Re: Homeless must help themselves, Las Vegas CityLife, April 06, 2006

Re: Homeless must help themselves

Letter to the editor, Thursday, April 06, 2006

The following link will take you to a letter to the editor in the Las Vegas CityLife.

Here is my reply.

CityLife may publish my comments if they wish.

Also here, I want to thank CityLife and the community for keeping the Las Vegas Valley's huge homeless problem in the media. We have multiple issues here including the AFFORDABLE HOUSING issue which is and will be affecting non-homeless as well as homeless folks.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/04/06/letters/letters02.txt

Ken: The death of Norman Bangs was tragic and needless, and both Gail Sacco and Westcare should be applauded for their efforts to help the homeless ["Death in Vegas," March 23]. But unfortunately, "more detox beds" are not the solution for homelessness in our city.

Mom: Thank you so much for your comments. Your comments help me and others see different view points. And also it gives us the opportunity to ponder the different insights to see if we are missing anything that would help us do better in our mission.

Ken: Don't kill the messenger, but the solution lies within the homeless themselves.

Mom: Yes, this is important "if and when" they can help themselves. Sometimes people need a helping hand to get to that point.

Ken: I was homeless when I arrived here, except for a beat-to-hell Volkswagen, but I didn't line up for Gail's free lunch. I was at Labor Express every day, doing whatever grunt work they'd offer for the $28 a day it paid. I was able to buy my own food and clothes, and kept looking for work, and I found it, and I made friends and networked, and presto, I wasn't homeless anymore.

Mom: Not knowing some of the facts relating to your particular situation, I will still try to comment. There are many different types of homeless and almost-homeless people. Having a "beat-to-hell" vehicle still gave you some sort of safe shelter. This gives a person an advantage to a better night's sleep (to be able to work the next day) than sleeping in an alley or behind a privately owned building.

I also don't know how long you were homeless. But for those who have been homeless for a short period of time, it is much easier to get off the streets than someone who has been on the streets for a longer period of time.

Also, depending on how long ago you were homeless makes a difference. Like the City Marshal who told me he was homeless 15 years ago and got himself off the streets all on his own. Fifteen years ago we had affordable housing...

It is estimated that forty percent of the homeless do work the day labor jobs. (And only two percent panhandle for a living.) But making up to $40 a day, maybe three days a week, is not enough money to buy your own food and clothes, soap, shaving gear, laundry detergent, laundry services, deodorant, sanitary napkins, etc. and save for a weekly motel or apartment.

Now, getting back to that vehicle that you own (smile). Most homeless don't have the luxury of owning a vehicle where they can keep all those nice interview clothes from being stolen while you are at the day labor. And, not having that vehicle also puts you at risk of being arrested over and over and over again for trespassing (sleeping on private property) or "lodging" in the public park after hours. So then you are subject to jail time and fines. And then that fine apartment you had your eye on gets put on hold.

And without that vehicle (and sometimes even with a vehicle) you get arrested for sleeping on "private" property without permission, and you had just landed a good job. Now you are in jail for seven days and can't get to work. Do you think your new employer will understand?

Ken: Ask yourself when was the last time you saw a Mexican holding up a sign reading "Homeless, Hungry, God Bless You?" You probably haven't and you probably won't. Because our Mexican population works, and they work harder than any other race I've known. In Florida, I did the hiring for a construction site, and I was called "racist" because I only hired Mexicans. In point of fact, Mexicans were virtually the only applicants that passed my company's drug test.

Mom: He he, (not really funny but...) yes many Mexicans work very hard here (legally and illegally) because they've left their country for a better life for themselves and their families. But many Mexicans are still working slave labor here because they don't have identification, etc. so they cannot even work at the day labor jobs.

No matter what race, all homeless (white, black, hispanic, asian, turkish, native american, etc.) all have different and some of the same barriers. Each is an individual with individual barriers and problems. And each handles their situation differently. We can either play the game of survival of the fittest. Or, we can offer what we can to help them maximize their abilities and strengths- all people of ALL nationalities.

Ken: "Death In Vegas" opens with "Norman Bangs had finally had enough of the streets ... cold and dusty back lots ... police harassment ... newspaper beds ... lack of running water." I'm sorry, but how does "finally" fit in there? Was there some time frame in which Norman found that lifestyle appealing? Greg Malms said, "There are so many doors that are being closed in your face." Well, temporary labor offices have been open to me, all over the country. Las Vegas has several. The work they offer isn't like giving back rubs to supermodels, but damn it, it's work, and work pays off. So if you're homeless, don't put "Will Work For Food" on your pathetic cardboard sign. If you'll work for food, you'd already be at a labor office.

Mom: As I said here and in other posts of mine, there are many barriers that prevent some folks from getting a job. We have to help break down those barriers so they can get a job if that is what they want. For example, no identification, no job. No birth certificate, no social security card, no identification. No legitimate job.

http://www.nlchp.org/contents/pubs/ID%20Barrier%20Report.pdf

Ken: In closing, "Norman Bangs ... had enough of the drinking and drugs." No, he hadn't. He died from them. Somehow he could afford alcohol and drugs, but not food or shelter. People can choose to rise above drugs and alcohol without a "detox bed" on their own. It's not easy and it's not fun. But ultimately, they themselves have to do it. Because all the Gail Saccos and Westcares in the universe won't be able to help those who won't help themselves.

Mom: We'll have to agree to disagree here. I do not believe that ALL people can get free from alcohol and/or drugs on their own. Each individual needs different things at different times. Some can do it on their own and some can't - whether one is homeless or non-homeless.

If we care about our fellow human beings, we must be there for them (as individuals and as a community) when they are ready to help themselves. Some have lost hope. We must help them restore their hope and dignity so they can begin --again-- to help themselves.

Thank you for taking the time to write to Las Vegas CityLife. And I am so glad that you are not homeless anymore. No one deserves to be homeless or hungry even if they've made their mistakes. Everyone deserves another chance or a helping hand to get off the streets if that's what they want.

And remember, you don't have to drink or do drugs to become homeless. Any one missed paycheck, a health crisis, an eviction whether it is a legal or illegal eviction, loss of a job or benefits, mental health issues, physical or medical health problems, or an unpaid bill can virtually make any one of us homeless.

Harassment or are the marshals just doing their job?

Sunday, April 2, 2006

What a beautiful day today! Sun was shining. Purple bushes in bloom. Comfortable temperatures. No unusual problems with our homeless and needy friends.

Come about 3:00 pm, the marshal's car pulls up on the west side of the park. Everyone was scattered throughout this gorgeous, public park chatting and enjoying each other's company.

Marshal R. McMenamy walks over to the table and asks the lone gentleman at the table, "Did you serve this food today?" Before the gentleman had time to answer, the marshal spotted me sitting under a tree and said, "Oh, there is Ms. Sacco."

Reminder: Marshal R. McMenamy is the same marshal who told Joe, "No signs in the park. Take the sign out of the park." Thankfully he was reminded by his superior of Joe's free speech rights.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/03/02/local_news/shrapnel/shrapnel.txt

I got up and said, "Hello Marshal" and then he began with the questions: How many people did you feed today? Did you feed over 25 people? Have you personally tried to get a permit? Who did you speak with?

I explained to him that I did not count the people. Then someone told him we fed 19 people. I told him that a friend of mine tried to apply for a permit for me. I told him, "But as you well know, this park is non-reservable."

He said to me, "I don't want to have to go through the whole spiel again. You know the rules as we told them to you on the day you were cited."

Another gentleman asked the marshal, "Do you think it's unconstitutional what the city is doing here?" The marshal told him, paraphrased: "I don't want to talk with you. I want to finish talking with this woman."

So I asked Marshal McMenamy, "Do you think that there is something wrong with sharing food with hungry people?" McMenamy replied, "It doesn't matter what I think." I said,
"Yes, it does matter what you think. If you think that the local laws are unjust and unconstitutional, and you are being ordered from up above to enforce these unjust laws, then that is a shame."

He replied, "Let me tell you that I enjoy my job and enjoy what I do. What is right is right. What is wrong is wrong." So I asked him, "So do you think that sharing food with hungry people is wrong?" He replied, again, "It doesn't matter what I think."

At that time, I felt someone coming up behind me. I turn around to see Deputy City Marshal Sergeant John Donohue. Gentleman as usual, he asked how everything was going. He said that there was a complaint by a neighbor because of the feeding.

I explained to him that today was an exceptional pleasant day. No fighting, no one was drunk, no noise, no litter. I couldn't imagine why any neighbor would be calling to complain.

I also explained to him that myself and fellow advocates were hoping to get together soon to discuss some proposals for the city. We are hoping that we can work together to come up with a plan to make everyone as happy as possible.

Shook hands with Sgt. Donohue and we all went on our merry way.

CityLife compared favorably to Bible, Las Vegas CityLife, March 23, 2006

First of all, I'm very pleased to see there are still writers who care to write stories like the one about the woman who feeds the homeless. In your Jan.19 issue, you published "Going in circles" by Emmily Bristol. Stories like that we can only read in the Bible.

To read the complete letter:

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/03/23/letters/letters.txt

Death in Vegas, Las Vegas CityLife, March 23, 2006

Homeless man's apparent OD highlights the need for more detox beds



Norman Bangs waits in a food line at Circle Park. Bangs, 39, died March 11 behind an abandoned building across from the park.

Photo Credit: Bill Hughes, Photo Editor

BY MATT O'BRIEN

Norman Bangs had finally had enough of the streets. He'd had enough of the cold and dusty back lots, the police harassment, and the mocking teenagers. He'd had enough of the newspaper beds, the relentless sun and the lack of running water. He'd had enough of the drinking and the drugs.

He just wanted a little help. What he got was the cold shoulder and a one-way ticket
back to the streets, where he died earlier this month.

To read the complete article:

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/03/23/local_news/news01.txt

Media Updates

No picnic this time - Woman cited for feeding too many homeless

By Timothy Pratt
Las Vegas Sun

An act of charity - feeding the homeless - has landed one local woman in court.

Gail Sacco must appear March 20 in Municipal Court to answer charges that she violated a Las Vegas ordinance by gathering more than 25 people in a city park without a permit.

To read the complete article:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/mar/07/566620162.html

Editorial: The worst ticket in town

Resident cited for feeding homeless people in a Las Vegas park discovers that even when charity begins at home it still needs a permit

It is a sad day when a city tickets those who feed homeless people.

According to a story in Tuesday's Las Vegas Sun, resident Gail Sacco is heading to Las Vegas Municipal Court on March 20 because her practice of feeding homeless people in Circle Park violates a Las Vegas ordinance that prohibits gatherings of more than 25 people without a permit.

To read the complete article:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/mar/08/566662547.html?homeless

Woman Cited For Feeding Too Many Homeless

(KVVU) -- A good deed has landed a valley woman in court.

Gail Sacco was cited and banned from downtown's Circle Park for six months for feeding too many homeless people.

According to park rules, it's against the law for a group of 25 people or more to gather without a permit.

To read the complete article:

http://www.kvvu.com/Global/story.asp?S=4602605

Letter: Woman sets an example for all of us

The Sun's story about the lovely lady that was feeding the homeless is very upsetting to me ("No picnic this time - woman cited for feeding too many homeless," March 7). She is doing what each of us should be doing each day.

To read the complete letter:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/debate/2006/mar/09/566644973.html

Law used to thwart homeless helpers targeted

By DAVID McGRATH SCHWARTZ
REVIEW-JOURNAL




Photo Credit: Ralph Fountain


The case against two women cited while feeding the homeless was delayed after an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union said he would challenge the Las Vegas ordinance in federal court.

City marshals cited Gail Sacco and Lyla Bartholomae on Feb. 19 for having a gathering of 25 people or more at Huntridge Circle Park without a permit. Sacco was told by a marshal that she could not return to the park for six months. If she did, he warned, she would be charged with trespassing.

The two were cited while serving hot food, as they usually do, to the homeless at the park on Maryland Parkway, just south of Charleston Boulevard.

Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel of the ACLU of Nevada, said that he would file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ordinance within a few weeks.

The city's ordinance, he said, was unconstitutionally broad and vague. Under the ordinance, Lichtenstein said, a single protester at a park who attracted a crowd of hecklers could be cited if 25 or more people showed up.

He also said that the practice of banning people from parks goes around the right to due process.

To read the complete article:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-21-Tue-2006/news/6472254.html

Homeless, One Less in Las Vegas

Norm, I'm sorry I couldn't save you from the streets.

I pray that you are now at peace.

++ March 8, 2006 ++

And then there were seven...

http://activistsinlasvegas.blogspot.com/2006/02/eight-homeless-arrested.html

Addendum:

Dana, I am not offended at all by your question. [Did Norm pass away while in jail?] I think it's important for all of us to be able to ask questions, get information out there, and see how we can prevent these things from happening again. I know it's always going to happen (deaths, abuse, oppression) but at least we can try to minimize (?) it.

I've known Norm for many months now. He was one of the 8 homeless who was arrested for flipping off the marshals when the marshals told them they couldn't eat in the park anymore.

He was at the park almost daily all the months that I knew him. He loved seeing Lyla on Sundays and was always respectful to us. But he had a lot of animosity(??) toward the authority and the system.

Normally I have a feel for who is doing drugs and who is drinking. I thought that Norm mostly had a drinking problem. I didn't realize that it was more serious.

I only had to mention once to him that I would help him get sober. And the next day he said, "Gail, I'm ready." I immediately took him up to Westcare and they told us that they had no beds. I dropped him off at Salvation Army. But I don't think he got in.

Norm passed away on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 from a suspected drug overdose. Toxicology tests will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Yes, I would like to do something like a vigil for Norm. Norm was special as each of them are.

Your ideas and support would be deeply appreciated. I don't think that a yearly vigil for the homeless who have died is enough.

What's the Problem?

The funny part about this is that back in June of last year when FNBs was only going to Huntridge Circle Park once a week, we had no problems with the authorities and the neighbors.

But back then we were only serving once a week on Sundays- bagels, one pot of rice, and one pot of beans to about 15 people. But this evolved into a seven day event serving anywhere between 50 and 100 people per day.

Also, the young FNBers have had drum practice, and poster making gatherings, etc. in the past with no problems with the city regarding permits.

I never really considered myself a FNBer although many folks refer to me as such because
I try to follow the fnb philosophy.

But I think the problem started when our homeless problem became public. I was portrayed as a local hero for feeding the homeless and needy everyday. I was also bringing clothing and blankets to protect them from our 30 degree winter temperatures.

http://lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2005/12/23/cover_story/cover.txt

There are a lot of issues with the homeless, needy, and hungry. My opinion is that the basic needs have to be a priority: food, water, safe shelter, clothing, and hope. Then the other issues have to be addressed: safe, affordable permanent housing, the problems with obtaining identification, SSI benefits, VA benefits, drug and alcohol addictions, jobs,
police abuse, and the money being made daily with the revolving door of incarceration.
For example, the homeless are being arrested daily for activities that non-homeless persons are not being arrested for. The city and the jails are receiving government money for each person, each day in jail.

When my homeless friends went missing for days and weeks, I would call the jail to see if they were there. When one elderly, handicapped homeless friend was taken off the streets by one of the non-profit organizations that is part of a $3 million grant and then thrown back onto the streets after four days, I spoke with a city employee.

In addition to being against everything FNB stands for, I don't think the city likes it too much to have non-homeless witnesses to these abuses and the long-term or permanent oppression.

I guess maybe some of the non-profits are also not too happy with me. I'm taking some of their "customers" away. Some of these non-profit organizations are also receiving government money for each customer.

I don't pretend to know all the answers to these multiple issues. I've always said that there is a need and a place for each of us homeless advocates.

I would like to END homelessness and not just address the symptoms. But sometimes it seems to me that the city and some non-profits don't want to END homelessness. Maybe it has something to do with the money they are making addressing the never-ending symptoms of homelessness??

My court date is March 20th at 8:00 am, and I will be pleading not guilty.

This is my way of expressing my disatisfaction with the city for not properly addressing our homeless problem and instead trying to hide it up in the north part of our city- away from the glitter and lights of Las Vegas.

Peace and love thru the struggle

Free Speech Chilled in Circle Park, Las Vegas CityLife

FREE SPEECH CHILLED IN CIRCLE PARK

BY EMMILY BRISTOL

Did someone repeal the First Amendment while no one was looking? Judging by recent actions, city park marshals seem to think so, at least in Huntridge Circle Park.

On Feb. 22, marshals told local activist Joe Sacco he couldn't have a protest sign in the park. Several people in the park, many of them homeless, witnessed marshals directing Sacco to put a protest sign away through the loud speaker system of their patrol car.

To read the complete article:

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/03/02/local_news/shrapnel/shrapnel.txt

Rent Vouchers and Homeowner Scam?

NOW what is happening is there are house owners who have scouts going out into the streets looking for homeless who want to get off the streets.

They tell the homeless that they take the vouchers. They tell them that the rent is
$369 per month which is what the rent vouchers are. They take the homeless to the "homes" and then take them to Clark County Social Services to fill out all the paperwork.

They pack them in 15-20 homeless. They get the rent voucher and then 4 days later they kick everyone out of the house.

"Furnished rooms, TV, phone, kitchen, priviledges, shared living room area, nice quiet area, close to convienient stores, swimming pool, jacuzzi, all utilities included."

The spelling errors are theirs, not mine.

So far, nothing has been done about this scam, I heard because it is a civil matter.

Access denied

Access denied

Getting a rental-assistance voucher from the county is surprisingly easy. Finding a landlord who will take it is a whole different story



Advocate Gail Sacco, shown here feeding the homeless at Circle Park, wonders if the county's rental-assistance program is really working.


Photo Credit: Bill Hughes, Photo Editor

BY MATT O'BRIEN

Imagine -- if you can -- being homeless. You've been on the streets for weeks, months, maybe years. Shelter space is limited. The days are brutally hot. The nights are shockingly cold. You are scolded by politicians and pitiless citizens. You are pushed along by Metro, business owners and city marshals. You wonder if this kind of life is even worth living.

Finally, you catch a break.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/02/23/local_news/news01.txt

Homeless Advocate Booted from Circle Park, Las Vegas CityLife

HOMELESS ADVOCATE BOOTED FROM CIRCLE PARK

BY EMMILY BRISTOL

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Why can't Gail Sacco, a citizen of Las Vegas, enter a public park she pays for with her taxes?

Must be all that do-gooding.

On Feb. 19 Gail Sacco became another grassroots homeless activist to find herself "86ed" from Huntridge Circle Park, and placed on the "no trespass list" park marshals and Metro Police officers are rumored to keep.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/02/23/local_news/shrapnel/shrapnel.txt

Daily Protests and Upcoming Iraq Occupation Protest

Thursday, February 23, 2006

(Note written by FNBer)

Brewing a Revolution: Abuse from Authorities,
Daily Protests by the People

On Sunday, February 19, 2006, city park marshalls and metro police flooded Circle Park and gave citations to two of the womyn of FOOD NOT BOMBS.

The women were cited for "feeding the homeless (a gathering over 25 people) without a permit". And, according to the city- they will not grant permits for Circle Park- even if an individual applied for one... They were also verbally banned from the public park for 6 months!

People are protesting with signs and banners DAILY @ 2pm on the sidewalks around the park. There is also a big FNB rally and protest scheduled for March 20 (see protest info below).

********************************************************

PROTEST the 3rd Anniversary of the Occupation of Iraq and Support your local FOOD NOT BOMBS.

Monday, March 20, 2006 @ 8AM

Justice/Municiple Court on 200 Lewis Ave.

Free Food will be shared

Please bring signs, musical instruments, food, etc...

********************************************************

Eight Homeless Arrested

Details are sketchy at the moment. I will update this note when more info is available.

Eight homeless people were arrested last week in Huntridge Circle Park while supporting Mom and the cause. They flipped off the marshals and were arrested for:

Misuse of a hand signal.

One pleaded no contest and spent seven days in jail.

His court date is March 27, 2006 at 1:00 pm.

I've been told that the others are still in jail.

Had I known about this before today, I would have supported them as they have supported me. I am hoping that some of you could give me some suggestions on how we can build solidarity so that I can support them better in the future when they are unjustly arrested.

Suggestions?

Another Contradiction

Mom's Comment:

What the neighbors and politicians are doing now is calling on the government of Las Vegas to get rid of the homeless and needy people from Huntridge Circle Park. They want this city-owned park for themselves and do not want to share it with the needy.

In essence, they are asking the city to hide the homeless problem in this particular area.

One consequence of this action is it is teaching our children the concept of "every man for himself".

Hide the homeless up in northern Las Vegas. Out of sight, out of mind. The homeless are no longer our neighbors. So, we do not have to be neighborly to them.

This is in direct contrast to the City of Las Vegas's Strategic Plan 2005 "commitment to the following values we believe in:"

One of which is:

Respect for, and belief in, individual difference and the worth of every person.

This Strategic Plan (which includes this commitment) was signed by Mayor Oscar Goodman, Michael McDonald, Lynette Boggs, Gary Reese, Larry Brown, Lawrence Weekly, and Michael Mack.

http://www.gfoa.org/services/dfl/samples/StrategicPlans/Las-Vegas.pdf

What would be more fair and humane, is if we worked together- the homeless advocates, the homeless and needy, and the community. And then we could address the causes of homelessness and not just the symptoms of homelessness.

Municipal codes which criminalize homelessness should be challenged and removed.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anonymous wrote:

Contradiction Exposed

Being cited and then subsequently 86'd from Circle Park is a grand contradiction that I heard the ACLU say they would definitely fight against. Especially the 86'd part of it.

If one were to go to the city's website:

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Find/parks_facilities.asp#

their hopes would immediately be squashed. The website states that the 3-acre park with a shaded outdoor stage and grass amphitheater is non-reservable.

And yet, you were cited for not reserving the park in order to hold a "food feeding event?" On its face, it's contradictory. It's a poorly written law, one that needs to be updated and clarified by a legislative, not judicial, body. Or at least the website needs to be changed in order to be more clear on what reserving versus getting a permit means. The courts in Las Vegas are as corrupt as they can be. The legislature is not much better, but it's better than the courts. Plus, with the legislature, there's more of a chance that 'we the people' can have an influence.

http://lasvegas.staughton.indypgh.org/news/2006/02/4289_comment.php#4296

URGENT UPDATE: Citations at Circle Park

This is the beginning of the 'official' police intimidation surrounding the issue of serving and eating of food at Circle Park. For months now, many people have gone to Circle Park (including city officials and homeless advocates) in order to serve, eat food and provide other needed resources to those who need it most. The free food has not only helped countless numbers of people but has also brought with it a great deal of public and media attention.

For full article written by @ki_b@
Sunday February 19, 2006 at 06:38 PM

http://lasvegas.staughton.indypgh.org/news/2006/02/4289.php

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mom's Comments:

We arrived at Circle Park at approximately 2:15 pm. Word was out that the marshals and metro were there as early as 8:30 this morning looking for me.

Three marshals and one metro officer with video camera were there when I arrived.

Mom and another peace activist/homeless advocate were cited for:

"Did willfully and unlawfully conduct (a food feeding event) at Huntridge Circle Park where 25 people or more did participate or witness such event without obtaining a permit from the director..."

Court Date and Place:

March 20, 2006 8:00 am

Las Vegas Municipal Court
200 Lewis Ave
Las Vegas, NV

MY responsibility, as well as others, is to help with the homeless and the needy's daily needs without restriction until the government agencies and non-profit organizations get them off the streets and into SAFE affordable, permanent housing, and/or into government programs which they are entitled to.

It is unacceptable for the City of Las Vegas to try to hide our homeless in the north part of Las Vegas known as The Corridor. It is unreasonable to expect all homeless people to travel miles for breakfast, then miles to their day jobs, then miles for supper, and then miles to find some back alley to sleep in.

Our main goal should be to END homelessness with safe, permanent, affordable housing; quality, affordable medical care; and, jobs that pay a living wage. Shelters and Day Centers should only be used as an intermediary stage between homelessness and safe, permanent, affordable housing.

Constant police sweeps, arrests, and citations only perpetuate homelessness. And there is no way that any of these government tactics will send the homeless packing out of town. Without money, a decent job, family or friends they are not going anywhere except through that revolving door of incarceration. And by the way, that revolving door of incarceration makes big bucks for the city.

There have been lots of city ideas and promises with very little or no results.

It would be in the city's best interest and the neighborhoods' best interest to let us individuals contribute to ending homelessness.

We are not out there JUST feeding them. We are there giving them a helping hand to GET OFF THE STREETS.

We are dedicated to nonviolence

We are against all war, oppression, and aggression

We recover food that would otherwise be thrown out and make fresh hot vegetarian meals that are
served to anyone without restriction.

We only prepare food which is strictly from vegetable sources so people will always know and trust our food.

Addendum:

Citation for Food Feeding Event
by Mom Monday February 20, 2006 at 12:14 AM

The citation was for having a "food feeding event" where 25 or more is/was expected at said event.

Mom and another advocate were cited and verbally 86'd from Huntridge Circle Park for 6 months.

If caught in Circle Park within 6 months we will be arrested for trespassing.

Court Date and Place:
March 20, 2006 8:00 am
Municipal Court 200 Lewis Ave Las Vegas, NV

By the way, the many homeless and needy that I know live in the vicinity of Circle Park. This location is most convenient for them to eat, get suggestions on housing, medical, rehab, etc. And, even if I wanted to get a permit, this park is unpermitable.

Better days ahead CityLife's suggestions to improve life in the desert

Mom's Comment: Great article! Thanks CityLife!
All suggestions are great but I thought I would copy
and paste the most important suggestions regarding
the homeless issue.

To read the complete article:

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/02/09/cover_story/cover.txt

Better days ahead
CityLife's suggestions to improve life in the desert

BY CITYLIFE STAFF

...This is by no means a comprehensive list, and it's in no particular order.

10. Help the homeless, for real

It is frighteningly easy to end up on the streets of Las Vegas. A gambling habit can do the trick. The free alcohol can lead to addiction and financial ruin. And the well- paying, entry-level jobs the city is known for aren't always available.

Yet local government and the gambling industry take little responsibility for the problem.

Currently, there are about 12,000 people on the streets of Las Vegas. They lack shelter space. They are not allowed to sleep in public parks. They are arrested for minor offenses, in an attempt to run them out of town. Many of them are gambling-addicted, drug-addicted and mentally ill. They are dying in the heat and cold. Sometimes, authorities crack down on people who try to help them.

The city, county, and gambling industry need to stop talking about the problem. We've heard enough promises, seen enough pie charts, and wasted enough time and money. We need to help the homeless. Now.

-- MO

11. Build more affordable housing (aka, homes for the workers)

A funny thing happened in 2004 -- property values skyrocketed all around the valley. Well, it's only funny if you're not one of the thousands of working-class residents trying to get a piece of the American dream by owning a home. Affordable housing, that moderately priced home first-time homebuyers and young families can manage to buy, is a swiftly vanishing thing in the Las Vegas Valley.

Government agencies have been caught with their pants down as they continue to bow to pressure from large-scale home developers. When the Clark County Community Growth Task Force Report was released last spring, one of the top recommendations was to provide more "attainable housing" in the community. Just how to do that, nobody on the appointed board was exactly sure. Some suggested requiring new neighborhoods to be built with a certain percentage of moderately priced homes.

But just a year before, when the city of Henderson tried to push for an affordable housing element in the land auction of 1,940 acres south of St. Rose Parkway, land developers balked at the caveat and wouldn't bite until the provision was removed.
And as apartments are converted to condos faster than you can say "refundable deposit," and mobile home parks are being closed by the handful, the situation is putting the squeeze on the have-nots more than ever before.

We should learn from the problems of our neighbor to the north, Reno, which has had trouble attracting teachers and nurses thanks to high home prices. Fancy pads in the suburban fringes are all fine and good, but those who keep the valley flowing, who educate our kids and who maintain public safety, need a place to sleep, too.

-- EB

14. Support mom-and-pop businesses

The Enigma Garden Cafe. Coas Books. Balcony Lights. Jazzed Cafe & Vinoteca. Cafe Espresso Roma. They're all gone -- and chain stores are partly to blame.

During the past 10 years, on the wings of the population boom, chain stores have inundated the valley. And while they may be convenient and familiar, they often offer little else. Generally, the service is impersonal, the product is mass produced and bland, and profits are shipped to some out-of-state corporate office. Independent businesses -- when run properly -- offer personal service, a unique product and some sense of community.

So support mom-and-pops businesses! Otherwise, we'll soon be drowning in a sea of Starbucks, Barnes & Nobles, Gaps and Panda Expresses.

-- MO

3. Volunteer

On My Name is Earl last week, Earl and his brother got a funny (but kinda cool) feeling in their stomachs when they saved Philo from killing himself. If you haven't had that feeling in a while or don't know what we're talking about, remembering or finding out may be easier than you imagine.

You don't have to go and search rooftops for a man about to jump, although you could go through counselor training and donate some time to a suicide hotline. If that's too heavy, you can turn your hobbies into volunteer opportunities, too. Hikers can join Friends of Red Rock Canyon to participate in conservation projects. Most museums offer volunteer opportunities for art lovers. Craigslist Las Vegas has a bulletin board dedicated solely to volunteer opportunities and volunteermatch.org lists a number of Las Vegas organizations. If you can't find one that fits, start something yourself. Maybe you're a single mother - post an add in CityLife to find other single mothers interested in forming a support group. Maybe you're a dirtbag - get the underage skate punks who you buy beer for to pick up litter before they get their booze.

Things like this can open a person of any age to new interests and even careers. Also, volunteer work is a well known but undersold way to meet that sweet, emotionally healthy person in Vegas who actually have some love to give.

Here's a few phone numbers and e-mail addresses to get you started:

Aid for AIDS Nevada (AFAN): 382-2326 or go to Afanlv.org

Nathan Adelson Hospice: 733-0320 or go to Nah.org

Lied Animal Shelter: 384-3333 or go to Animalfoundation.com

Friends of Red Rock Canyon: 255-8743 or go to Friendsofredrockcanyon.org

Las Vegas Art Museum: 360-8000 or go to Lasvegasartmuseum.org

-- Beverly Bryan

4. Get informed and vote

Say what you will about Nevada voters, but they do tend to participate in their democracy, especially when the White House is up for grabs. Voter turnout in 2004's general election was 77.45 percent, a record, although 2000's 70.15 percent wasn't too shabby. The 58.9 percent turnout in 2002 and 49.01 percent turnout in 1998 weren't all that great, but off-year elections are never as popular as presidential years. And you also can't say that they don't pay attention. Erin Kenny, Lance Malone, Dario Herrera, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, Janet Moncrief, Michael McDonald all have one thing in common: They were removed by voters who thought they were unethical or ineffective. Ex-Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack didn't run for re-election, knowing he'd face the same fate, and it's likely Controller Kathy Augustine will get the message fairly soon.

Obviously, an informed and active electorate doesn't stop unethical people from doing unethical things. But it does make it a lot harder. While politicians often cry out for public involvement, more often than not, they'd prefer the public stayed home rather than turned out to supervise certain things they do in office, say handing out sweetheart deals to big casino companies or letting a certain golf course mogul raid the public treasury at his whim. While those things may have been the order of the day in the old Vegas, the new Vegas is changing that dynamic, and an active, informed electorate is a big part of that change. So keep up the good work.

-- Steve Sebelius

Meeting with the City of Las Vegas

My ultimate goal is to help the homeless and the needy obtain safe, affordable permanent housing- so that they can eventually help themselves obtain their own personal goals.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep them alive with food, appropriate clothing, personal hygiene supplies, and hope.

We were invited yesterday to a meeting with the city. They were to help me with some contacts to maximize my efforts. Unfortunately at the same meeting, a third party gave me a message from the City Attorney that the city is going to start citing me.

For your information:

City Attorney

City Hall, Ninth Floor
400 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 229-6201
Fax: (702) 386-1749

Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

City Attorney: Bradford Jerbic


The City Attorney's Office:

Supervises the drafting of all ordinances and the preparation of legal documents

Works directly with and provides legal advice to the

mayor

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/mayor_oscar_b_goodman.htm

City Council

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/city_council.htm

city manager

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/city_manager.htm

and staff, as well as

boards and commissions

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/boards.asp

Reviews and consults on city services contracts and provides legal opinions and counseling

Supervises and manages all matters over special counsel, which may be hired with City Council consent for their specific knowledge and expertise

Responsible for the day-to-day prosecution of municipal ordinance violations and state law misdemeanor violations, including DUIs, drug offenses, domestic violence and traffic offenses that occur within the city limits

http://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/Government/departments.asp#

Homeless plan shifts to awareness,Las Vegas Sun

54 pictures and captions,
do you have the time?

http://www.homeless.org.au/pictures/

Mom's Comments: "Educating the community" MUST also include educating Metro and City Marshals, and encouraging them to use alternatives other than enforcement action as a response to homelessness.

All harassment and verbal abuse toward homeless individuals must cease. Citations, arresting, or threatening with arrest, homeless persons for innocent conduct which NO non-homeless person would be arrested for must cease immediately if we (the community) want to END homelessness. These actions include sitting, eating, sleeping or otherwise innocently being on public property, including city sidewalks. The revolving door of incarceration only perpetuates homelessness.

For the benefit of the homeless and the community as a whole, everyone must have the opportunity to learn about the causes of homelessness. This education and awareness must start at the top with our mayor, sheriff, and judges. For the mayor, sheriff, and judges this education should be mandatory. This would benefit the community.

Although the love of all humanity should be more important than MONEY, focusing on the symptoms of homelessness costs taxpayers more than addressing the root causes of homelessness.

Homelessness is not a crime. Allowing local laws that "criminalize" homelessness IS a crime-- or should be a crime.

Whether for monetary reasons or humanity reasons, we must work to help the homeless and needy obtain SAFE, affordable permanent housing; quality medical care; job training, and jobs that pay a living wage.

EVERY human being deserves this. One person, one day at a time.



Homeless plan shifts to awareness

By Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun

HOMELESS advocate Gail Sacco, left, serves meals to homeless at Huntridge Circle Park on Maryland Parkway near Charleston Boulevard Wednesday January 11, 2006. Sacco began bringing meals to the park once a week in June of 2005 but now brings meals every day, she said.

Photo Credit: Steve Marcus

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other_cut/2006/jan/28/c00006506.html

A regional committee has approved a stripped-down proposal to use advertising for helping the homeless, 16 months after the plan was first pitched.

The idea is to work with Brown & Partners, a local ad agency volunteering its time, on a campaign that will "educate the community" about who the homeless are, why it is important to help them and what they need to get off the street, said Shannon West, regional homeless services coordinator.

The campaign does not exist yet. The next step is to form a small group that will develop it, West said.

The regional committee, composed of administrators from local governments and representatives from private groups and Metro Police, voted for the plan Jan. 19...

For the full story:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/jan/28/520039203.html

Timothy Pratt can be reached at 259-8828 or at timothy@lasvegassun.com

Narratives of the Meanest Cities, Las Vegas

A Dream Denied:

The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities

#5 Las Vegas, NV

Although homeless advocates in Las Vegas stated that shelters are overcrowded, city officials have done little to increase resources for individuals experiencing homelessness. Due to a lack of funding, the city’s Crisis Intervention Center was recently closed. Similarly, charitable organizations scrambled – albeit unsuccessfully – to replace the services the Crisis Intervention Center provided.

The police conduct habitual sweeps of encampments, which lead to extended jail time for repeat misdemeanor offenders. Homeless inhabitants of a campsite on Owens Avenue were forced to vacate the area just before Christmas 2004. Las Vegas’s Department of Neighborhood Services gave the order to clear the lot, because the property owner was “in violation of Las Vegas Municipal Code…dealing with nuisances.” Many social service providers were caught off guard by the notice, wishing the city had informed them before the sweep to ensure they could find places for homeless men and women to stay. Former residents of the campsite worried about finding a bed in one of the shelters because most of them are reserved for older men and women.

Despite reports that city, county, and state agencies were working together to provide homeless persons displaced by a January 2005 sweep of a downtown bridge, only 45 people out of 150 residents of the camp were placed in temporary housing. The site was declared a health hazard in August 2005 because people were urinating and defecating in the area around the camp. Bob McKenzie, spokesman for the Department of Transportation, commented, “we need to do whatever we can to help the homeless, but we need to take care of public safety first.” Transportation crews threw away inhabitants’ possessions, including tents, blankets, and family photos.

City officials’ attempt to break up another homeless camp in February 2005 was met with criticism by local homeless advocates, who argued that breaking up the camp would only create another camp elsewhere. They also noted that homeless people need treatment, supportive services, and permanent housing, all of which are not available. Several homeless people were unable to receive help from local agencies, because they were already receiving money from the federal government.

An analysis of Las Vegas police records revealed that arrests for charges such as trespassing, jaywalking, and pedestrians failing to obey traffic signals increased after a recent cleanup of a homeless camp. When homeless people are ejected from the camps, they move to other public places where they interact more with members of the community. The ACLU of Nevada suggested that Las Vegas police went out of their way to cite and arrest homeless people as a part of the sweep. According to Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, “It will take political will to dedicate the resources needed to move this situation in a positive direction. I haven’t seen anything from any jurisdiction to indicate that exists.”

In April 2005, plans to clean up a homeless encampment that had previously been swept at Owens Avenue were postponed due to lack of organization. Officials attempted to avoid criticism by posting signs at the site in both English and Spanish, warning people that the authorities were going to clean the area. The Southern Nevada Homeless Coalition was not informed of the sweep. Linda Lera-Randle El, director of Straight from the Streets, believes the sweep was “like penalizing the homeless for the shortcomings of the city, county, and state.”

Frank Wright Plaza, a small park across from City Hall, was a favorite daytime spot for homeless people seeking a place to nap. Regular visitors to the park said that it is a safe and comfortable place to recover from a tough night on the streets. However, city officials saw the park as a public nuisance, and have assigned marshals to patrol the area several times daily. In order to keep homeless individuals out of future parks, the city considered privatizing the parks, enabling owners to kick out unwanted people. Mayor Oscar Goodman fervently supported the idea, saying, “I don’t want them there. They’re not going to be there. I’m not going to let it happen. They think I’m mean now; wait until the homeless try to go over there.”

In a more positive step, Metro Police are expected to begin seeking a liaison for homeless people, raising its level of commitment after being criticized for its handling of the homeless situation. The Metro Police have been at the center of the homelessness controversy on many occasions in recent years. In addition to their role in homeless camp sweeps, the Metro Police have faced allegations that officers were targeting homeless people for misdemeanor crimes, such as urinating in public. The new liaison would work with both public and private agencies to help homeless people, and will hopefully prevent future arrests and sweeps.

Sources for City Narratives

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/sources.html

A Report by
The National Coalition for the Homeless
and
The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

January 2006
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/crimreport/index.html

Re: Metro's homeless liaison still not hired, Las Vegas Sun

January 22, 2006

Open letter to Timothy Pratt, writer Las Vegas Sun

Re: Seven months after announcing its intentions to hire a first-in-the-nation homeless liaison, Metro Police still has not filled the position, an official said.

I'm wondering, who is testing and interviewing these candidates? Who would this liaison be working for? The City of Las Vegas or for Metro Police? I believe there is a difference.

This new position should be held by an unbiased individual working equally for the best interest of the homeless and non-homeless people of Las Vegas.

Re: Stoops said having such a person linked to a police department is vital because "the police are out there on the streets 24 hours a day and ... (this could) break down the barriers between the homeless and police."

If successful, he said, the program "could be emulated around the nation."

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/lv-other/2006/jan/21/520000973.html

From what I have read on the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty


http://nlchp.org/ there are already programs out there that Las Vegas could learn from.


1. Local laws that "criminalize" homelessness should be challenged and removed.

2. "Constructive Alternatives to Criminalization"

http://nlchp.org/FA%5FCivilRights/CR_conalt_booklet.pdf

a. Build a Day Center open 8 am to 4 pm funded by business owners.

b. Written Police Protocol: before arrests or issuing any citations for misdemeanors: give a verbal warning to relocate; if that fails, issue a written warning to the homeless person; if that fails, the police officer must call an Outreach Team that can offer social service alternatives to the homeless person including a [free and safe] shelter bed [with free transportation to the shelter.]

However, if no shelter bed is available, any type of enforcement must cease immediately. If a shelter bed is available and the homeless person refuses to locate there, he/she can be cited, or left alone, depending on the discretion of the officer. Officers must document such encounters as part of their police records...

c. All homeless individuals should be treated with dignity and respect just as any non-homeless individual.

d. After any arrest of a homeless individual, all means should be taken to return all of their personal property, including their clothing, blankets, and identification. All persons should be released with a state issued laminated photo ID. If the individual did not/does not have a stated issued ID, the city or county should provide one immediately before release.

This should be witnessed and signed by a member of an Outreach Team who is not employed by the city, county, or state.

e. Mandatory training for police officers to increase awareness about the causes of homelessness, to learn alternatives other than enforcement action as a response to homelessness, and to teach the above (b) Written Police Protocol.

Our main goal should be to END homelessness with safe, permanent, affordable housing; quality, affordable medical care; and, jobs that pay a living wage. Shelters and Day Centers should only be used as an intermediary stage between homelessness and safe, permanent, affordable housing.

cc: Emmily Bristol, Las Vegas City Life;

Activists in Las Vegas Blog

Going in Circles, Las Vegas City Life, and other Media Coverage

Going in Circles, Las Vegas City Life

Thursday, January 19, 2006

One woman's effort to feed the homeless is being thwarted by city marshals and gentrification

Gail Sacco has made it her mission to feed the homeless at Circle Park.

BY EMMILY BRISTOL



Photo Credit: Bill Hughes, Photo Editor

If you ask any of the homeless men and women who congregate at the Huntridge Circle Park who Gail Sacco is, you'll hear a common refrain: She's an angel.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/01/19/local_news/news03.txt

Relevant story, Las Vegas City Life, Page 13

written by Matt O'Brien

Fine whine

Las Vegas makes another appearance on 'meanest cities' list; Mayor Goodman resorts to name-calling

The list reads like tour stops for ZZ Top. Or the locations of multiple Hooters franchises. Or campaign stops for a presidential candidate desperate for votes:

Sarasota, Fla.; Lawrence, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; Atlanta; and Las Vegas.

But the list is actually none of the above. It is the five cities that are meanest to homeless people, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. The Washington, D.C.-based groups released the list on Jan. 11, along with a 161-page report on the criminalization of homelessness in the country.

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/01/19/local_news/news02.txt

Other Media Coverage:

TV Coverage:

Vegas dubbed 'mean' with regards to homeless

KVBC, Channel 3, Jan 16, 2006

Vegas dubbed 'mean' with regards to homeless

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10837493/from/RL.2/

Newspaper Coverage:

http://www.lvcitylife.com/articles/2005/12/23/cover_story/cover.txt

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/jan/12/011210209.html

Independent Media Coverage:

http://lasvegas.staughton.indypgh.org/news/2006/01/4176.php

http://lasvegas.staughton.indypgh.org/news/2005/11/3698.php

Breaking Bread with the Homeless

Breaking Bread with the Homeless

written by zem zyzi

I've never been directly involved with Poor Folks and had no idea what I was getting into. Once in a while I would give small change to a Bag Lady or a Drunk salvaging garbage for aluminum cans then thank them for helping clean up our neighborhood and always gave generously to the Salvation Army and others I thought might make a difference.

Then a Street Body told me of a place near by that fed m every Saturday morning. But I forgot what time he said. So I set out about 9:30 to look. After driving around a while, I spotted a Can Collector I had seen before in our neighborhood and asked direction.

The Soup Line didn't open 'tell eleven, so I sat in my car a while and watched as they came from nowhere; some with all their earthly belongings. I guess when you first become homeless, there is a lot
of "down-sizing" to be done.

I played Santa for Christmas, so my full beard and skull-cap blended me in with the group. When the food DID arrive, those lazy, drunken bums became "Santa's Helpers" bending over backwards to get every thing set up!

What a happy group we were! Many knew each other and it was like a weekly family reunion. When the Head Deacon asked me how I was, I said I was OK and asked him how he was and where he lived. He was fine and lived up on Nob Hill. So then I asked him when were they going to open up THAT area for the Homeless. He smiled and moved on.

The sermon was something about sin, forgiveness and blessings from above. The music was L O U D and enthusiastic. We all AMENed and clapped on cue. One drunken derelict in the back, chimed in, "She'll be coming round the mountain, when she comes." I said AMEN to that.

The cold chocolate milk, hot cup a soup, and two hot dogs were good. I didn't know they were barbecuing hamburgers too, so when they put one on my paper plate, I thank them and came home to eat it.

Who knows? Maybe I'll go back next Saturday! - - zem zyzi


Zem is now a Homeless Advocate in Las Vegas. Every afternoon at 2 PM, he takes two gallons of milk or orange juice (whichever is on sale at Smith's Food and Drug nearby) to Huntridge Circle Park for anyone there who wants a glass or two. Others bring hot beans and rice, soup, bread or whatever they have. Eat all you want and take all you want. For T H A N K S the homeless keep the park clean. I wish housing were as free as food.

Why do you do this?

Question: Why do you do this?

Answer: Because it is the right thing to do.

Although "I personally" do not consider myself Food Not Bombs, there are still folks from Food Not Bombs who share food at Huntridge Circle Park and elsewhere in the city of Las Vegas. And most (as well as myself) follow the Food Not Bombs' philosophy.

1. We are dedicated to nonviolence
2. We are against all war, oppression, and aggression
3. We recover food that would otherwise be thrown out and make fresh hot vegetarian meals that are served to anyone without restriction.
4. We only prepare food which is strictly from vegetable sources so people will always know and trust our food.

At times, we do serve already prepared dairy and meat products which are donated to us because we believe eating is more important than being politically correct; however, we do not cook with animal products.

http://home.earthlink.net/~foodnotbombs/seven.html

Everyone works on a "do it yourself" DIY basis. There are no leaders. No one is told what to do or how to do it.

Although, it is important for everyone to educate themselves in the aspects of food, health, and safety.

"...the potential for problems with food spoilage are greatly reduced when dealing strictly with vegetables.

...[And] teaching people about the economic and health benefits of a vegetarian diet is directly connected to a healthy attitude about ourselves, each other, and the planet as a whole."

http://home.earthlink.net/~foodnotbombs/

"Almost 100 billion pounds of safe, edible food - meat and poultry, fruit and vegetables, milk and eggs - are thrown away every year by retailers, restaurants, and farmers while twenty-five million Americans are hungry, including 12 million children"

http://www.stopthehunger.com/hunger/

"Nationally, [there is] 46 billion pounds [of perfectly edible food discarded] each year...

Estimates indicate that only 4 billion pounds of food per year would be required to completely end hunger in America."

http://www.foodnotbombs.net/bookwhy.html

Do YOU want to help?

We need safe places for people to go to take a shower, shave, change their clothes, and get some sleep. This is a necessity for the many homeless that want to get off the streets.

The ordinary person can donate appropriate seasonal clothing, money, socks, coats, bus tokens or Bus Passes, blankets, sleeping bags, shaving gear, bulk rice, bulk beans, bottled water, and food to help these people get healthy and stay healthy -- mentally and physically. With proper nutrition, they can work on getting themselves a roof over their head and a job.

Do YOU want to donate?

You can call me at 355-2764 to arrange a pick-up or e-mail me at mom_in_las_vegas@yahoo.com .

You don't have to wait for me to be at the park. I am NOT in charge. Every person is in charge of themself. We have many good-hearted people who come down in the morning or afternoon with donuts, blankets, coats, bottled water, etc. You can just leave it on the table and leave if you want. Most of the homeless and needy will only take what they need. And they will let those in the most need take first.

The main priority for the homeless is to find a SAFE, warm place to sleep without getting arrested for trespassing. With affordable housing and a living wage, we can stop the evolving door of being arrested for trespassing and lodging in a city park.

OUR main priority should be to END the majority of the homeless problem. To do this, we need safe and permanent affordable housing, job training, and a decent living wage.

MY responsibility, as well as others, is to help with the needy's daily needs without restriction until the government agencies and non-profit organizations get them off the streets and into a SAFE environment, and/or into government programs-- without restriction.

I also think that we need to address the Identification issue. Many services are not available to people without identification. You cannot get a Nevada State ID without two forms of identification such as a Social Security Card and Birth Certificate. And you cannot get a Social Security Card or a Birth Certificate without another form of ID.

"...State laws and administrative policies since September 11 make it difficult and, in some cases, impossible for homeless persons to obtain photo identification.

After September 11, at least 43 states considered some form of law or regulation making it more difficult to procure a driver's license. In 2002 and 2003, at least ten states passed restrictive driver's license statutes and several states enacted proposals by adminstrative rule.

At least 26 states currently require applicants for a state-issued ID to prove residency through proof of a physical address. Many homeless people, who by definition lack a stable address, are unable to do this.

There has been a movement since September 11 to federalize and standardize driver's licenses...

Many homeless people are denied access to benefits and services when they lack photo identification...

People without identification face increased problems with law enforcement...

Many homeless persons cannot afford the cost of a photo ID..."

http://www.nlchp.org/contents/pubs/ID%20Barrier%20Report.pdf

Most people are caught up with the commercialism in this country. They don't realize that "The top 5 percent own more than half of all wealth" and "The top 20 percent owns over 80 percent of all wealth" and "The bottom 20 percent basically have zero wealth."

"The average African-American family has only 18 percent of the wealth of the average white family."

http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03may/may03interviewswolff.html

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, there is at least 200,000 homeless veterans on any given night. And more than half a million veterans experience homelessness over the course of a year.

http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm

Also according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans in a 2003 Report, Nevada has an estimated 5,500 homeless veterans and only 219 VA funded beds.

http://www.nchv.org/page.cfm?id=81

But what many people don't realize is that "[One] missed paycheck, a health crisis, or an unpaid bill" can virtually make any one of us homeless.

Root(s) of Homelessness

There are many reasons for homelessness. From the different studies that I've seen, the reasons for homelessness can include:

an eviction whether it is a legal or illegal eviction
loss of a job or benefits
mental health issues
physical or medical health problems
lack of education
lack of job skills
low wages
divorce or a break up with a partner
domestic violence
being released from jail, prison, or a hospital or moving to a new area without the benefit of friends, money, or family
alcohol and or drug use

According to a U.S. Conference of Mayors:

Most people become homeless specifically because they are having a housing crisis, even though they may have other needs for services and increased incomes. Its important to realize that their needs are best met once the family is in permanent housing - not while they are in transitional housing or shelters. Housing must be first if they are expected to develop a sustainable, healthy lifestyle...

...Up to 90% of the nations resources devoted to the homeless problem goes toward shelters, hospitals, the streets, and prisons.

http://www.homeless.org/do/Home

There IS a need for each of the shelters, the homeless agencies, and the non-profit organizations. There is also a great need for individuals to help on the streets, day to day with the individuals' daily needs-- without government interference.

There is a place for each of us.

We need SAFE, affordable housing, quality medical care, and jobs that pay a living wage.

Rather than shun the homeless and the needy, we need to help one another. Every human being deserves safe, affordable housing, quality medical care, and jobs that pay a living wage.

Coming Soon: Principles of Nonviolence

Kicked Out of Circle Park

"Pack Up and Leave"

Title 13 STREETS, SIDEWALKS AND PUBLIC PLACES

Chapter 13.36 PARKS

http://ordlink.com/codes/lasvegas/index.htm

January 10, 2006

I have been going down to Huntridge Circle Park for some time now sharing food with the homeless and the needy.

We have had no "problems" with city officials until today. Contrary to what the officials are saying, there are no fights, no problems and we always clean up after ourselves.

Today, Marshal Timothy Shattler, Field Services Lieutenant came down to the park at approximately 2:30 pm and told us to "pack up" and leave. He said he received a citizen complaint and also stated that we were breaking the law. He told us that we cannot share food with more than 25 people without a permit. A fellow homeless advocate asked him about multiple people sharing at different tables. And the marshal said, "No that won't work because you are using the same plates."

I asked the marshal if he would site the law that we were breaking, and he told me that I could possibly find it on the internet under City of Las Vegas Municiple Code.

Shattler also said, paraphrased, that "these people shouldn't be using this park anyway because they don't live in this neighborhood."

(In actuality, most of them DO live in this neighborhood.)

He advised us to find some church who would let us share food in their parking lot. He also advised us to go to the city council meetings and/or apply for a permit.

About a half hour later another marshal showed up but didn't say anything that I know of.

As you well know, not lending a helping hand to our needy friends with food and clothing only makes matters worse for them. Allowing us to help with their food and clothing needs helps reduce local crime. Allowing us to share food and clothing with them also gives them an incentive to go to work and keep their dignity.

With not enough money or bus passes, it is impossible for many of them to travel around town in a timely manner to eat and work. The homeless are scattered all around the city. And they don't get to pick where they work with their day jobs.

The only public meal site that I know of is Catholic Charities at Main and Owens who feed lunch daily at 10:30 am. For any of the homeless or needy who are working, it would be impossible for them to get to this location at this time.

Sharing food daily at 2 pm at Huntridge Circle Park has proven to be a convenient time and place to assure that these people get one hot meal per day.

Under the circumstances, we cannot and will not 'stop cold" in our mission. That mission is to share and lend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in need. The long-term goal is to help get the homeless into permanent, affordable housing. And also to help those who want to work get Identification which the government has made nearly impossible for the homeless.

Most other homeless advocates who are better funded drop off the food and immediately leave. I, on the other hand, bring hot food that cannot be just dropped off. I also stay at the park for awhile each day to observe and talk with people to see if they need medical attention, the use of my phone for job connections, bus tokens, coats, socks, blankets, soap, shaving gear, underwear, etc.

I am not with any city or county agency. And I am not with any non-profit organization. But it is still my/our responsibility to take care of each other until government officials fulfill their responsibilities.

As a side note, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, we have 5500 homeless veterans in Nevada and only 219 funded beds.

Local heroes

"Gail Sacco...She estimates she feeds about 500 people a week at a cost of 50 cents a person."

EMMILY BRISTOL

http://www.lvcitylife.com/articles/2005/12/22/cover_story/cover.txt

Borrowing the words from one of my fellow homeless advocates,

"Let the government house them and let us feed them."

Any and all support you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

See you tomorrow at 2 pm.

Gail Sacco

Peace Activist
Homeless Advocate

P.S. For the God believing:

"And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40

For Jews and Christians:

The Bible on the Poor

http://www.zompist.com/meetthepoor.html

For atheists and agnostics and humanists:

The Affirmations of Humanism:

A Statement of Principles

For complete Statement of Principles:

http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=main&page=affirmations

Partial Statement:

We are concerned with securing justice and fairness in society and with eliminating discrimination and intolerance.

We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the handicapped so that they will be able to help themselves.

We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, and strive to work together for the common good of humanity.

We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence.

We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative standards that we discover together. Moral principles are tested by their consequences.

We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others.

We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind faith or irrationality.

We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest that we are capable of as human beings.

Saab Lofton's Take

The REAL local hero of 2005

by Saab Lofton Monday January 02, 2006 at 07:17 PM

saablofton@hotmail.com


This is very hard for me because no one hates 2005 more than I, but I've got some unfinished business from last year ...

When I interviewed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, I was so star struck; so awed by his pro-wrestling-esque charisma, I didn't get to finish a thought I should've at the time.

On my website saablofton.com under the professional section, Goodman's plan (something I wish wasn't just lip service on his part) to get title to boarded-up houses, fix them up and turn them over "to families who are on the verge of becoming homeless," as the mayor put it, is described.

Mom: Saab, has anything come of this? If not, do you think we should revisit this conversation with the mayor?

Like an idiot, all I said in response was we need to make it a priority to contact the owners of these abandonned buildings before the 30-day deadline Goodman spoke of to claim said buildings could expire-- without ALSO saying WHY*: My reasoning was I didn't want so much as a single, anal retentive libertarian (the kind who always wrote me hate mail) claiming that Goodman had Stalinistically appropriated the buildings. Therefore, I wanted to give these owners ample warning that the state was about to take them so they couldn't cry "Stalin", something Goodman was going to do anyway ...

Mom: Saab, we don't always have enough time to say everything we think and want to say. Unfortunately, some folks mis- understand when we don't have the time to explain everything in our hearts.

Don't worry too much about it. I give you credit for posting this article because you spoke what needed to be spoken. As long as we are breathing, we can add our thoughts to past conversations.

Problem was, I only had so many words per column (850) and couldn't explain in detail what I was trying to convey*. As a result, it erroneously came across as if I actually gave a three-legged-rat's-ass whether or not anyone spoiled enough to own and abandon (a) boarded-up home(s) would feel as though it was the French Revolution all over again. I've always regretted not making myself clear back then, and I'm glad Indymedia can provide a means by which this skeleton in my closet can finally be purged--OK, it's a Stalin joke, "purged", bad pun ... bad pun ...

I bring this up not only to ease my soul but to state for the record that it should've been Gail Sacco on the front cover of the Las Vegas CityLife's recent Local Heroes issue-- hence the unfinished business from last year.

Mom: Thank you, Saab. You are a great contributor to the cause.

While the punk rockers who comprised previous incarnations of Food Not Bombs were worrying about yet another concert, this frail, middle aged woman was damn near singlehandedly feeding the homeless like Jesus Himself. Instead, poet Keith Brantley was on the front cover, even though I know the man is both a homophobe and a black supremacist from years of talking to him.

Ask local organizers Joe Sacco and Jason Halprin about the night we tried to recruit the black folks in Brantley's Poet's Corner into the Peace Movement. First, I took the mike and said how tired I was of black folks caring more about parties at "da Club" and making their front teeth look like Cadillac grills than about corporate greed, Human rights violations and ecological damage. This old black woman then took the mike right after me and went on and ON about the all-too-vaunted civil liberty to bury your head in the sand and not care about world affairs--at which point, she got a standing ovation, because her spiel let all them party-goin' niggers off the hook ...

But that wasn't the worst part (close, though). The worst part was later on that night, when Keith Brantley--the "local hero" on the front cover the CityLife--ranted about how TV shows like Will & Grace and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy were signs that the gay community was taking over the planet like giant insects from some 1950s horror movie! I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I always knew Brantley had little use for whites (ask him about how some obscure scientific study of red ants and black ants supposedly proves that ANYthing lighter than jet black is somehow more inherently imperialistic), but this was too much!

Mom: Will & Grace is one of my favorite programs! Okay, I'll duck now for the insults. ;)

Humor is humor and we all need a little humor in our lives. I think this is a great program to help people learn to accept all people as human beings. I am not gay so I cannot know how gays "take" this program philosophically, polically, etc. But I do know that when Archie Bunker came about, I could relate with my family and community. And it taught us a lot about how wrong we were thinking.

I think Will & Grace must be showing us all the same type of thing --that we are all human beings no matter what race, nationality, or sexual orientation.

So I took the mike right after him and said what I usually say about gays: That I believe God meant for there to be homosexuality since Humans ain't bound by natural mating cycles like animals are (fuck the Vegans, Humans AIN'T animals--to quote the Civil Rights Movement, I AM A MAN!), and therefore, God WANTS there to be gay people in order to prevent overpopulation a la Charlton Heston's Soylent Green.

Well, while I was on the mike, I noticed Brantley had grabbed the folding chair I had been sitting on, folded it, held it in mid air for a moment, and then unfolded it--as if he was contemplating hitting me with it or denying me the ability to sit back down. And just as I was finishing up, this cross between Mike Tyson and Shaq O'Neil named "La Blaque" jumped up and cried out at the top of his lungs, "You ain't gonna turn me into a fag, Saab!" At which point, he stormed across the West Side Arts Center with the intent of doing me some bodily harm. Never having backed down from a fight in my life, I then stormed towards him--taking my shirt off en route (again, ask Joe Sacco and Jason Halprin, they were both there) when this elderly security guard stepped between us--NOT Brantley, who evidently wouldn't have minded such a fight. He did cancel the Poet's Corner a half hour early that night, but it was clear which side he was on: LaBlaque's violent, homophobic ignorance.

Not much happened after that. Some of the blacks (who weren't much better off, intellectually speaking) then asked me afterwards was I gay--as if I had to be in order to defend gays, guess they never heard of SOLIDARITY.

Ironically, a couple of months later (I TOLD you 2005 sucked), I was gay bashed even though I'm straight by two black gangstah-gangstah types in South Central L.A. while I was on book tour. I was dressed in that superhero outfit of mine, and because B.E.T. only plays the same five gangstah videoes over and over and over and over and over and over and over--and NONE of them are the LEAST bit socially conscious--they simply couldn't grasp the concept of a black man in a cape and Spandex, so they split my lip open like a cabbage and left me in need of stitches. My costume still has spots of blood on it ...

The bottom line is homophobia is a HUGE problem in the black community, Keith "local hero" Brantley ain't no fucking help in that regard, and Gail "the heart and soul of Food Not Bombs" Sacco should've been on the front page of the CityLife--NOT Brantley. Then again, what do you expect with the Review-Journal/Stephens Media

Whatever owning the paper ...

saablofton.com

Mom: Keep on trucking. We all have to keep up the good fight. Learn, learn, and learn. And educate, NON-violently.

Circle Park Local Heroes

Here is an e-mail I sent to my son and to a few folks that I had
e-mail addresses for. I will leave my e-mail unedited except to try to fix my grammar. < grin >

But the list of local heroes is growing daily. I will add a few after the original e-mail.

Thanks to all of you who are walking the talk!

December 23, 2005

Joe, my son:

There's a P.S. to Kurt in this note regarding the estimates of discarded edible food.

If I don't write this somewhere, I know I'll have a panic attack!

If anything happens to me < grin > before I can write a public acknowledgement-- please thank everyone who has helped in
one way or another and did not get printed up in the CityLife.

In talking with Emmily (the reporter) and in my "cheat notes" that I gave her, I tried to mention everyone (individuals, ministries, etc.) [who have] been helping with the homeless and the needy.

A few people I did not mention by name for "obvious reasons" even though they have been of GREAT help.

Interviews and articles I'm sure are hard because one just does not have the time or space to scream out every person and every action that they have performed.

Thank you to everyone below and also to those that I choose not to name only for your (and our) protection.

Mom from Circle Park (Gail Sacco)

P.S. "Almost 100 billion pounds of safe, edible food - meat and poultry, fruit and vegetables, milk and eggs - are thrown away every year by retailers, restaurants, and farmers while twenty-five million Americans are hungry, including 12 million children"

http://www.stopthehunger.com/hunger/

"Nationally, [there is] 46 billion pounds [of perfectly edible food discarded] each year...

Estimates indicate that only 4 billion pounds of food per year would be required to completely end hunger in America.

http://www.foodnotbombs.net/bookwhy.html

Partial list of those who have been helping the homeless and needy at Circle Park:

and there ARE others who I do not know by name. They come and drop off food and clothing and leave...

McReed Ministries
Valley Bible Fellowship
Freedom of Praise
Warm Springs Baptists
LV Outreach
Lord of the Harvest, Baptist Church on State Street ??
Christ Episcopal Church
Salvation Army
Catholic Charities
St. Vincents
LV Rescue Mission
Social Services
US Vets
Linda, Straight from the Streets
Lyla and friends
My family
Beverly
Food Not Bombers and the Anarchists and/or [ Punks ? ] < grin >
Newcomers: Dave (the juice man) and Cherie

And to anyone else I may have missed, your help and compassion are greatly appreciated by all !!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to additional newcomers: Donna, Janet, and Casey!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Las Vegas City Life Local Heroes

I am not very good at accepting attention like this. And I was very hesitant to do this interview.

Still, I would like to thank Emmily Bristol for her good writing and drawing attention to our valley's homeless issue.

Also, thanks to Bill Hughes, photographer/photo editor.

Next note I will expand upon the heroes who were not mentioned due to time and space.

Las Vegas City Life

Local heroes

Our eighth annual list of people who are making a difference in the valley

To read the full story...

lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2005/12/23/cover_story/cover.txt

Food Not Bombs

COOK FOR PEACE

The Food Not Bombs Story

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing revolutionary movements active in North America today and is gaining momentum all over the world. There are over 175 autonomous chapters sharing vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty throughout the Americas, Europe and Australia. The first group was formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists. Food Not Bombs is an all volunteer organization dedicated to nonviolence. Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders and strives to include everyone in its decision making process. Each group recovers food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh hot vegetarian meals that are served in city parks to anyone without restriction. The groups also serve free vegetarian meals at protests and other events. The San Francisco Chapter has been arrested over 1,000 times in an effort to silence its protest against the Mayor's anti-homeless policies. Amnesty International states it may adopt those Food Not Bombs volunteers that are imprisoned as "Prisoners of Conscience" and will work for their unconditional release.

Food Not Bombs works in coalition with groups like Earth First!, The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, Anarchist Black Cross, the IWW, Homes Not Jails, Anti Racist Action, In Defense of Animals, the Free Radio Movement and other organizations on the cutting edge of positive social change and resistance to the new global austerity program. One collective publishes a movement wide newsletter called A Food Not Bombs Menu. There is also a German language Menu. Food Not Bombs Publishing in Takoma Park, Maryland publishes books like On Conflict and Consensus which has been an important guide for group democracy. We hope you will join us in taking direct action towards creating a world free from domination, coercion and violence.

*****************

Food is a right, not a privilege.

*****************

COOK FOR PEACE

The local anti-war/vegetarian-minded group, Food Not Bombs, needs community support in order to expand its movement in Las Vegas.

Volunteers are always needed for the FOOD NOT BOMBS collective in Las Vegas. Currently, the group feeds the homeless once a week.

We collect and cook all vegetarian/vegan meals and meet at Circle Park (on Maryland Pkwy. between Charleston and Oakey) at 2 pm on Sundays.

Edit, December 25, 2005: We are now sharing food 7 days a week at 2 pm.

We are asking for new people to get involved in any way they can- acquiring food, preparing food, serving food. It would be great if this movement could spread around the Las Vegas valley- perhaps at other public parks and at other times/dates.

Visit the below links to find out more about the history of the decentralized organization, Food Not Bombs...

-Food Not Bombs Activist

ps- To help the Peace Movement, we must feed the less-priviledged people in our city and around the world. Contact Joe at 275-0714 if you have any questions... Thanks in advance!!!

www.foodnotbombs.net/

http://home.earthlink.net/~foodnotbombs/

http://www.fnbnews.org/

Reminder: No Meat Please

Just a reminder, for those who do not know, Food Not Bombs serves ONLY vegetarian or vegan meals - no dairy, no animal products - this includes no fish, ie. tunafish.

So, please, DO NOT BRING MEAT. Thanks for your understanding.

Also, Food Not Bombs is against any/all war.


Peace to All