| In the GPWA effort to obtain enough signatures to get their presidential candidate, Howie Hawkins, on the November ballot, Greens talked to Seattle people on the street. Among them were the unhoused and formerly unhoused who expressed concerns about the sweeps by Seattle Police Department that push the homeless out of the downtown by scooping up their sole possessions like so much trash, leaving them much worse off. Now, in response to demands by Black Lives Matter to demilitarize the police, Seattle City Council did the opposite of what the intent was (to reallocate those funds to serve the community). They kept the police sweeps in play but removed social service allies from that situation and domestic violence response without having an alternative social services system already in place. The sweeps of the homeless need to stop altogether and alternatives must be taken seriously. The GPWA affirms that unhoused people are protected by 4th Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure, protections of personal privacy and property, as well as the right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion into whatever temporary residence they’ve fabricated in a crisis. Rainy weather and shorter daylight hours are signals that Winter is coming. In 2020 the Pandemic conditions will likely make resources even more scarce for those neighbors who are unhomed. Close to 200 presumed homeless people died in King County in 2018, at least 90 in 2017, numbers for 2019 are not available, but not all are counted. This year Winter will be complicated by both Flu and Pandemic conditions that limit available outreach resources in Seattle. |
[Reprinted with permission from TRU.] Message from Tye donate to TRU’s Solidarity Fund:
| “For all the newbies who haven’t heard, TRU has set up a Solidarity Fund to provide for the basic needs of encampment residents surviving in the city unsheltered during a global pandemic and social uprising. A fellow TRU member and I have been visiting a couple camps in Ballard every Sunday to assess their needs, chat with campers, and be somewhat of a bridge between resources and the people living there. So far, generous TRU members and friends have been able to accrue over $1,500 to support our neighbors living in tent encampments. During these last few weeks, I’ve put those funds to good use buying whatever I could that the campers asked for: tents, beef jerky, snacks, a jillion cases of water, socks for daaays, underwear, shirts, bags of ice, gas to power generators, and probably a few other things I’ve forgotten to mention (keep up with the updates on TRU’s Members’ Wall, Facebook, and Instagram!). We’ve also been able to snag some free harm reduction and toiletry items from community members and organizations <3So today I’m asking for money. We are running low on our funds and will have to start reserving our resources for highly necessary items like water and tents, which can be verrry pricey. I am hoping to create a regular schedule of volunteers who can consistently serve these camps and I have dreams of doing weekly or twice weekly hot meals, and none of this can happen without the support of our community and organization. Please do not give more than you comfortably can but remember: shares with your rich friends and family are always free!! Love, peace, and afro grease.” – Tye Donate to the Solidarity FundJoin TRU |
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