Childhood Hunger
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Summary:
Sitting, sleeping, lying down, and loitering are all crimes in many cities.
August 10
Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?
Yesterday, Barbara Ehrenreich published “Is It Now a Crime to Be Poor?”, an article about the growing trend of cities to pass ordinances designed to criminalize the poor.
This kind of thing first really gained traction in the ’80s and ’90s when gentrification first took hold. But a new study from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty found that the number of ordinances against the publicly poor has been rising since 2006 — things like sleeping, lying down, or even just sitting.
This is all bad enough, but it gets even worse. Food Not Bombs, a group that hands out free vegan food to hungry people in public parks around the nation, is regularly harassed by law enforcement. It is (apparently) against the law to share food with the indigent in public places in many cities in the United States. And no, I’m not kidding.
I cannot believe that this kind of thing happens, yet it does. It’s just absolutely appalling.
Please take a look at Barbara Ehrenreich’s New York Times article and decide for yourself.
Posted by Eric Herboso.
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