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Policies Against Homeless People

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Policies Against Homeless People
Previously I had never thought about the full extent of the policies against homeless people in urban/public areas; mostly because I come to a fairly small suburban area where I wasn’t quite exposed. However since moving to San Francisco, I have become more aware, but after reading through these documents, I realized I still was not aware enough.
From the Punishing the Poorest document I have learned the full extent to which homelessness is criminalized (particularly in San Francisco). The section line “Homeless people are forced to move by law enforcement for being in public” reminded me of when Super Bowl 50, when San Francisco created Super Bowl “city” in the area of the Embarcadero Plaza in front of the Ferry Building and connected to Market Street. All of these areas normally “house” homeless populations, but with the upcoming influx of tourists, and the area needing clearing for the Super Bowl “city” there were reports of homeless people being forced to move their tents and other belongings from the area; with no suitable alternatives for them to move to. I had not heard of this upheaval until after the Super Bowl city was gone, but I had never even questioned where the homeless …show more content…
The policies in place really do criminalize and enable to act on their prejudices against the homeless. These policies are not new, only reframed and rebranded. These “quality of life” laws, and how anti-homeless laws are placed under it, are truly just bullshit. To place one person’s (wealthy/housed/accepted) right to a “quality of life” over someone else’s (poor/homeless/discriminated) is truly disgusting. Especially as the policies disguise discrimination, prejudice, and bias behind the defense of “creating a better public
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