Original Post Date
2011-07-07 01:31 PM
Original Body
p
strongIn addition to the allegations of police misconduct that is affecting criminal cases, the span data-scayt_word="D.A.'s" data-scaytid="1"D.A.#39;s/span office is facing overwhelming caseloads, and the city is preparing for the forthcoming influx of potentially thousands of prisoners after a recent span data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="2"U.S/span. Supreme Court decision ordered the state {of California} to release or transfer more than 33,000 inmates because of overcrowding./strongbr /
--from It#39;s experience versus change in DA#39;s race, by Heather span data-scayt_word="Cassell" data-scaytid="8"Cassell/span, in the June 30-July 6th Bay Area Reporter/p
p As POOR Magazine and others have said repeatedly, the span data-scayt_word="PIC--Prison" data-scaytid="9"PIC--Prison/span Industrial Complex--which can also be called Poor People Housing or The New Slave Plantation System--is an interlocking set of corporate economic interests and the logical end result of a lot of labor and union-busting activities going back to (maybe much further back-in-the-day...) Ronald Reagan#39;s confrontation with and ruination of span data-scayt_word="PATCO" data-scaytid="10"PATCO/span, the air-traffic controllers#39; union.nbsp; Believe me, if the airline and airport industries could use cheap prison labor to manage air traffic in span data-scayt_word="Amerikkka's" data-scaytid="11"Amerikkka#39;s/span span data-scayt_word="skies...they" data-scaytid="5"skies...they/span would./p
p Slave-wage prisoners fight fires in California and other Western states when the fire seasons get to span data-scayt_word="goin" data-scaytid="12"goin/span#39;.nbsp; Outside of getting to be Outside, I don#39;t get what prisoners get for doing it.nbsp; The state and rich people who have their zillion dollar homes and vacation lodges saved get a lot for nearly span data-scayt_word="nuthin" data-scaytid="13"nuthin/span#39;.nbsp; State and Federal prisoners make license plates and other things for less money (by corporations with sweetheart deals with the states) than other companies can afford to.nbsp; Unfair competition?nbsp; You bet./p
p Corporations like Wells Fargo Bank invest megabucks in corps like GEO that build prisons and lobby for more to be built while education and other needs go begging for money.nbsp; The victims of starved education systems, low-paying jobs or no jobs, Sit-Lie Laws, etc., go to jail/prison or face massive risky struggles not to go there.nbsp; Can you say Sex Worker?nbsp; Can you say Employed and living in the car?nbsp; I knew you could!/p
p Thirty-three thousand-plus prisoners equals about 570 people per county, though the span data-scayt_word="B.A.R" data-scaytid="6"B.A.R/span. quote, while at least a little bit span data-scayt_word="fear-mongerish" data-scaytid="14"fear-mongerish/span, is accurate if you take into account they might really mean the Bay Area--San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Alameda County, Marin County, etc--though it is possible for San Francisco to actually see four digits-worth coming to a street (or 850 Bryant) near you./p
p If they don#39;t go to jail, where do they go?nbsp; A new ordnance on the ballot in San Francisco aims to reform ex-Mayor Gavin span data-scayt_word="Newsom's" data-scaytid="15"Newsom#39;s/span CARE NOT CASH (span data-scayt_word="CNC" data-scaytid="16"CNC/span) program because it created gridlock in the homeless shelter system.nbsp; People on General Assistance were sent to shelters, but then the shelter system classified shelters as full of span data-scayt_word="CNC" data-scaytid="17"CNC/span clients whether they are there or not.nbsp; The Phantom of the Full Shelters has been playing this mad tune in the Care Not Cash Cafe basement for years./p
p Whether or not the ordnance passes, whether or not it creates a better result or wreaks more span data-scayt_word="havok" data-scaytid="18"havok/span on a system that has always been a Twilight Zone with Rod span data-scayt_word="Serling" data-scaytid="19"Serling/span firmly at the helm (Dead or Alive), there#39;s not much breathing room in those shelters, nor is there much in SRO hotels.nbsp; There are at least two fewer SRO#39;s this summer.nbsp; Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Robles wrote about a recent SRO fire and she, I, and others were on Facebook shortly after that freaking out over a SOMA (South of Market Street) SRO hotel that burned a few weeks later./p
p There#39;s so much unmet need for housing: elders, families, singles of all sexes and transgender, youth.nbsp; There#39;s an Elephant in the middle of the room.nbsp; Organizations that have great mission statements but fail to deliver on them.nbsp; POOR Magazine has its span data-scayt_word="Homefulness" data-scaytid="20"Homefulness/span Project, a radical/revolutionary co-housing set-up not requiring its future tenants to opt-in with money they don#39;t have.nbsp; Co-housing and other DIY (Do It Yourself) collective housing arrangements aren#39;t generally Poor People Friendly./p
p That must change.nbsp; We hope readers see what we#39;re doing and get inspired.nbsp; You should!/p
p The courts are a useful tool for forcing what isn#39;t happening to happen--if you win.nbsp; They are also a blunt instrument with not much flexibility.nbsp; The span data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="3"U.S/span. Supreme Court decision#39;s impact on California and its criminal justice system is one honking huge example./p
p Still, I would love to see Housing Rights lawyers go to the span data-scayt_word="U.S" data-scaytid="4"U.S/span. Supreme Court with cases focusing on things like the failure of San Francisco government to force developers to make at least 50% of housing units in new apartment buildings be for poor tenants.nbsp; The Booker T. Washington community center at Sutter and Presidio Streets has been trying to create a youth transitional housing facility next door to it; the project began as a 10-story structure, then the neighborhood demanded fewer floors.nbsp; span data-scayt_word="NIMBY" data-scaytid="21"NIMBY/span:nbsp; NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!!/p
p The new San Francisco Supervisor for that part of San Francisco back-stabbed Booker T. Washington after more complaints were made, and the project has been forced to shrink still more.nbsp; Young people aged out of foster care at age 18 without anywhere else to go will go where you would expect them too--the streets, shelters, jail, prison.nbsp; That#39;s another lawsuit that needs to go all the way!/p
p Let#39;s decriminalize squatting.nbsp; Let#39;s get foreclosed houses out of the grubby paws of the banks and put them to the good use of organizations working to get people housed.nbsp; C#39;mon Lawyers!nbsp; Lawyer up!nbsp; If our various levels of government can#39;t or won#39;t do it, you#39;re just about all we#39;ve span data-scayt_word="got...other" data-scaytid="7"got...other/span than ourselves./p