The Mis-Education of the Green Party

by Staff Writer

Letter to PNN;

Hi, I am Pat LaMarche, Vice Presidential Candidate for the Greens

I was given your names by one of our supporters. I am
running for vice President of the US on the Green
Party ticket and I, (quite frankly) won't win. So we
have defined a new way of winning. For most of us,
the Green Party growing and ousting George Bush would
be enough... Frankly, I am quite happy with those two
outcomes...

In the mean time I want to do things to promote the
plight of the poor. I want to live in a different
shelter each night for 14 nights.... different states,
different kinds of shelters. i need help planning the
logistics. please write or call me to help me.

Signed, Pat LaMarche

Response from PNN co-editors;

Dear pat - thanks for contacting us - but you must know that as "poverty scholars" at POOR MAgazine/PNN we have some issues with that kind of "research"(i.e., living in shelters when you are not really homeless) as it smacks of ethnography and appropriated poverty, not to mention taking a bed away from someone who really needs it. We at POOR are all folks who have been homeless and /or are currently homeless - and our suggestion is, maybe you could use your "name" and press attention to actually support some of the existing non-profits and folks like POOR Magazine and The Coalition on Homelessness who are fighting to stay alive due to the Bush/Cheny corporation.. budget cuts, and their policies' affect on private foundations and lets not forget Schwarznegger et al. As well there are tons of folks on the brink of homelessness cause of the sec 8 program being slaughtered since 2000 ( and previous HUD policies )while all the money is stolen and funneled into the homeland (in)security program. Finally, we appreciate that you are even talking about homelessness at all but perhaps try a different road - i am attaching some links of our recent articles and our Poverty texts to give you some knowledge and further poverty scholarship

In solidarity - tiny@POOR

Response from staff writer Joseph Bolden (POOR/PNN)

Dear Ms. P. LaMarche,Vice Presidential Candidate,Green Party.

As for your idea of staying in 14 Shelter's in 14 weeks... 'um I don't think so.
As a previous shelter resident I believe it is Better to talk to those you know in your or nearby neighborhood(s)
Invite them into your house (a lot of us are decently dressed though others because they've been beaten down,sick,sleep outside and are more shabby looking. We all have stories to tell.

Joseph,Bolden

Poor Magazine Staff Writer

Final Response by Pat LaMarche

Thank you for responding to my requests. I apologize
for not being very clear. I don't want to visit and
stay at shelters as 'research'. I have volunteered
for more than 8 years at one here in Maine. I want to
stay there so the press will follow me and get the
issue additional publicity. We are also going to ask
for donations for the shelters during the tour.

Thank you for sending me the list of articles. I
appreciate you getting back to me.

Best of luck to you all.
Pat

Final Response from PNN co-editors

Dear pat - so i am thrilled that you work at a shelter and i am sure that you have dealt with budget woes in respect to that shelter- but in this area and in many cities including NYC, the shelter system is run like a jail and in fact because housing budgets have been gutted by budget cuts and poverty pimps making huge grants to build jails and shelters- it becomes the only way poor people are housed at all - the whole mess began with guiliani and then locally in SF with Newsom who based his mayoral campaign on the backs of homeless folks - So perhaps, instead of just trying to get funding for jail-like housing, i.e., shelters and perpetuating those lies - perhaps you could spend some of the time at the agencies like Coalition on Homelessness and POOR who have lost all their funding and/or protest the offices of HUD who have gutted their budgets and continue to threaten more families with homelessness- Finally, below is some info re
gavin newsome campaign and the shelter system in SF-

tiny