Criminalizing poverty
Text messages from Linda this morning: “We are in dire straits at the moment…. the city has posted permanent signs saying no loitering no soliciting no stopping … it basically gives the LAPD the authority to come in an wipe us out and arrest or ticket us.. and it could be anytime…. I’m trying to find a place for my blankets, clothes and my art, and me… they did this right before the holidays just to make sure we can’t get help … this gives them so much power over us and we have no rights … now I feel that talking to any of these so-called concerned citizens is a waste of time… we don’t count, they have all counted us out. Send THAT to the mayor!!!!!”


So it happened that Amy and Terry heard the jackhammers roar right outside their makeshift hovel on the sidewalk early this morning, as city workers erected a series of metal posts with signs, essentially laying the groundwork for what appears to be a move to sweep the underpass clean of everyone: Gracie, Linda, Craig, Rebecca and her daughter Rachel, and the others. With no alternatives offered, as the weather gets colder and windier and as the holidays approach, the frustration and anger of these people is understandable …
The L.A. Municipal Code 41.18 (d) remains an easy way for police to criminalize homeless individuals and make their lives more difficult than they already are, resulting in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court to rule in the “Jones vs. City of L.A.” case that this code violates the U.S. Constitution’s 8th Amendment (No cruel and unusual punishment). In spite of this ruling, certain officers issue citations to people arbitrarily without providing any time for individuals to comply.
