The Voice of the Homeless
Page 6
THE ISSUE OF HATE CRIMES
H
ello, my name is Eberhard. I don’t mean to complain but my day is full of ups and downs…constantly day and night. I really enjoy my job; I make life so much easier for so many people. Sometimes it is very hard for people to get around. Some have trouble just walking so they really can’t climb stairs. Like anyone or anything, I need substance to keep me going. My problem is, I am leaking this substance, I have some sort of a seal that is leaking. My maintenance people have run tests and believe that my hydraulic lift is leaking somewhere beneath ground level. So now they want to take me apart again so they can find and repair the problem. That is going to put me out of commission for a while and is going to be really expensive. It is absolutely imperative that this gets done because if it isn’t, not only will I die, but also I will be ruining the environment in the process. In case you haven’t figured it out, I am the elevator at the The Homeless Voice shelter. My people depend on me to be there for them, and while I can still work, my oil will be polluting the ground and I can’t have that happen! I’m really worried about the outcome of this operation, because I have no idea what they are going to have to do to disman-
tle my innards to find this problem and correct it. I think that they are going to have to take my whole shaft apart. We have so many creaky knees and emphazema victims and cardiac patients in our population, what will they do when they have to do when they have to use the stairs? Oh, I know, exercise is good for you, but you have to be capable of it first. Aside from the mechanics of all this, is the expense! My director, Lois, has a contract to sign for 7600.00. And that’s if nothing unexpected goes wrong (My last operation was over 10,000.00.). Where are they going to come up with sort of money? They plan ahead, even so far as a toilet paper escrow fund, but this figure is so out of sight, higher than any floor that I’ll ever reach! So in a nutshell, or elevator shaft, if you will, if I don’t get fixed immediately, more damage than we want to think of will be caused. I will be in worse shape and maybe not fixable at all. It isn’t a laughing matter, but maybe it will take all the toilet paper fund money to buy enough to blot up my oil from the ground. Seriously though, I would like to ask you please, help my people just a tad more and send in a check for whatever you can so that Lois can start a
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION:
T
he National Coalition for the Homeless recommends that the following actions be taken: 1. A public statement by the U.S. Department of Justice acknowledging that hate crimes and/or violence against people experiencing homelessness is a serious national trend. 2. The Justice Department would issue guidelines for local police on how to investigate and work with people experiencing homelessness based on recommendations from the National Coalition for the Homeless. The Justice Department would recommend improvements to state law on how to better protect against violence directed against people experiencing homelessness, including tougher penalties.
‘fix Eberhard Fund’. You people are so wonderful. Everyday I carry my vendors upstairs with the proceeds from selling the Homeless Voice and happily carry them back down with their pay in their pockets. And back up again, sometimes, with the purchases they have bought. I want to continue doing this. I want my eye to light up when they push the call button and open my arms for them to step in and out of my car. I want to continue my service to others. So all together now: HELP FIX EBERHARD… HELP FIX EBERHARD Thank you from the bottom of my shaft, Eberhard
officers on how to deal effectively and humanely with people experiencing homelessness in their communities. 3. A database to be maintained 6. Faces of Homelessness Speakby the U.S. Department of Jusers’ Bureaus (made up of hometice, in cooperation with the Naless and formerly homeless peotional Coalition for the Homeple) become established in comless, to track hate crimes and/or munities around the country. violence against people experiSpeakers encing homeMain Entry: hate crime would visit lessness. Function: noun both public 4. Inclusion of : any of various crimes (as assault or housing status defacement of property) when motivated and private in the pending by hostility to the victim as a member of schools in the community for state and fed- a group (as one based on color, creed, the purposes of eral hate gender, or sexual orientation) information crimes legislaand education. tion. Pending federal bill is the For more help and technical asLocal Law Enforcement Hate sistance in establishing a Faces of Crimes Prevention Act of 2005 Homelessness Speakers’ Bureau (H.R. 2662 in the U.S. House of in your community, contact MiRepresentatives; S.1145 in the chael O’Neill at: Ph. (202) 462U.S. Senate--109th Congress). 4822 x20; Email: 5. Awareness training at police moneill@nationalhomeless.org, academies and departments nationwide for trainees and police or visit http://
HELP FIX EBERHARD P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Fl 33329 www.nationalhomeless.org/faces 7. A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study into the nature and scope of hate crimes and/or violent acts and crimes that occur against people experiencing homelessness. This proposed study will address the following: • Causes of hate crimes/violence. • Circumstances that contribute to or were responsible for the perpetrators’ behavior. • Beliefs held by the perpetrators of these crimes and how their beliefs have changed since conviction. • Thoughts and advice from the perpetrators to others who are considering hate crimes/violence against the homeless population. • Community education, prevention and law enforcement strategies. -Nation Coalition for the Homeless
THE LINK BETWEEN VIOLENCE AGAINST HOMELESS PEOPLE AND THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS:
T
here is a documented relationship between increased police actions and the increasing numbers of hate crimes/violent acts against homeless people. “It seems that disturbed violent people take a cue from their cities’ responses to homelessness and become emboldened with more violent attacks if the city has portrayed homeless people as the cause of unemployment, decreasing property values, or vacant storefronts,” said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. For seven years (1999-2005), the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has tracked a frightening increase in crimes targeting homeless people perpetrated by young people and severely disturbed individuals. These are well-documented violent attacks on a vulnerable population that result in injury and in many cases death. Advocates from around the country have cited the relationship between municipal actions to restrict visibility of homeless people and hate crimes/violence. This overly broad enforcement of the law or laws passed by city governments specifically targeting homeless people are documented in The National Coalition for the Homeless and The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty’s report entitled, A Dream Denied: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities (January 2006). The report also ranks the 20 “meanest” cities in the U.S. for violating the civil rights of homeless people. The above paragraph is what Sean Cononie, National Advocate on
Michael Stoops, Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, who is currently the country’s leading advocate on Homeless Issues and also Sean Cononie’s Mentor.
Hate Crimes Towards the Homeless spoke about at the press conference on February 9th 2006 when the National Coalition For the Homeless released the 2005 Hate Crimes report. -Nation Coalition for the Homeless
To view the complete video of the press release. Go to: www.HomelessNewsWire.net
