AUSTIN ADVOCATE

Victory!
By Richard Troxell

Victory!

House the Homeless teams up with Texas Legal Aid to defeat the No Solicitation ordinance!

John Curran, a presently homeless individual, while flying a sign which was asking for "donations of any kind", and standing at a vacant lot at the Northeast corner of 5th and Lamar, recieved a "No Solicitation" ticket on June 19th, 2003.

It was argued that the ordinance was being selectively enforced against people experiencing homelessness and that it is "unconstitutionally overbroad and violates the free speech rights of the defendant under the Texas Constitution as well as the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Judge Alfred D. Jenkins III after hearing arguments of both sides and testimony of Richard Troxell, President of House the Homeless, issued the following order:...
"...the Court holds that the ordinance at issue is overly broad and not narrowly tailored and is therefore Unconstitutional."

The Low Solicitation ordinance is no more!

Businesses should pay living wages to every worker.

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Hate Crimes & Violence Against Homeless People Increasing

Washington D.C. - For the past six years (1999-2004), the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has tracked and reported on a disturbing increase in crimes targeting homeless people. These violent attacks on homeless people, one of our most vulnerable populations, result in injury and in many cases death.

The well-documented affordable housing crisis is not the only crisis to affect the millions of people who are homeless every year. There is also an increasing pattern of civil rights abuses and violence directed at the homeless population. Homelessness is no longer simply an issue of the right to affordable housing but a matter of life and death. As the danger of living without a home increases, the lack of federal housing resources as well as the absence of the political will to end homelessness becomes increasingly more shameful.

June 15, 2004, Austin, Texas. 43-year-old Curtis Ray Wilson, a homeless man, was severely beaten before collapsing and dying in the lobby of a business in Austin. Several months after the savage beating death, his alleged attacker was arrested and brought to trial. His motivation purportedly was to impress his girlfriend.

Curtis suffered from mental illness. He was known and loved by hundreds of people for his good nature and sense of humor.

House the Homeless, an Austin advocacy group, honored Lisa Morrill, the detective who arrested Wilson’s alleged killer, with the Curtis Ray Wilson Compassion Award. She was recognized for resisting pressures to close the case; insisting that Mr. Wilson was a “regular person and deserved to be treated as decently as anyone else.” The name of Curtis Ray Wilson was read along with eighty-eight other people at the 2004 Homeless memorial Sunrise Service. Each year Austinites and concerned citizens from all across the nation, gather in their local communities to acknowledge the men and women who have lost their lives while living on the streets of America.

In October of 2004, three Milwaukee teens murdered a homeless man at his forest campsite. The teens hit 49-year-old Rex Baum, with rocks, a flashlight, and a pipe, before smearing feces on his face and covering his body with leaves and plastic.

In August of 2004, Curtis Gordon Adams, 33, beat and stabbed a disabled homeless man to death and then licked the blood from his fingers on a Denver sidewalk.

More recently, on May 28th 2005, in Holly Hill, Florida, 53-year-old Michael Roberts was beaten and punched to death with sticks and logs by a group of teenagers who admitted to beating the man just for fun, to have something to do. The autopsy report indicates that Roberts died of blunt-force trauma to the head and body, his ribs were broken, his skull was fractured, and his legs were badly injured. Defensive wounds were found on his hands. The boys returned several times to make sure the job was done.

Homelessness is an issue that affects every community in America. Homeless people lack the protection of a locked door available to homeowners, leaving them in an unprotected position where they are subjected to hate crimes and violence. Sadly, the prevalence of hate crimes and violence against homeless people has risen, as well as negative stereotypes reinforced by the media and intolerant people.

Through this report, NCH hopes to educate lawmakers, advocates, and the public about the problem of hate crimes and violence against homeless people, as well as call for a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study addressing this issue.

This year's report, Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA: A Report on Hate Crimes and Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness in 2004, includes data from news reports, advocates, victims' accounts, and homeless shelters on the number of homeless victimizations that have occurred in the past six years (for the full 2004 report and previous reports, please visit http://nationalhomeless.org/civilrights/hatecrimes.html).

Facts and Trends:

* The number of homeless deaths has risen by 67% since 2002.
* The number of non-lethal attacks against homeless people has risen by 281% since 2002.
* These crimes occurred in 140 cities in the past six years.
* These crimes occurred in 39 states, plus Puerto Rico.
* The age range of the accused/convicted ranged from 11 to 65 years of age.
* The age range of the victims ranged from 4 Months old to 74 Years of age.
* Gender of victims: 296 Male and 44 Female.

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The Homeless Zone
By Why Change Cain

Travel with me if you will to a place where there is no time and space is an out-of-reach commodity. You are entering a dimension you’ve never seen but from the other side. You have just stepped into “The Homeless Zone”.

I remember the day’s back before I had any personal experience being homeless.

After my wife lost her job due to carpal tunnel syndrome I was living from paycheck to paycheck barley making ends meet raising 3 boys while trying to pay all my bills including a mortgage on a 4 bedroom house in Brushy Creek.

I was under constant stress to impress the foreman and keep my job. I never even considered losing my home. That was out of the question. There was no way that could happen. The very idea was incomprehensible.

I saw those people holding up signs on the side of the road at intersections. I always thought they must be just plain lazy. There is plenty of work, I thought, if they would just look. I judged them harshly but at the same time my heart would go out to them. I was confused and I didn’t know how to help. I once gave one of them my lunch I had just bought at Taco Bell. She took it and set it down by her bedroll. Then she went immediately back to holding up her sign that said, Hungry, Need Food.

But after my boys grew up and my wife and I divorced, a series of events drastically changed my life.

I survived what should have been a deadly car accident and found myself with permanent muscle damage and a broken back. The bones healed but not the muscles and I already had a lower cervical lumbar strain to boot. I made a bad choice on the attorney I chose to represent me. The insurance company replaced my transportation but refused to recognize muscle damage. Never the less I was hoping to return to the work force soon.

But before I could, I contracted 4 lung diseases at once and was rushed in an ambulance to the VA Hospital in Temple.

That set back kept me from returning to work in time to save my car from being repossessed and caused me to end up having to give up my home.

I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m trying to point out how easy and quick it can be for anyone to find themselves on the streets.

After applying for disability, I still had to wait 6 months before I could afford the luxury of a place I could call my own. Once a person spirals down to a point where they can’t afford to pay their rent or mortgage, the only option is to hope there are friends or relatives that have room on their couch.

If that is not the case or if that does not last then a person that was once a pillar of the community could quickly and easily become a homeless person standing in line at the soup kitchen. This can happen so fast that it seems to be almost overnight.

I know a person right now, let’s call her Sally. Sally is a very intelligent, good looking, and well educated young lady. Last year she was working at a well paying job and living in a nice duplex in Round Rock. A series of events including serious illness caused her to become unemployed for a longer period of time than she anticipated. Her roommate for whatever reason stopped paying her half of the rent and it wasn’t long before the nice duplex was a thing of the past.

If that wasn’t enough, Sally barely got her furniture and personal things in storage before the transmission went out on her car.
Her father is deceased and she was forced to move in with her mother in a very small apartment.

Technically she is now a homeless person. Anyone old enough to have their own place to live and does not, I believe, and most would agree, is without a home to call their own, and therefore a homeless person.

Think about it. She now has to figure out how to reenter the workforce without transportation. Save of course Capital Metro, which by the way just went up to $1. She only has a roof over her head because she is fortunate enough to have a relative with temporary space for her.

Not everyone is even that fortunate. Once a person enters the world of the homeless it is not easy to return to being a contributing member of society.

Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of wonderful programs run by dedicated hard working volunteers that help people find their way back.

But once you are on the streets these programs have long waiting lists, criteria to meet, and scheduled appointments to keep and even then no one can actually come back to be a positive working member of society without a job.

The homeless shelters available are also great wonders of our society’s attempt to help but they are greatly overwhelmed by the needs and cannot be relied on for a place to sleep. Even with the new beds available there is only enough to shelter 1/3 of the homeless population in Austin. The prospect of getting a bed for even one night does not have any guarantees.

Try to imagine if you will, waking up on a sidewalk with only the birds chirping for an alarm clock. Your hearts greatest desire is to return to the American dream you once lived. That dream of course fades quickly for the moment. You have immediate needs that have to be attended to.

Once upon a time you would have awakened to a digital radio/alarm clock while cuddled under your comforter on a soft Sealy Posturepeadic.

But here you are waking up on a sidewalk behind an office building thanking God you weren’t attacked or that the police did not ticket you or arrest you during the night.

You suddenly feel the need to relieve yourself. Before you lost your home you would normally roll out of bed and slip off to the bathroom. But not any more. Now it’s broad daylight. You are out on a public street. It’s too late to hide in the dark behind some bush to relieve yourself and it’s too early to find a business open that will let you use their facilities even though you are not a paying customer.

You walk carrying your personal belongings with you until you find a restaurant open that will not protest if you slip in and use the restroom. That dream of going home so to speak haunts you again. But it’s soon overtaken by the sound of a stomach growling loud enough to scatter the pigeons from the nasty sidewalk you are now trodding.

Yes it’s easy for the average Joe to holler, “Get a job you degenerate!” But getting up to go to a job interview is not something easily done in this situation. Then getting hired with no address of residence is highly unlikely not to mention the lack of hygiene you are trying to compensate for by cleaning yourself up wherever you can.

Right now however you are hungry and you have to find something to eat. You lost your alarm clock when all the things you had in storage were taken for nonpayment of rent. You slept too late to make it to the free breakfast at the Church downtown.
Oh yes, it would be nice to walk in to a business that is hiring and get an immediate interview and then go right to work. That would be great right?

Let’s say a miracle took place. In spite of the hunger in your stomach you somehow got up early enough to make it by Capital Metro Mass Transit to a job interview you have been scheduled for by The Texas Workforce Commission.

Let’s go even further than that. Let’s say the Personnel Manager at the interview is willing to see you right away and even willing to overlook the fact that you have no home or cell phone and no address of residence.

You are told, “Yes we have a position available for you. It’s in Round Rock at our branch office and you start tomorrow”. Your heart soars for a brief second only to plummet again when you realize Capital Metro doesn’t even go near there.

You don’t let on that you have no transportation to get there. You take the job and shake the Personnel Manager’s hand, thinking you’ll make it to work even if you have to walk all night or sleep near the job. After all you want to get back the dream you once had at all costs and you are willing to do whatever it takes.

Sounds possible, yes? Maybe. Now you spend the remainder of that day scrounging something to eat, bumming enough spare change to buy a battery powered alarm clock with batteries, getting yourself cleaned up the best you can and walking all the way from the closest bus stop in Pflugerville, to the place you are to start work at the next day for minimum wage in Round Rock.

All set right? Have we left anything out? It took all day but you found the place. Now you are in Williamson County. You are not familiar with any place to eat or to sleep free so you decide going hungry is a small price to pay for finally getting another shot at the American Dream. You slip behind a nearby Church and quietly unroll your sleeping bag. You set your Dollar store battery-powered alarm clock against the wall behind you and make a quick check for fire ants.

Everything seems hopeful. All systems go. You determine in yourself that you will be the most valuable employee this employer ever had. You are going to make it this time. You drift off to sleep thinking that finally you’re on your way back home.

The next thing you know, you are awakened by the knocking sound of a diesel engine, the headlights of an ambulance shining in your face and someone speaking to you in a loud voice. “Sir, sir, are you alright?” You look up to see the Williamson County Police Officer’s flashlight blinding you and respond, “I’m just fine sir. Why? What’s the problem?”

The officer informs you that the pastor of this church called an ambulance when he saw you here. He was afraid you might be hurt. Now that you are alright you are however trespassing and if you have no place to go you will have to be taken to jail for trespassing or given a ride to the Salvation Army for the night.
You choose the latter. It doesn’t really matter. They are both quite similar and you have unfortunately now lost your chance at the new job. Your spirits are low. Your hope for getting back to the good life seems to be slipping away a little further every time this sort of thing happens.

So you pick yourself up and try again. Let’s not be so quick to judge those out there on the street. They may appear to be loafing but for the most part no matter what their attitude, no matter what placed them in that situation, they are most likely suffering a great deal.

It’s just doesn’t feel right to me for a country as great as ours to even have homeless people. But that’s another story.

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The Animal Trustees of Austin Wellness Clinic
By Susan Waide

Last July I was homeless downtown. I had my dog, Molly, with me. She is a blonde, spayed Pomeranian, approximately 11 pounds, a little shy but very gentle. We were together for 10 years, long before my bout with mental illness and homelessness. I have photographs and veterinary records to identify her and show that I took good care of her. I was hospitalized a few days after she was stolen while I slept on the sidewalk by Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. I'm on minimal medication now, which controls my disorder with fewer crippling side effects, and live with my sister, who listens to me and laughs with me and reminds me of the good parts of who I used to be and can be again. I volunteer a few hours a week with Ponderosa Pomeranian Rescue as a tribute to my dear Molly and to be a little useful in the world. I am very stable and able to care for Molly when we are reunited. She was stolen almost a year ago but I won't give up looking for her. She never gave up on me.

There are some, even among the homeless, who don't think the homeless should have pets. Homelessness was not a lifestyle I chose. For most of the 10 years I had Molly we had a place to live. Once we lived in my car for 2 months, the next time we lived in my car, at Emma Long State Park and the Salvation Army for 4 months, and the last time we lived on the sidewalk in front of ARCH most of July 1994.

The first night I was there last July someone stole my purse. There went all my money, i.d., toothbrush, hairbrush, everything. All I had left was Molly. Some people thought I was being cruel to her because she was on a leash. They don't understand the difference between tethering and being on a leash. There is a leash law in Austin. Dogs have to be on a leash when you're out in public unless it’s a dog park. She's a very gentle dog, not a biter or a barker, and was very easy to steal.

My relationship with my dog is very important to me, and this is true for a lot of people with mental and physical disabilities. No matter where we were or what kind of shape I was in she was always happy to see me and be with me. You can't get that sort of unconditional love from people, especially when you are hard to communicate with, as many mentally ill people are.

I don't know if she was stolen out of some misguided effort to rescue her from me because I wasn't taking care of myself or whether they thought they could sell her or if they just wanted her because she is so sweet. Homeless people are crime victims more often than perpetrators and as mentally and physically weak as I was at the time I was a sitting duck.

If anyone knows who has Molly please call Ponderosa Pomeranian Rescue at 453-4928 or 467-6740 and they will get her back to me. There is a $500 reward for her return, no questions asked. You can also contact the Austin Advocate at 305-4122. Molly loves me as much as I love her and I'm sure she misses me. Please get her back to me.

I would also like to list some of the resources available to homeless people with pets. Animal Trustees of Austin provides free spaying and neutering to the pets of homeless people. In addition to preventing unwanted pregnancies, this is very important to keeping your pet healthy. Unspayed females are more likely to develop breast and uterine cancer and unneutered males are vulnerable to prostate problems. Both sexes are more likely to get lost because they'll run away to try to mate.

The Animal Trustees of Austin Wellness Clinic also provides free vaccinations, heartworm and flea prevention and heartworm testing to the homeless. If your pet tests positive for heartworms, The Animal Trustees of Austin Spay Neuter Clinic will provide free heartworm treatment to the pets of the homeless.

The Wellness Clinic will also clip your dog's nails and provide helpful information on where you can bathe your pet, how to get essential pet supplies like food, water, collars and leashes. Don't be shy about asking for advice with behavior problems, protecting your animals from heat stroke, and any other questions you might have. They really understand that many of the homeless love their pets and their pets love them. They want to help them stay together and healthy.

Spaying and neutering surgeries are by appointment, Wednesday through Saturday from 7:30am to 6pm. You can schedule the surgery by calling (512) 450-0111 or going by the clinic when it is open. In addition to free services to the homeless, they provide low cost services to low income clients, so an appointment is absolutely necessary. The Wellness Clinic hours are Saturdays 9am to 6pm, Sundays 12noon to 4pm, and Monday through Wednesday 12:30pm to 7:30pm. You don't need an appointment for the Wellness Clinic, but it is on a first come first serve basis, so be prepared to wait. Both the Spay/Neuter Clinic and the Wellness Clinic are located at 5129 Cameron Road.

For people who want to help the homeless, animal Trustees of Austin always needs donations. The Pet Food Bank provides pet food to Animal Trustees of Austin for their community projects. The Have a Heart Food Pantry also has some pet food and supplies available for the homeless, depending on donations. They are located at 4800 South 1st St and are open from 10am to 2pm Thursdays.

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Street Portraits:
William the Chessman Conqueror
By David Weems

One of the most fascinating rituals I've observed during my three months' stay at the Salvation Army has been the nightly chess game.

I myself have never had any talent for chess. I understand the basic concepts but its strategies, intricacies and forethought have always been elusive and mysterious to me.

Chess at Sally's is never like those boring, televised Russia-vs.-USA brainiac contests. It's usually as loud and physical as a backyard game of dominoes. A player yells "BAM!! I got your rook!" Fists slam down and pieces fall over.

The undisputed chess master - at least since I've been here - is a guy named William. He's been a troublemaker - harassing cafeteria service, the front desk, etc. - but when playing the game he is completely quiet and focused, and comes off as something of a genius...a most interesting character. He's usually rude and antisocial until he sits down at the chessboard, where a transformation seems to take place.

Unlike other players, he's civil and gracious during the game - that is, until he (inevitably) wins. Then he stands up, lifts his t-shirt over his head, slaps his ample belly with both hands, and loudly proclaims for all to hear, "WHAT'S MY NAME!!!"

It's both a proclamation of victory and defiance. It's as if he's saying no matter how far he's sunk in society's eyes, he can still do at least one thing well, and we should remember his name is WILLIAM, not another faceless, homeless person.

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ARCH Scores Perfect '100' on Food Inspection
By Kirk Becker

The Austin Resource Center for the Homeless scored a perfect '100' on a June 29, 2005 inspection by the City of Austin's health department. The wine list could perhaps stand some improvement, but at least the food is good and healthful. Way to go ARCH!

Among other nearby venues, Caritas at 7th and Neches scored a perfect '100' on both Mar. 10 of this year and Sept. 16 of last year; the Austin Baptist Chapel at Cesar Chavez just east of I-35 scored a '97' on Apr. 9 of this year (but a '83' on June 18 of last year), and the Shop 24 on 6th St scored an '80' on Feb. 14 of this year and an '84' on May 11 of last year (but they still have great fried chicken, gizzards and home fries for fairly cheap).

The City's Web Site showing scores for all inspected kitches is at http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/health/restaurant/search.cfm.

A couple of notes about the City's web site:
* On some computer/browser systems, sometimes the only way to return from the search results to the search page for a new search is to press Alt-LeftArrow on the keyboard.
* If you sort by score, the results are not grouped by venue, so it's hard to see that one poor score may be balanced by several more recent good scores (or vice versa).
* The “Select One” of Starts_With/Contains/Ends_With is important, and seems to get reset prior to each new search.

Thanks to KXAN 36 (http://kxan.com) for giving us the tip!

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In Memory of Charles Gordon Martin III also known as "Scalper Dave".

We have unexpectedly lost another street brother. He was an easy going kind of guy. He had been here in Austin on the streets for a number of years. Gone but not forgotten, "Scalper Dave" will be sadly missed by all who knew him here in Austin.

It's really hard for me to believe that Dave has passed on. In fact, it was quite a shock when I heard about his passing.

Dave was a good conversationalist as well as a good listener. He was always pleasant and friendly to me. It was a joy having him as my friend. Goodbye my friend. May you Rest in Peace.

Rebecca Jinks

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PERFESSER CREEK-WATER (MARK DORAZIO) KNOWs HOW TO CORRECT-LY SPELL ALMOST ALL WORDs IN TH ENGLISH LANGUAGE, + CHOOSES ALTERNATE SPELLs TO HELP READERs TO BUST OUT OF HABITUAL THINKING-PATTERNs

MY GARDEN

MY GARDEN IS A CHOCOLATE-COVER'D WILDERNESS
WALK-ING BY THE ROAD-WAY IS A HOLY ACT
EVERY COLOR IS HERE...EVERY POSSIBLE HARMONY

MY GARDEN IS A FIELD-OF-DREAMs WHERE
THE NAME OF THE ROSE IS "LOTUS-BLOSSOM SUTRA"
BRITE OZONE COVERs + COLORs THE RAIN-FOREST
TINY RAIN-BOW BRIDGEs DANCE + PLAY

MY GARDEN IS A VEGETARIAN PARADISE
SOME WHERE SOUTH OF 4-O'CLOCK AFTER NOON
I DIVE STRAIT-UP...BEYOND EAGLEs
IT's QUIET UP HERE

MY GARDEN IS BLACK+WHITE+RED+YELLOW+
AQUA-MARINE / + PURPLE + GRAY + BLUE + GREEN
I FLOAT HIGH-ER THAN A GUIDED-MISSILE
NO-THING CAN SHOOT ME DOWN
I ROLL ON-WARD + UP-WARD + HIGH-ER + HIGH-ER
NO-THING CAN STOP ME NOW

FARM-HOUSE, DUDE

REMEMBER WHEN FOLKs USED TO SAY "FAR-OUT" A LOT?? PLUS: THEY WOULD OFTEN SAY "OUT OF SIGHT"... LIKE: "FAR-OUT, MAN, THAT's OUT OF SIGHT"...

WELL, IN TH TOWN WHERE I ATTENDED COLLEGE THERE WAS A JOKE WHERE, INSTEAD OF SAY-ING "FAR-OUT, OUT OF SIGHT"--- U WOULD SAY "FARM-HOUSE, OUT OF STATE"...

THIS WAS BECUZ MANY COLLEGE-STUDENTs, IF THEY COULD AFFORD TO, RENTED BIG FARM-HOUSEs + LIVED THERE --- PERHAPs 8 OR 10 COLLEGE-STUDENTs --- AND COMMUTED BETWEEN TH FARM-HOUSE + TH CAMPUS ... THAT WAS IN DELAWARE, BUT DELAWARE IS SO SMALL THAT MANY OF THOSE FARM-HOUSEs WERE IN MARYLAND OR PENNSYLVANIA, THO PERHAPs LES THAN 10 MILEs FROM TH CAMPUS...

"FARM-HOUSE, DUDE --- THATs OUT-OF-STATE" .....

TUFF + STRONG

IN THE BIG CITY...U GROW UP TUFF + STRONG
BAD THINGs HAPPEN...U CRY
BAD THINGs HAPPEN 1000 TIMEs
U CRY 100 TIMEs
AFTER THAT U CRY NO MORE
NO THING BAD CAN MAKE U CRY
U GROW UP TUFF + STRONG
...YEARs PASS...
ONE DAY SOME GOOD THING HAPPENs
SOME THING BEAUTY-FULL + WONDER-FULL
+ MARVELOUS
U FEEL HAPPY + U CRY FOR HAPPY-NESS
A WONDER-FULL THING: TO CRY FOR HAPPY-NESS

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Homeless Angel
By Trisha Yeager Menke

I met a homeless angel, not so long ago.
I was lost in tangled traffic, and not a single car would slow.
As drivers snarled past me, fists upraised in hate.
I sensed they had a common fear: I'll be 2 minutes late!

A scared and lonely stranger in a town I barely knew,
With a metal grid pursuing me, there was little I could do.
So in quiet desperation I began to pray,
Just then I saw a nameless face, its smile rimmed with grey.

The kind expression on that face beckoned me to turn
Across three lanes of traffic. I could smell the tires burn!
The street man directed me; helpful words spilled from his mouth
I wrote them down in rapid script as bedlam reigned on Mopac South!

Drivers blew their horns and cursed, "Get the hell otta my way!"
but my angel calmly flipped them off, and motioned me to stay.
Once back on track, I waved goodbye to my angel on the street
And drove away with the hope that in another realm we'd meet.

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Stagnate or Rejuvenate
By Tumen Soliz

Dreams as real as life
awing possibilities
to be one with Earth.

Do we feel the pain?
When we burn Earths life blood oil?
In our quest for life?

Do we justify
atrocities in the past
because we weren't there?

Pride in all we do
legacy of ancestors
admit it or not.

What we don't admit,
What we create today is
cave-man atmosphere.

Freedom is my right
Convictions create convicts
free from cave-man brain.

Actuality
is rat-race for the dollar,
self-salvation rule.

Conceptually,
we let dogma dam the flow,
to be one with Earth.

Solar powered cars
do not fit in the mad race
dog eat dog rat race.

Refill the Dead sea
refill cavernous chasms
stabilize the Earth.

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