AUSTIN ADVOCATE

Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) and Rep. Naishtat )D-Austin) indroduce legislation to add "homelessnes" to the Texas hate crimes statute. Photo by Surume.

House the Homeless and the National Coalition for the Homeless have joined forces to fight hate and acts of violence against people experiencing homelessness.

In the last eight years, 614 homeless folks from around the nation have been beaten, stabbed, rapped, stun-gunned, and set on fire for the simple reason that they were homeless. Another 189 homeless people died at the hands of hate mongers. In Austin , we witnessed two-by-fours welded as clubs to beat two of our people sleeping in front of the sanctuary of HOBO. It was also there that Pappy’s thigh muscle was severed with the crushing blow of a police nightstick. We also remember another police beating that left cylindrical bruises on four of our people who lay sleeping in an enclosed alleyway behind 6th Street . That resulted in a civil service conviction and ultimate removal of the perpetrators from our area.

We remember three young thugs who drove around Austin in a black pick-up truck and terrorized the homeless for three days shooting them like fish in a barrel with pellet rifles. James who was on blood thinners was shot three times and almost died.

And of course we remember David Davillia who for the crime of asking for a cigarette was punished with a dousing of lighter fluid and set on fire. He has since suffered many extremely painful skin graft operations.

Finally, House the Homeless, with a 50 person picket-line took on Best Buy for selling hate through the abhorrent Bum Fight videos. We rocked the nation when in less than two hours, they stopped their national sales and then their internet sales thirty minutes later.

Acknowledging and decrying these and hundreds and hundreds of other acts of violence against our homeless Brothers and Sister, State Senator Royce West and State Representative Elliot Naishtat introduced SB 536 and HB 1360 respectively. The bills would include “homeless” in the current hate crimes law. This will help to protect them and allow for enhanced sentencing when someone is convicted of a hate crime against one of our people.

Nationally, we are pressing for a Government Accounting Office, GAO, investigation into hate crimes against people experiencing homelessness.

Violence begins with hate. Hate begins with bad jokes and degrading people by calling them “bums” and “transient” giving the impression that they are only passing through our community, which allows some to wrongly believe that we have no responsibility for their well being as human beings. We do. We are our brother’s keepers. Stop the hate. Stop the violence. Pass it on.

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Pandemic Flu Primer for the Homeless
By Mardi VanEgdom and Bo McCarver

We’re all too familiar with the annual bouts of flu that come with the cold weather: we get runny noses, dry throats; our heads throb and we’re super tired -- all the symptoms of a bad hangover without the booze. And it stays with us for days and likes us to help spread it around.

You can infect someone the day before you feel bad and then for five more days as you drag through it. The virus is smart and makes you cough and sneeze which spreads it to other folks who cough and sneeze, who spread it to other folks...

You can cut the chances of coming down with a really bad case of flu if you take an annual flu shot when the first cold spell hits. Those shots will help you fight off more than a dozen of the common flu viruses.

Unfortunately, viruses are always busy mutating so it’s impossible to completely predict exactly what’s coming. With International travel, a new virus on one side of the planet can quickly travel to the other side. With the huge world population for the viruses to mutate in, the odds of a world-wide, or “pandemic” flu are pretty high. In fact, we’re way overdue for one.

Pandemic flu can be more serious than the garden-variety, annual flu because no one will have any immunity and there will be no immediate cure. If a particularly tough virus gets loose, millions of folks will come down with it. It could be very mild or very deadly.

So what do you do?

The usual personal hygiene will help a bunch: wash your hands often, ideally with anti-biotic soap; if someone is coughing and sneezing, stay back three-to-five feet. Don’t share cigarettes, drinking glasses, food utensils or any thing that will move the viruses. Consider them mean micro-panhandlers that like warm, wet places and will hitch rides with anyone they touch.

If you know a strand of flu is on the rage, avoid lines of people and congregating. If you have symptoms, try to cover your coughing and sneezing – don’t just re-direct it with your hand; it’s better to muffle it in the elbow of your sleeve or use a bandana.

If a really bad, pandemic flu comes around, the best way to deal with it is to not get it. (Remember, there’s no immunization available because it’s new; no "cure" either.) If you can make a stash of food and water that will carry you for a month or more, you may be able to avoid congregating in lines where the virus is almost certain to be. Unfortunately, the usual clinics and food sources may be the most likely places to catch it. It will be months before any serums are available so you need to be prepared for the long haul.

For this reason, homeless folks who are used to relying on their own common sense and who may have stashed some provisions back, may have an advantage over people who are less adaptable and more dependent on stores and public services.

It is possible that so many people will become sick that city services such as EMS , hospitals, water and electric services, schools, and busses shut down. Again, folks who are self-reliant and have some common sense may have the best chance to survive a really tough strand of pandemic flu.

Panic will not help; a bit of planning may. If you can answer these questions, you increase your chances immensely:

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Opportunity Mapping to Help Guide Austin Development
By Kirk Becker

The notion of opportunity mapping comes out of the failed housing projects of the 60's, where people were giving welfare and housing in bankrupt neighborhoods, with tragic results. There's more to life than food and shelter, and there's more to a thriving economy than people and buildings.

Opportunity mapping strives to identify critical aspects of economic (and social) life with a goal of guiding development to achieve healthy neighborhoods and regions throughout a metropolitan area. (The approach is applicable to rural areas also; farmers and ranchers are sufficiently self-sufficient that the maps tend to be much simpler, but their resources are so constrained that fulfilling any gaps tends to be all the more difficult.)

Much of the report belabors the obvious by proving statistically that there is more opportunity west of I-35 than east of I-35, and as a whole seems blissfully unaware of problems associated with gentrification. Still, the underlying data is invaluable in identifying and quantifying needed facilities and resources for specific neighborhoods throughout our city.

The Opportunity Map and Description for Austin are available here (pdf)

Hopefully without digressing too much, Opportunity Mapping parallels the Continuum of Care model of homeless assistance, where persons striving to escape homelessness are given all the resources that they need in order to do so – not independent housing/employment programs, but both housing and jobs at the same time, plus food and maybe even a telephone. A brief overview of the Continuum of Care model can be viewed here (pdf), with further information at: http://www.thn.org/what_is_continuum_of_care.htm .

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Dutch Homeless journal appears in Cyberspace
Bas Kromhout (Haggs Straatnieuws)

For the first time ever, street papers are sold in cyberspace, otherwise known as the ‘Second Life’. A Dutch homeless journal tries to raise awareness about the growing technology gap.

“Hi there. Want a street paper?”
- What, are there even homeless in Second Life?”
“Yep. I’ve got wireless internet [‘wifi’] in my card board box.”
- “Cool. How much for a copy?”
“600 Linden Dollar. That’s 2,10 euros.”
- “Okay, fine. Do me one, please.”

This conversation takes place in virtual reality. Robert Donkers, 25 years old, homeless and vendor of the Dutch homeless journal ‘Haags Straatnieuws’, is the first and only in the world to sell street papers in Second Life. He made his first steps into the virtual world on March 28. Other players could chat with Robert and buy a downloadable copy of ‘Haags Straatnieuws’. From now on, Robert will be in Second Life every month to sell the latest edition. By introducing a homeless vendor into the virtual world, ‘Haags Straatnieuws’ tries to raise awareness about the growing numbers of technological dropouts.

In modern society, people need ever more technological applications to fully participate. “To be a part of virtual communities such as Second Life, you need a super fast connection and a heavy computer. That’s something the jobless and homeless can’t afford. As a result, people are excluded”, says Elke Swart, chief editor of ‘Haags Straatnieuws’. “Furthermore, Second Life has become a domain for companies to make big money. It’s a sterile world, exclusively for the happy few. We think homeless people should be integrated into the virtual world, just as they are a part of the real world.”

Robert’s introduction into Second Life is powered by Dutch internet marketing company Tam Tam. It’s built Robert an avatar that closely resembles his actual features. Paul de Gooijer of Tam Tam says his company participates in the project because he fears Second Life is becoming too commercial. “It started as a social community, where the focus should be on people. We want to emphasize the social aspects of Second Life.” Robert plays Second Life not in his “card board box”, but from Tam Tam’s headquarters. The company asked and got permission to locate Robert’s digital alter ego in virtual Amsterdam.

The players of Second Life that Robert has encountered so far, responded mainly in a positive way. “Most of them said they liked the initiatives”, he says. In just half an hour's time, Robert sold 12 digital copies of ‘Haags Straatnieuws’, earning 6235 Linden Dollars, or 25 euros. “That more money than I can make in such a short time in the real world.” Some players however gave negatives responses. “Get the hell out of Second Life”, was one of them. Robert: “In real life, quite a lot of people respond like that to homeless vendors like myself. People don’t change when they play Second Life.” Some misunderstandings about street paper vendors continue to exist in the virtual world as well. “Some people just tip me, without taking a copy of the paper. They want to help, but they forget that a homeless journal will cease to exist if nobody buys it. Besides, it doesn’t feel right at all to be treated like a beggar.”

Already after his first appearance in Second Life, Robert was hooked. “To me, the virtual world is better than the real one. It’s nice and warm there, the sun always shines, and there are no police officers that bully me around. If I had a note book, I could sit just outside big office buildings and pick up their wifi signal. Then I could be in Second Life all day. But before I can afford one, I’ll have to sell lots of street papers. Real ones, that is.”

By Bas Kromhout

Reprinted from Haags Straatnieuws

© Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

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Hate, Violence, and Death on Main Street USA:
A Report on Hate Crimes and Violence Against
People Experiencing Homelessness 2006

In 1982, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) was founded with one mission in mind: to end homelessness. NCH consists of a national network of currently and formerly homeless people, advocates, activists, and service providers who have worked tirelessly to fulfill this mission. Our vision of a society without homelessness has been the ultimate goal of attempts to pass comprehensive legislation, to satisfy the immediate needs of the homeless population and to raise awareness through public education.

Through the Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA report, the National Coalition for the Homeless brings attention to an issue that has been ignored in both government policy and the opinions and thoughts of the everyday American. We hope this report will educate the public to the inhumanities facing America’s homeless population and ultimately end violence against people experiencing homelessness. In fact, our report has played a role in getting laws passed in Maine and California as well as influencing pending legislation in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada and Texas.

The Maine law gave judges the discretion of adding a few more years onto a person’s sentence, and the California law mandated police officers to be trained about hate crimes against homeless people. If passed, the pending legislation will add homelessness as a protected class to their respective states’ hate crimes laws.

Throughout our country’s history, people of varying race, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation have been the victim of hate crimes. The justice system has worked to reduce these crimes through efforts to provide greater retribution to victims of hate crimes by further penalizing perpetrators and by discouraging potential attackers by imposing stricter punishment. Yet homeless victims have been denied this equal opportunity alongside other minority groups. Between 1999 and 2005 there have been 82 homicides classified as the result of hate crimes according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino. Over that same period there have been 169 deaths as a result of violent acts directed at homeless people. This is more than twice the amount of deaths than those resulted from categorized hate crimes.

The past eight years have witnessed 614 violent acts against homeless individuals. These attacks occurred in 200 cities throughout our country in 44 states and Puerto Rico. They know no boundary and are not limited to coast, region or state. These attacks have permeated every corner of our society, resulting in 189 deaths and 425 non-lethal attacks, ranging from beatings with golf clubs to setting a man on fire while sleeping. The victims have endured humilities both great and small and the injuries they sustained created not only physical pain and scars, but the crippling effects of wounded self-esteem and dignity of the human spirit.

In 2006, headline after headline carried the same message, “Group of teens savagely beat homeless men.” The data shows that the majority of crimes were committed by teens and youths as young as thirteen-years-old. Of the known attackers, 62% were youths between age thirteen and nineteen. An overwhelming 84% of the accused and convicted were 25 and under. The attackers repeatedly cited their motive of attack as boredom, committing the crimes for the “thrill” or “fun,” because the victim is homeless, or perhaps even more harrowing, because they simply “can.” The victims of these violent crimes were for the most part innocent pawns in a game of fun for their attackers.

The Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA report seeks to ultimately create awareness. Too many homeless individuals have been made into victims of brutal and often deadly attacks, attacks motivated by one’s housing status and the simple thrill of harming someone. According to a 2006 study done by the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, 18 percent of homeless people have experienced violence on the street. These atrocities are acts of hatred and should be classified as hate crimes. It is time that the victims of these violent acts are given due respect. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2005 does not address housing status, nor does the Hate Crime Prevention Act of 2005. The facts show that homeless people are a vulnerable population; as such they should be included in legislation protecting the most vulnerable classes of society. Moreover, since the homeless often reside in federally subsidized shelters, streets, and parks, the federal government has both unique authority and a jurisdictional justification to assure their protection when local authorities cannot. Additionally, housing-related issues have been an area of active federal enforcement for decades. Proactive measures must be taken to address violence against homeless people. We can no longer watch idly as the civil rights of homeless people are continually thrown aside.

Research and experience have shown the correlation between homeless-directed violence and city efforts to criminalize homelessness. Laws that violate the basic civil rights of homeless people justify violence toward them. Through the creation of societies where homeless individuals are seen as second-class citizens, we are fueling the dehumanization of homeless people. It is the responsibility of cities and of all governing bodies to ensure that the criminalization of the homeless is neither fostered nor encouraged in America’s cities.

The Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA report is the voice for the 189 men and women who lost their lives, for the 425 who managed to survive and for the countless number of victims and casualties that go unreported every year. Justice for homeless people should be granted to them; protection of their civil rights should be ensured; they should be protected by legislation that acknowledges the injustice of violence against them. By acknowledging this sickening trend, we can discourage America from continuing to ostracize our homeless citizens. We can work to return their sense of self worth and purpose. We can show they are not forgotten.

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My life as it is:

I’m going to miss that ole bridge I lived under. The dust, noise, and mosquitoes, they’re all so much a part of my life as it is.

I found some serenity up under that bridge amongst the dirt, noise and of course, ants. It wasn’t all that bad when you think about it. I mean, I stayed dry and no one bothered me. First of all, you have to find the right bridge, which sometimes takes a few trial and error runs. You want it to be dry, with enough room to sleep and if you are looking for serenity, free of others.

My bridge and my situation was a perfect setup for finding serenity. Flying a sign in the heat of the day to make enough money to eat and a pack of smokes, then trying to sleep in 100 plus degrees on a bed made of cement, cardboard and a sleeping bag. Not to worry about the mosquitoes, they won’t come out when it’s that hot, but by three-o-clock in the morning when it starts to cool enough to sleep, the buzzing and biting begins.

At four thirty the birds are waking and the traffic starts rolling. From then on the noise grows until sleep is impossible and you start getting a headache; besides, the sun will be coming up soon and all that cement held its heat most of the night. It won’t be long before it reaches a hundred degrees and climbing. In the winter it’s so cold the ache never leaves your bones and the mice and sometimes rats get into your stuff looking for scraps to eat or something to build their little homes out of. What a great place to find peace…

When you become so worn out and there seems to be nothing left in your reserves, it has a way of opening you up for other possibilities in life.

Myself, I had an argument with God, as I understood him, and came to the conclusion that He is going to do whatever He is going to do and I can accept it or not. So I asked… What the hell do you want with me? My answer was what the hell do I want for myself? I started with something simple like give me a smile and let me know it’s not all bad, so I made a sign with a big smile and the words, “It’s Not All Bad” and I got smiles.

That’s not like some big revelation, but it was enough to start me thinking a little more about my life and the way I should be living it, the things I wanted and desired. I should have more and I want more for myself than to just live an existence up under a bridge or the woods in a tent.

I had gotten used to keeping my needs relatively simple and that kept me from going for the things I really wanted. I thought I had no wants other than the basic needs, but that’s just a cop-out for not wanting to take responsibility. That takes effort. It is much easier to do only that which keeps you alive and nothing more. After a while my senses became dulled, nothing seemed to matter much and dreams were just something of the past. I was becoming an empty shell. No one could see me, because there was nothing to see.

I started looking at others and the things they wanted and somehow I could see just what they needed to do to get those things. That was it… I realized that by helping others I would find a little something inside myself and others started seeing something in me as well.

The wants and desires can be very difficult and nearly impossible without others, unless maybe you’re a hermit. So the way I was, was not going to get me very far in life and I knew I would need some help from others. As hard as that is for me to accept there was no way around the fact that I couldn’t do it on my own. Now some really good things are happening in my life, with a lot of love and support from some very special friends.

If you ask me how it’s going, I’ll tell you “I’m doing great but, I’ll get better”. That’s not always true, but the fact is people smile and it makes me feel better when others think I’m doing well. You could say it rubs both ways.

So, if you see someone down and out you might let them know where they can find a little serenity, or maybe just have a little empathy, and “Smile, It’s not all bad”…


D.M. Thoms

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The Highway Ends
I've landed, stranded,
uncomprehened.
I've arrived, aching to survive...
a homeless and empty destination
without hope - alone; perhaps
without a prayer.
I am you, me and I...
wrapped in a struggle
to merely survive.
Day in and day out
aching feet, muscles, brain.
Your blame is on me
I've missed the corporate
American boat.
I've failed to stay afloat...
but alas as foul as this ally
smells -
I somehow blame you
and yet you, God and the
American conscience
has given me hope.
A stepping stone or arch
that I might cross
and awaken
(from handout after handout
humility with its razor sharp teeth
gnawing at my soul)
and find a quiet peaceful
night sleep and dream
in a home I call my own.

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The Indian
By Tom Coykendall

Earth, wind and fire
Hollowed ground...
Sky, heaven,
The eagle, the cat, the snake,
Alive, awake.
One mind, one tribe, all things
The Indian.
Music, drums, dance.
Sacred sounds...
Moccasins light
To embrace,
As feathers spiral, float,
Fall to the ground...
One mind, one tribe, all things
The Indian.
Gone, fallen, forsaken
Left only a whisper
Of the proud voice...
The Great Spirit is
Time
And time will not betray nor forget
The one mind, one tribe, all things
The Indian.

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Soul Mates
By Thomas Coykendall

Dance to the music of the
wind,
Ballet of the hearts,
broken bonds never allowed,
sing out loud
to the pains of earthly bound
mortals...
Grace without haste
as others pace
the halls of high virtue
within solice...
Seeking not to find,
but in search-
stumble...
Fate's coincidence
as the mirror's reflection
shines anew
as if truth seen for the first
time
complete and true...
Fear gone, released, abandoned
Loose to seek misfortunate
travelers on a road of
non-actualization, non-purpose, non-enlightenment...
I am yours, you are mine and God is
everything, Let everything swallow us whole, complete.
Faiths never ending appetite my love,
my only, my soul mate...

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Patience of virtue...
Bad habits steal our
best Interests,
Regardless of
Intent.
The solution lies
in the creature
of habit.
Tame that creature
And you have
Found virtue
With patience.
Alliance with God,
Peace of mind,
And heavens promise
Will be kept
Eternally.

By Tom Coykendall

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