I keep saying this but... if you live in a big city and want to fight fascism, questioning what your mayor and cops are doing to unhoused people is an *excellent* start. Criminalizing people who have nothing is how nice urban liberals do fascism. - ThreadSky

charliejane.bsky.social • 4 days ago

I keep saying this but... if you live in a big city and want to fight fascism, questioning what your mayor and cops are doing to unhoused people is an *excellent* start.

Criminalizing people who have nothing is how nice urban liberals do fascism.

Reposted from Charlie Jane "Lessons in Magic and Disaster" Anders 🏳️‍⚧

"There's just nothing normal about shelter. It's an institutional setting that's highly restrictive."

San Francisco is investing in shelter beds as a way to justify criminalizing unhoused people, but shelters alone won't solve homelessness. My latest newsletter!

buttondown.com/charliejane/...

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madamemacguffin.bsky.social•4 days ago

Been banging this same drum but at a State Government level, where people paying like 10% more (or ANY) attention would have an ENORMOUS impact. States impact our daily lives so much and can actually push back hard against the fed govt

madamemacguffin.bsky.social•4 days ago

With the caveat that once you see who’s currently in your state govt and what they’ve been doing, you’re gonna be traumatized

madmab.bsky.social•4 days ago

For an example that it can work, Norman, OK votes out Larry Heikkila and in Stephen Tyler Holman and multiple city council members just a week ago, largely because of Heikkila’s stance regarding Norman’s unhoused population.

raineyallthetime.bsky.social•4 days ago

I keep looking at the coffin shelters other countries have and it devastates me knowing we can never have that because there’s no way to monetize it.

chelseanh.bsky.social•3 days ago

This is also a step toward criminalizing poverty and extracting more (really cheap) prison labor. Anybody expecting the cost of living to go down any time soon?

docum3nt.bsky.social•4 days ago

The problem seems to be that the fundamentalist Christians who are directing the US government regard homelessness, poverty, and sickness as sins for which those affected should suffer.

charliejane.bsky.social•4 days ago

Nah, not national government in this instance... Just local city govt

mayawest.online•3 days ago

plenty of people who would be horrified at being compared to fundamentalist Christians do this too.
New York, Portland, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, all "liberal" cities... they all do this.
check your city's policies.

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

Minneapolis is "proudly Blue" and...

docum3nt.bsky.social•3 days ago

Then I hope they die in agonies.

Fortunately I don't live in the USA but I do keep a close eye on what they do locally.

suzanneforbes.bsky.social•4 days ago

This was an excellent edition of your newsletter! I always appreciate your experience working with unhoused folks and movements to protect them. I first worked in SF in 1997, and they were trying to get rid of the RVs even then; there were a couple sweet RV community streets in Mission Bay then.

blazewarriorwolf.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

save-matches.bsky.social•4 days ago

save-matches.bsky.social•4 days ago

Found on Tumblr

johnwgant.bsky.social•4 days ago

This is correct. Homelessness increased 18% last year to a historic high of 750K. Given recent events, I expect it will accelerate. It is not their fault now (in most instances) and will not be in the future.

charliejane.bsky.social•4 days ago

Fuck, so many people are going to lose their homes so a few billionaires can embiggen themselves further

johnwgant.bsky.social•4 days ago

News of the DC, VA, and MD region is devastating. Instant recession.

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

"Fault" is a tricky word because even in cases where it might be more reasonable to attribute blame, there's ALWAYS something else going on. Whether it's lack of economic/practical knowledge/education, executive dysfunction, mental illness, cognitive challenges... Housing should be a human right.

johnwgant.bsky.social•3 days ago

… and sometimes people just do very stupid things …

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

Usually for reasons! People who make choices you think are stupid may not know their choices are illogical or bad, or if they do they may not be able to stop themselves, or they may not believe that their choices will actually matter or that they can become homeless because of them. It's tricky.

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

I have set up a ton of systems for myself so I don't do stupid shit like forget to pay a bill and then freak out about that bill/lateness until I form a mental block and can't force myself to go into my bank account and do a transfer because now it's an insurmountable thing.

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

I'm neurodivergent and to neurotypical people I'm sure that looks ridiculous, losing your house because you freaked yourself out over a single late bill. I promise I know it's not how neurotypical feel or behave and I would like to also not do that. My systems make it so I don't have to get that far

johnwgant.bsky.social•3 days ago

“Usually” says it all, doesn’t it?

You have voiced your opinion, and we are mostly in agreement.

Best wishes to you.

katyrex.meatjacker.social•3 days ago

Oh ok, didn't know we were fighting! Sorry, I thought we were just having a chill discussion. Bye!

anarchobara.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yep, this is what our supposedly progressive administration has been doing in Chicago. https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/02/19/city-crews-tear-down-tents-at-gompers-park-encampment-on-one-of-the-coldest-mornings-of-the-year/

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