, 3).  For the four individuals, the cost of living for two years as a homeless person added up to $187,288, whereas life in supportive housing for two years was $107,032.

As too many homeless men and women know too well, especially downtown, the criminal justice system is one of the key means of “dealing” with homelessness in LA—for the four individuals from the survey encounters with law enforcement over two years totaled a cost of $23,361.  While some of the encounters were for alcohol and drug related crime, others were quality of life issues such as sleeping on the street.  In the downtown community specifically, the so-called Safer Cities Initiative has worsened the financial burden of being homeless and poor, with expensive minor infraction tickets, leading to outstanding warrants and jail time. The criminalization of homelessness and poverty has many other hidden aspects, besides the explicit cost of jail time—incarceration can lead to disqualification from many government programs such as subsidized housing, food stamps and other basic necessity services.

In addition to costs from the criminal justice system, the homeless individuals also needed medical attention.  This included hospital visits for the removal of a kidney stone and a bladder infection (at a cost of $20,250), and all of the study participants visited the emergency a total of 19 times totaling $7,885.  The report demonstrated how the necessity of receiving health services (physical and substance abuse) dramatically decreased from $26,060 to $830 and $25,457 to $6,002 respectively.  In the context of exorbitant health care costs shared by all, it is important to take the preventative measures to reduce costs for all.

More importantly than what simply the numbers reveal is how permanent housing can dramatically improve the lives of homeless men, women and families.  As one of the individuals explained to an interviewer, he “began to feel like he belonged” and now “finally feels like he’s home” (3).

Housing is a human right. Health is a human right. Please join us in solidarity for calling for the right solutions to the housing crisis and health care nightmare in LA.

Homeless Cost Survey. Rep. United Way, Oct 2009. http://www.unitedwayla.org/getinformed/news/Documents/HomelessCostStudy_09_r2_v3.pdf

Unity in the Hood

We wanted to express our sincere thank you for your strong showing of solidarity against the Safer Cities Initiative over the past two days – and a special thanks goes to those of you who are on our Safer Cities Committee.  Please also share with your friends, colleagues and members that joined us that we are not reaching with this email.

Your participation embodies the bold resistance needed to swing the pendulum of change in our direction, far left of center. Your insistence that the creed, “…and justice for all”  be truly recognized for all regardless of economic status, race, or gender affirms that a better day is coming. Your bravery in speaking truth to power on our terms is commendable.  We and all of our members recognize and value your commitment to justice.

International Symbol of Distress, we are under siege!

On Monday night, about 150 people joined us throughout the evening as we claimed space and celebrated community strength on the steps of Central Division.  On Tuesday morning, after a few dozen people rallied and distributed citations around City Hall, more than 100 people gathered in Chambers to address the Council.  Councilmember Perry, acting president, promptly skipped over public comment when she saw the number of people there to speak out against SCI and her failed leadership in her district.  While her stalling tactic caused us to lose a handful of people, most everyone was able to stay.  After waiting patiently for a reasonable time, we refused to be blatantly ignored – we loudly and strongly demanded that public comment be heard and it was.

LA CAN members and staff were really energized by the two-day action.  We were able to highlight community leadership and resistance, re-activate old members and gain new ones, and stand together as a broad Los Angeles community fighting criminalization of poverty.   Also, as a result of our actions in Council Chambers, Councilmember Rosendahl called for a review of the Safer Cities Initiative. While small in some respects. this opens some new doors of possibility thus widening our opportunities to finally stop the occupation and human rights violations occurring daily in our homes and community.

Today we celebrate, tomorrow we continue the fight and we are honored to have you by our side.  End SCI Now!

P.S. Below are a couple of the news clips, and it was also covered on npr and other radio, as well as Channel 7.  This is the first year that the media covered only LA CAN and allies’ perspective on SCI, instead of solely our response to the City’s propaganda!!  We’re going to be putting pics and videos on our blog in the coming days, so check it out at cangress.wordpress.com.

LAPD, Los Angeles Poverty Department, is in the house

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cityhall-protest-2009sep30,0,1062625.story

http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_13444226?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com

The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

Stop the SCI Marathon

Power concedes nothing without a demand.

–Frederick Douglas

Tent City at LAPD Central Division:  September 28, 2009

Meet at 7:00 PM at LA CAN office (530 S. Main Street) OR meet us at 8:00PM at Central Division – 6^th and Maple Streets

City Hall Accountability:   September 29, 2009

Meet at 8:00 AM at LA CAN office (530 S. Main Street) OR meet us at 9:00 AM at City Hall – 1^st and Main Streets

Background

For the past three years the City of Los Angeles has opted to gentrify downtown Los Angeles regardless of the financial or moral costs involved. Refusing to acknowledge the long-standing and thriving community that exists, they instead moved for total demolition of homes, culture, and life. What the city never anticipated, however, was the community building the power needed to fight back, and build power is what we did.  While we have secured many policy victories so far, we have also shouldered a stunning number of casualties as a result of the brutal and inhumane Safer Cities Initiative. This flawed war on poverty has indeed captured its share of political prisoners, prisoners that we must free.  Stop SCI now!

“It’s not abnormal for the DA to have a policy. But this policy is about targeting the homeless in that area because the city is redeveloping that area. It’s a policy to get people off the streets and into state prison, jumping right over rehab and jail.”  Public Defender—Daily Journal, January 29, 2007

Monday: Bring your tents, sleeping bags,

flashlights, and flags.

Save the Dates:

September 28^th – September 29^th

The U.S. Flag Rules 8a: The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

For three years the LAPD, City Council, City Attorney, and Mayor Villaraigosa have waged war against poor and predominantly Black people in downtown Los Angeles. Casting aside empirical evidence that clearly illustrated the depth of damage to people’s lives; the waste of precious and shrinking resources that could be better utilized to create housing opportunities which cost a fraction of what is being spent; and the creation of a perpetual class of homeless people are all costs that the Mayor continues to willingly pay in his quest for a gentrified downtown Los Angeles.

Residents in downtown Los Angeles have railed against this merciless occupation – ironically named the Safer Cities Initiative – since its inception. Many have sacrificed their freedom to ensure that the human rights of all people are steadfastly defended and protected. As we approach the 3^rd Anniversary of this catastrophic initiative we are calling on you again to help us put an end to this disastrous campaign of horrors, once and for all!

We will be having an evening action on the 28^th and a morning action on the 29^th – your attendance at either or both is needed!! More details will soon follow but for now simply Save the Dates!

1)      Watch this video of SCI policing in action

2)      Donate to L.A. CAN’s work to end SCI

3)      Forward this email to 10 friends

On September 3, 2009 LA CAN members attended one of several community meetings, reportedly, convened to receive public input on the selection of the next Los Angeles Chief of Police. If you comb the pages of news-rags like the LA Times one would be led to believe that LAPD community relations had reached an all time high. However, the temperament in the room was something altogether different. While you clearly had a few Bratton fans in the room the overwhelming majority of attendees had severe critique of the LAPDs  crime fighting efforts and new found relationships with residents of color.

In a city like Los Angeles the Police Chief, while selected, is a very powerful and political position. More importantly, the LAPD budget accounts for approximately half of our general fund dollars which means every dollar spent on questionable has a direct impact on poor communities.

To check out meeting coverage simply copy the LA Wave link below and place in your web browser.

http://www.wavenewspapers.com/news/local/west-edition/59052497.html

It’s here ya’ll, hot off the press and guaranteed to rustle the feathers of those responsible for maligned neglect. Read…consume…enjoy.

Click the link below.

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Downtown Skid Row Community Responds to End of Federal

Oversight in LAPD Consent Decree

July 21, 2009. We are extremely disappointed that the Federal Consent Decree monitor has elected to end the LAPD Consent Decree. We feel there are still many unresolved issues. The transfer of oversight has put you, the police commission, back in the driver’s seat.

We come before you today with this declaration, calling for greater police accountability and transparency, demanding that you fulfill your duty as a civilian oversight board. The end of federal oversight does not mean the end of monitoring, local or otherwise. Instead, this signals an increased responsibility on your part, not the opportunity to follow the LAPD party line.

In addition to the variety of recent reports, Including Los Angeles as the “Meanest City”

and the ACLU’s report on continued racial profiling, the United Nations Committee to End Racial Discrimination, highlighted last month, the blatant forms of racist policing found in New Orleans and here, in Los Angeles. Put simply, the issues have reached the international scale.

Nevertheless, we as a community have been here before, time and time again, long before our great city was named the Meanest in the nation. This designation has taken place under your watch and to date you have done nothing to alter the situation. The community should be used as your one and only early warning system. Instead, you look the other way and choose to do nothing.

The proposed solution of cameras in every car is but a small step. The transition plan needs a timeframe with measurable deliverables by community standards. Poor communities of this city are looking for a true shift in culture and have been waiting a long time. Today, we demand the following for starters

1)              End all Safer Cities programs citywide

2)              Re-Open the officer discipline process to the public

3)              Reinstate racial profiling as a category of complaint

It has become clear that we need to watch the watchers; And we are watching you. It is high time that this commission starts doing its job actively monitoring a department that continues to demonstrate its need for aggressive oversight.

The Nation features LA CAN’s Community Watch Program–along with a variety of other great program’s–in it’s “Ten Things You Need to Know to Live on the Streets” segment. The segment, written by Walter Mosley alongside Picture the Homeless (NYC), lays out what you need to know when circumstances force you to survive on the streets.  

Click on the link and check it out.

The Nation: Ten Things you need to know to live on the streets

KTLA Meanest Cities Report Coverage

Please click on the KTLA link to view a 2-minute segment that helps contextualize the report narrative, as well as the numerous media reports. The video clearly shows the intent of the initiative and it’s intended targets.

Organize, don’t agonize!