From time to time, the local media do a pretty good job of covering homelessness issues. I expect some articles and reports around Easter. However, this week, I found nothing in the local papers or from the TV stations.
A main goal of this blog is to impress upon everyone that homelessness is everywhere, everyday, and can happen to anyone. You don’t see many stories like that, at least not locally, not consistently. The charitable and social hats get put on and paraded around during the major holidays, but are shoved back in the closet the rest of the year, except for the bad news. If a homeless person commits a crime, it’s news. The real problems and solutions of homelessness are rarely addressed. It doesn’t increase ratings; that’s the bottom line. Search “homeless” at any of the local media’s websites and you’ll see what I mean.
I always find a lot more news for and about homeless people in the foreign and world press. So how about it Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune, and local broadcast media? Appreciate what you do sometimes. How about doing it all the time, or at least more frequently?
That said, here are this week’s links.
NAEH Friday News Roundup by Catherine An April 1, 2011 endhomelessnes.org
Unemployment fell to 2-year low... by Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press via Deseret News April 2, 2011
Utah Refusing Extension of Unemployment Benefits Associated Press via connect2Utah.com
DOJ Launches Investigation Of Seattle Police by The 
Associated Press via npr.org-SEATTLE April 1, 2011 “The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday launched a formal civil rights investigation into the Seattle Police Department following the fatal shooting of a homeless Native American woodcarver and other incidents of force used against minority suspects.”
“Police shootings in Utah” Google search
Untangling Low-Income Budget Cut Claims
by Pam Fessler npr.org-March 24 2011 “Anti-poverty advocates say millions of low-income Americans could be hurt by proposed spending cuts approved by the House earlier this year, but some of their claims are difficult to nail down, complicating an already contentious budget debate.”“Homeless” at BBC News
“Homeless” at WorldNews
“Homeless” at Scoop (New Zealand)
Events
2011 Student Conference on Writing & Social Justice. April 11 Salt Lake Community College South City Campus Grand Theatre. Free and open to the public.
Global Youth Service Day April 15-17 from housing.utah.gov, Housing and Community Development
Events Benefitting: The Road Home Salt Lake City Mission
Entertainment
Film: The Fisher King at IMDb.com. One of my favorite films ever.
Documentary: Street Vets In case you missed it when it aired, you can watch the entire program at KUED.org
Books: Have a Little Faith (scroll down) by Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays With Morrie, from New in Paperback at npr.org-“the story of the relationships that sports columnist and bestselling author Mitch Albom develops with two very different clergymen — one his family rabbi, the other the pastor of an inner-city church for the homeless and indigent.” Hear an interview with the author HERE.
Charlotte Abbott edits "New in Paperback." A contributing editor for Publishers Weekly, she also leads a weekly chat on books and reading in the digital age every Friday from 4-5 p.m. ET on Twitter. Follow her at @charabbott or check out the #followreader hashtag .
Drifting Toward Love by Kai Wright from The Nation Institute "Prostitution, homelessness, drugs and violence against gay men of color are all discussed in unflinching, at times wrenchingly intimate detail, alongside touching reminiscences of first love and the initial realization of a “different” sexuality. . . An important book about an often-marginalized group." — Kirkus Reviews.
Kai Wright is editorial director of Colorlines and an Alfred Knobler Fellow of The Nation Institute. His investigative reporting and news analysis appears regularly in The Nation, The Root, and The American Prospect, among other publications. His work ... Kai Wright's full bio »
Video Spotlight
from InvisiblePeople.tv at YouTube
Related links:
Street newspapers in North America from North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA)
Salt Lake Street News Nat’l Coalition for the Homeless State (Utah) Homeless Coordinating Committee One World Everybody Eats
A final note on the articles about police shootings of minorities, mentally ill people, and homeless people. I have met our Chief of Police, Chris Burbank. He seems like a sensible guy. so I fail to understand his officers’ treatment of certain groups of people (the things I’ve seen on the street would astonish and disturb you). Issuing ‘trespassing’ or ‘camping’ citations, jaywalking tickets to people who won’t appear in court, and have no money to pay the fine if they did. I was thrown in jail for 7 days, and found guilty of trespassing for trying to retrieve my property from a ‘freind’s’ apartment. Kicking (yes, kicking) people awake at 5AM who are just trying to get some sleep, and running their ID’s and threatening them with arrest. Those are the mild events.
Yes, the police were helpful to me when I was attacked, beaten with a belt with a huge metal buckle on it, and relieved of my backpack in Pioneer Park some years ago. Yes, I realise they have to treat everyone equally under the law, but I don’t think that’s happening. When I asked an officer who wrote me a jaywalking ticket how many times he cited people at The Gateway, he simply laughed at me. I asked the same officer why it seemed their focus was to harass homeless people in that neighborhood, his response was, “Because this is where all the trouble starts.”
So, Chief Burbank, what’s the deal?
Until next time...enjoy the warmer weather, be good to yourself, and avoid the law.
—Your editor
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