“Don’t turn left, because that area is full of ‘bums’ and it doesn’t reflect on the real “San Francisco.” The cab driver clicked his teeth together as he rattled on about which sights to see in his beautiful San Francisco (which ironically, due to a gentrification-inspired eviction, he no longer lived in).
“Wow, I guess you’re talking about me,” I said. “I’m one of those ‘bums’ you speak of. I was homeless with my mama and then later with my son for more than 10 years of my life.”
The cab driver sputtered a sorry under his breath and we all kept driving in silence.
For my entire life I have heard people talk about me as the “other.” From “you people” to “why don’t you just get a job?” or a slip into third person while talking to the supposedly housed me about me.
“Try to avoid those bums over there,” I heard. And my all-time favorite: “What are we going to do … or how can we clean up/get rid of /eradicate/end… the homeless problem,” said by politrickster and housed resident alike.
The last group has always irked me in a special kind of way because it objectifies our homeless and formerly houseless, broken lives and bodies into things, equates our mere existence with dirt and trash, and groups all of us different aged, gendered, colored and spirited humans into one gigantic class or thing, like a lot of flat tires or a pile of dirty towels.
As I have written about so many times before, this happens for many racist, classist and violent reasons, not the least of which is that most US residents have all collectively bought into the concept that the lack of humans and things in a landscape means cleanliness, when in fact that is just a corporate aesthetic that we all now collectively buy into. And the mere vision of us, in (not really) public spaces with all of our now exposed belongings, is automatically equated with criminality.
In most cities across stolen, occupied Turtle Island, newer, meaner and more violent anti-poor people laws, actions and moves are implemented every day to criminalize, incarcerate, hate, and violate unhoused peoples for the acts of dwelling, sitting, standing, parking, and sleeping. From violent architecture, such as spiked window sills and metal bars installed on park benches and light fixtures that spray water with chemicals in it, to the most recent sick move by San Francisco to “arrest” service resistant San Franciscans.
This last one has a terrifying twist to it, rooted in the original 19th century settler colonizer pauper laws/ugly laws, where the “service provider” works in tandem with the plantation prison system to incarcerate people who “refuse” service, i.e., humans who for many different reasons, always stemming from trauma, mental and/or physical divergent personalities or police terror, don’t trust or want to receive forced services.
In the era of the Ugly Laws (powerful book of the same name by Susan Schweik) of the 19th century, settlement house workers who were the early social workers would “offer” services to houseless and poor people — and if they didn’t accept the services they would tell the police, who would arrest, incarcerate, or seize unhoused disabled people and offer them (read “force”) them into living as in-patients in the settlement houses, where the settlement houses would receive government funding to provide “services” to the inmates.
There are all kinds of folks living houselessly for all kinds of reasons. From the severe PTSD associated with survival from 21st Century colonization, white supremacy/racism, ablism, sexism, etc. to the struggle of the working poor, very poor families, children and elders to even pay rent, which was my mama and mine’s struggle — we just couldn’t make enough money in our very small, poor people vending business to afford the rent — to the very specific struggle of eviction of elders and disabled peoples from their long-time homes and then the inability to get “back inside,” which demands an endless amount of money, credit, resources, strength, etc.
These reasons are varied and nuanced, because unhoused people, are in fact, people, with multiple issues, struggles, beauty, talents, love, and trauma. Peoples whose existence isn’t “solved” by creating more laws, launching more academic over-funded studies, launching more non-profit organizations, writing more stories, media, photo essays about us without us, citing, arresting, profiling, incarcerating us or building more corporate (not really) affordable housing on more stolen indigenous land.
No Matter how many times you arrest, research or study me, it doesn’t get me a home.
It’s because of this ongoing and increasing hate, othering, criminalizing and politricking that I and other poverty skolaz at POOR Magazine work so hard every day to manifest a homeless peoples solution to homelessness. Which we call Homefulness. Which is extremely hard precisely because we are folks coming out of struggle and hold all this collective pain, herstory, colonization and trauma in our hearts and are still trying to so hard to heal each other.
This hate and increased pimping/politricking is also why myself and other unhoused and formerly unhoused poverty skolaz are working on the Homeless 4 Mayor Campaign in San Francisco 2018:
To Put The Economic And Political Leadership On Notice That Those Experience Poverty And Homelessness Due To Neglect And Social And Economic Apartheid Policies Perpetuated By City Hall And The Elite Class Of San Francisco, Our Voices Will Not Be Left Out Of The Mayoral Contest. We Will Not Just Demand A Presence, We Will Be A Presence, We Will Be A Competitor, We Will Claim Our Human Right To Self-Determination And Occupy Political Space In San Francisco
— excerpt from the draft description of The Homeless4MayorCampaign
Like any “mayoral” campaign we have a campaign platform and proposed solutions to all the problems we as humans face in 21st Century stolen Turtle Island. Unlike other mayoral campaigns, our candidate is not a popularity contest or based on someone who has raised insane amounts of hoarded blood-stained dollars. In fact, it’s not about one person “running” at all, it’s a collective candidacy, where a collective of unhoused, formerly unhoused Black, Brown, poor white and indigenous people who have the shared experience of the trauma of houselessness, poverty and criminalization in this stolen land are “running” together to make sure our lives and bodies are no longer pimped for more philanthro-pimped, politricked, agendas, leaving us not only the same but worse off than we were before each new mayor takes office.
Our campaign outreach, headquarters and leadership is rooted in our unhoused communities, encampments, across the Bay Area. Our platform is crafted from our struggle, resistance and our own self-determined poor people-led solutions and something we call WeSearch at POOR Magazine.
We aren’t asking for campaign contributions or trying to raise millions of wasted, hoarded wealth to promote a corporate agenda, or prop up a sexy personality. What we do have are actual solutions not rooted in our destruction, criminalization and silencing. Our tag-line is one we Po’ folks at POOR Magazine/Prensa POBRE have been saying for years which we collectively voted in, No More About Us Without Us…
We are on Facebook at Homeless4Mayor Campaign or email poormag@gmail.com.
ROTFL! You are a hoot. And nothing “supposedly” about it. And no, it is inclusive. You’re the one trying to make her “other.”
Exposing you for the fraud and fool the you are is not bigotry.
Hateful and bigoted – but in a righteous cause. THAT makes all the difference, and really shows up the distastefulness of Greed.
Brand: Bigot.
How about Fresno?
Right. Communism has repeatedly been shown to be a failure — as have all revolutions. I don’t believe in either.
Now there’s a genocidal maniac — who was utterly convinced he was changing the world for the better by implementing the Marxist/Leninist Communist Utopia.
Now you know I feel when you start talking about Stalin and Russia.
Actually, I’m a bit bewildered by that exchange.
You get the point.
Pray tell, when exactly did I argue such a thing?
You’re preaching to the choir here. Rosh.
And I’ve never had a bar mitzvah.
Think about what I said. You can’t argue the way the Natives were treated was vastly different from the persecution and attempted genocide of the Jews.
I’ve never been a fan of gambling on “the rez”.
Smart of you to bail. You’ve never been to the rez.
Alas… you’ve succumbed. 🙁
Indigenous people are stereotypically fine being called Natives, Indians, or Indigenous. I’m within 25 miles of two reservations right now. Ever been to the rez, kid?
The Holocaust denial comparison is not out of left field. You are unaware of the attempted genocide of the Native American people. It is not taught in our schools, but the elders will rightly tell you.
Wow, that’s out of left field!
Don’t disappoint me — like “Geek_Girl” consistently does — by succumbing to Goodwin’s Law.
Are you a Holocaust denier as well?
We’ll just have to “disagree” on that.
Your use of quotes is weird. I’m English and Irish.
I think it’s offensive to Native Americans to cast doubt on whether it was their land or not.
That was an outstanding, well-reasoned, post!
“Rosh HoshHosh” sez:
“I was just letting you know on the spelling, no judgement on that. It’s the quotes that made your comment offensive to me.”
Oh brother, seriously?!
Unless you — all of a sudden like — become “indigenous” and henceforth, promise to consistently refer to “Oakland” as “Huchuin Ohlone Land” and San Francisco as “Turtle Island”, you have absolutely no “right” to be “offended”.
I was just letting you know on the spelling, no judgement on that. It’s the quotes that made your comment offensive to me.
“They’re off”.
“Hichiun”?
“Hichuin”?
I guess you need to take up the spelling — of “HUCHUIN” — with Tiny, as that’s how she spells it on her website:
http://www.poormagazine.org/homefulness
And he’s off!
It’s Hichiun, not Hichuin. The quotes are inappropriate.
The lack of sufficient housing is fundamental to problem of homelessness.
What homeless or indigenous person did I supposedly “bash”?
Always cool when you can bash the homeless and our indigenous population in a single comment.
Talk about ineffectual. Real estate troll Kraus’s monotonous, single-point comments hang like dingleberries from every blog post that even hints at a housing issue. Who would be more fun and interesting to hang out with, a sharp thinker like Tiny or a creepy sociopath like Kraus?
Well, what exactly do ‘drop-outs’ contribute? I suppose a society needs its leaches – like Trumpians – but at the same time, is it required to give them the respect and admiration one does for those who play a constructive part?
Tiny uses straw arguments like “the concept that the lack of humans and things in a landscape means cleanliness,” to make a point. However, lack of humans doesn’t necessarily mean cleanliness (look at all the architectural drawings, where untold pedestrians and fun-seekers litter the drawing landscape) – but loads of dirty, messy humans and their trash does help promote an idea of un-cleanliness. Of course, for those with a cluttering aesthetic, I apologize. But not really.
And “the mere vision of us, in (not really) public spaces with all of our now exposed belongings, is automatically equated with criminality.” Again, not necessarily – though you wonder about the obvious Ford Go-bikes. Public spaces are meant for everyone. But if someone takes that space and uses it for a bedroom or a bathroom or other private function (an office party or birthday event or something else), the same folks defending Tiny would scream “corporate give-away” (and perhaps rightly).
As for places for people who can’t seem to take care of themselves, I’m afraid our society has gotten away from that, and we need to look at returning to this concept of a shared social assistance combined, with less tolerance for anti-social behaviors – even if it means restricting individual aberrant behaviors (school shootings, anyone?). Does that mean returning to the hell-holes of the past? I hope not. But those institutional hell-holes have been transferred to our streets and sidewalks, parks and public spaces; and thats certainly not the place for them either. And our current ‘solution’ – the prison industrial complex is an expensive and unproductive (thank you Correctional Officers Association) way to deal with that problem – not to mention inhumane.
If Tiny were to make one point, its that “homelessness” is not a one-dimensional problem. However, while she seems to use her personal experience argue to that effect, she continues to deny personal responsibility for those who have agency. Typical nanny-state complaining. And NOT a solution.
Your seem rather hateful and bigoted yourself. 🙂
“What we do have are actual solutions not rooted in our destruction, criminalization and silencing”
.
Did I miss those? Don’t recall reading them anywhere in the article. Sounds like a lot of blaming, shaming, and framing, and not much else.
Typical Tiny.
I have no idea if Preston is a one man show or not. Don’t really care, but it does seems a bit suspicious you include that. I’m just curious of people’s less ostensible motivations.
So there’s this scorpion trying to get across a river…
Well it’s apparent now that you’re actually quite aware of what ‘Tiny actually duz.’
I deleted my other comments to you since they were just a back-and-forth between us that is not relevant to the above article. Glad you voted for Preston, but he is not a one-person show. There are a lot of us who are knowledgeable about housing and D5 and want to unseat Breed.
Well, you seem to ask in very suggestive ways. A lot of us who are knowledgeable on D5 housing are against Breed. Dean is not a one-man show.
Look, if you don’t mind, I’m going to remove my responses to you in a little bit. I think they are cluttering up the board unnecessarily.
And yet, you are the cause of problems, not solutions.
Kositsky does not advocate for the homeless. He heads up the City’s department that is supposed to provide services. Unfortunately, he seems to be not doing all that great a job.
Jennifer Friedenbach is the worst nightmare for a nut like you. She actually is quite good, and puts haters like you to shame.
You sound rather bigoted.
Did i say it wasn’t nice to name names?
I don’t know who you are, but you’re very knowledgeable on D5 housing. You also go after Breed a lot.
I’m sorry I called you a ‘wanna-be politician.’ I’m an antagonist by nature .. think of the scorpion and the frog.
I voted for Preston. I don’t know him personally. Ive never accused you of being him .. I’ve only asked.
I wasn’t naming names, since you said it wasn’t nice — but now you are. And why do you start something then attack me after I respond in similar fashion? Are you a friend of Brian Hanlon? If you honestly think I’m Dean Preston, then you know nothing about him.
Yes , my bad.
I prefer to actually solve problems rather than to letting them fester and merely complain about them.
Tiny seems to spend a lot of time working on her rather jarring argot that she uses to leverage consulting gigs.
Jennifer is rad. Much calmer than you and me. I just think the world of her. You two are friendly, no?
“Entirely ineffectual.” Again, you are basing worth on achievement. This is how you are hard wired to think.
Info-psychology 101.
Hir.
I know you don’t think so. That is why you lobbed that question to foginacan.
You think Brain Hanlon is up commenting in the middle of the night? Show me the money.
You also said you got Preston’s list from “a friend.” I’m convinced both you and Kraus are wanna-be politicians. But you’re
Jeff Kositsky does as well, does he get a pass too?
How about Jennifer Friedenbach?
Wrong again!
How exactly is mocking Tiny’s “faux/poetic” tropes racist?
What’s wrong with you!
I don’t actually think this is ST, because based on her Reddit posts, she is not too concerned with spelling/grammar/coherency. Of course, she is also not concerned with hypocrisy. I suspect this is someone who received a Masters in Public Policy from George Mason University, a school that has received the largest amount of funding from the Koch Bros (95,000,000+) of any university anywhere.
Tiny didn’t use her “preferred pronouns.”
Kraus has a masters degree and was apparently on the debate team. She also made out with a sorority sister once and now identifies lgbqt.
I’m also guessing she can feed her kiddo and type at the same time.
Tiny advocates for the homeless. Your minimizing is weak.
Great piece Tiny!
I believe it is society’s fear of homelessness and ostracism that is the driving force behind the dehumanizing you mention.
Worth is based upon production. Drop-outs are a threat to status quo.
Nobody, not even Scott Wiener, forced you to read this — or to make your racist comment. What is wrong with you?
San Francisco doesn’t have “them all.” Waiting for a national solution isn’t going to help anyone now.
SF can’t house them all. You are suggesting a national solution, which would be better.
At least 1/3 are mentally ill. Commit them until they can take care of themselves. They cost the city the most money, and cause the most problems.
Bandaids don’t work.
Putting aside the obvious moral/human decency aspect of the strong treating the weak with contempt and scorn, none of their despicable tactics have “worked.”
Housing, like education and having access to healthcare should be a human right, everywhere, including San Francisco.
Whew Mama! that was hard to get thru with all the alter-native spellenz and neologisms.
Not quite clear on what Tiny actually duz cep hawk t-shirts with the word “Pobre” on em.
Nothing wrong with making a few bucks-thru-coinage, tho.