City of Fresno Declares War on the Poor. Aug and Sept 2013

[annm4peace]

This is a video of the City of Fresno's demolition of homeless encampments in August and September 2013.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023633042


Most cities find shelter for the homeless before they tear down their encampments.
Fresno even received Federal dollar but they gave it to developer to built about 100 unites with thousands are needed. (yes Fresno has corruption.. but why doesn't the Feds or CA AG do something about it)

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/09/18742970.php

While city officials claim to be on the verge of bankruptcy they did manage to find enough money to destroy the only shelter hundreds of homeless people had. The city would not help by providing drinking water, portable toilets or trash bins, but they were out in force to bulldoze tents, tarps, and wood structures built by the homeless in downtown Fresno.



http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/09/18743007.php

Fresno Homeless companion animals seized and taken to animal 'shelter" with a kill rate of over 70 percent. I wonder how long they will survive before being murdered by the heartless bastards that run this city.

In the last 3 weeks Fresno city officials have been destroying homeless encampments in the downtown area. They come in with multiple garbage trucks and bulldozers at 7am and tell folks to pack up and leave. One really disturbing thing they do is when folks are busy trying to save all of their worldly belongings Animal Control and Undercover Police Officers round up the companion animals of the homeless. These animals are then taken to the local SPCA shelter which has a kill rate of over 70%. Talk about a bunch of heartless bastards.

Contact for SPCA to find out about the dogs taken from the homeless.
http://ccspca.com/contact/

[left on green only]

1. There But For Fortune Go You Or I - Phil Ochs

I periodically travel to Fresno for goods and services not available to me in the area where I live. All too often do I see some of the residents there who have the attitude that poverty is a disease that only affects other people. They are bothered to have to see the homeless taking turns (such are their numbers) standing out in the Islands at intersections with signs begging for food, in the105 degree heat, every day. Or else they are offended to have to watch a little child scrounge through the trash cans at a fast food restaurant, hoping to find what is left of a someone's half finished hamburger. "Any parent who would allow their child to do that should be thrown in jail." Yeah right.

But you are right, the ones who suffer even more than the homeless people are the homeless pets. Last week I was waiting in a left hand turn pocket to turn in to a shopping center, and I saw in the 92 degree heat, a dejected, half starved looking, pregnant, ugly little dog with her head down walking slowly in front of the wheels of my stopped car. With her head still looking down, she slowly walked across the narrow cement median and start to cross into the oncoming lane. The on coming cars were traveling at about 40 miles an hour. There were not too many chances available to me to act in the split second that I had. I laid on my horn in hopes of startling her to be aware of her surroundings. It worked! She stopped and looked up, first at me , and then at the oncoming traffic in the opposing lane. I was relieved to see that, once aware of her surroundings, she had car sense enough to wait for the traffic to pass by her, before she continued across the street and into the parking lot of the shopping center.

I made my left turn into that parking lot just a few moments after her, but when I went to look for her, she had disappeared. I was haunted by her image for days afterwards. Many times I had thoughts about driving the 100 miles back to the neighborhood to look for her. But what could I have done to forever change her lot in life? I am not allowed to have a pet in the place where I am living, and there is no other place for me to move to. I am but one step beyond the plight of the homeless. If it weren't for Social Security and Food Stamps, I would be among them. And the Fresno repugs say, "Bring it on!"

[Plucketeer]

2. And don't bother pushin' your carts to Visalia either.

Visalia is every bit the bastion of conservative "compassion" as Fresno is.

[blackspade]

3. This sucks.

[kelliekat44]

4. If the wealthy didn't need fodder for their wars, workers for their businesses, and nannies

Last edited Thu Sep 12, 2013, 07:18 AM - Edit history (1)

for their kids they would just as soon like to herd all poor people out of the country or to some remote location and simply ignore them to death.

[annm4peace]

5. I called the CSPCA

I never got to talk to a live person , I called and left a message to find out about the pets taken from the homeless people but haven't heard back from them. The message system did say that CSPCA wasn't going to be working with Fresno County Animal Control after October.. so I wonder what Animal Control will do with animals they pick up after October


Animal Center
559.233.7722
103 S. Hughes Ave
Fresno, CA 93706
Humane Investigations
Call to report concerns for an animal’s welfare or witnessed abuse.

[annm4peace]

6. a day later

they still haven't called back

[grilled onions]

7. We Are But Specks On The Windshield Of Life

The less you have the more they are determined to take away what you have, be it a rickity shopping cart, an old sleeping bag, a warm little pet, the only photograph they had of a family long ago.
They do their best to sweep anyone and everyone under the carpet of civilization if they have little,have no where to go,have few rights and even less money. They are busy making laws that make it illegal to feed them. It's like they want them to suffer(for what--entertainment of the well heeled?). You try and give them a bit of comfort and they find a way to slap a fine in your direction.
There is no where for them to go--not under a tree,a viaduct,an ocean shore.
Where do they go when they are kicked out of their camp? Plus all those kitties,cats,pups and dogs losing their loving owners and I shudder to think their lives as well all because a selfish part of our population doesn't like "them" and treating them more like cockroaches instead of human beings.

[annm4peace]

9. sadly you have spoken the truth

others have tried to give them a little comfort and safety and the city made it illegal.

they have taken their basic human rights.. where are those who are suppose to protect our basic human rights ?

I just read Mike's Editor page.. it is so frustrating that the abuse continues

http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=8290

The culture of death and destruction at City Hall is threatening this community’s most vulnerable residents with a policy that they hope will be the “final solution” to homelessness in Fresno. I was in a meeting last month where a group of us were trying to figure out how to respond to the impending demolitions of the homeless encampments, when a disturbing thought entered my mind.

City officials have been relentlessly demonizing the homeless as being criminals, dangerous, dirty and something that we need to eliminate. The homeless, as a result, are probably the most vilified minority in this community. They are a scapegoat that many people fear, some hate and others are confused about (even though they might be one or two paychecks from homelessness themselves). City spokespersons and other right-wing demagogues blame the homeless for causing their own misery, we are told they are all drug addicts and mentally ill, and Mayor Ashley Swearengin tells you to not give them any money (because it only encourages their deviant behavior).

When the ruling elite, corporate media and dominant ideology converge to present a group of people like the homeless as being the enemy, then watching the bulldozing of their shelters becomes acceptable. The disturbing thoughts and emotions I had at that homeless advocate meeting were because I was thinking about other times in history when groups of people were singled out for us to hate.

When the power elite can manipulate our minds with their sick propaganda, history has shown that people will allow the police and military to do what is necessary to get rid of the problem. Somehow it made sense that Jews, homosexuals and Gypsies were vilified, their property confiscated and that they disappeared into concentration camps.

I ask you: What would you do if the government was bulldozing Fresno’s African-American community because they said those neighborhoods were unsafe and crime was taking place? What if they did that to a Jewish neighborhood? Is it somehow OK to do this because the people under attack and being persecuted in Fresno today are poor, destitute, powerless and homeless? I believe that the homeless are our version of the canary in the coal mine. In other words, watch closely what happens to the homeless because our future is tied to their fate.

As the September issue of the Community Alliance newspaper goes to press, the City of Fresno’s demolitions of the homeless encampments are under way. They started on Aug. 26 and will continue into mid-September. This month, we have an excellent article written by Jessie Speer on page 1, in which she describes her experience in meeting with the homeless, representatives from the culture of death at City Hall and homeless advocates. Speer, who was in Fresno for several months this summer, has a fresh perspective on the issue that is this month’s “must read” article. She knows that the homeless are our brothers, sisters, someone’s mother or uncle. She talked to them, shares their stories and gives us insights into this issue that only someone seeing it with a fresh eye can do. Speer calls on us to rediscover our humanity and come together as a community to solve the problem.

If you are motivated to take action to stop the heartless and cruel city policy against the homeless, you can join me at the next meeting where we will strategize on our next steps. You can go to http://helpfresnoshomeless.org/ or contact the Community Alliance for more information about what you can do to help. So far, committees have been set up to witness (with photos and video) the demolitions, get community leaders to speak out about the cruel and unusual treatment of the homeless, attend City Council meetings (denouncing their policies on the homeless) and to help the homeless move to safer places.

What the City of Fresno should be doing is not really that complicated. First, the city should not evict the homeless, unless there is a better place for them to go. First rule—do no harm. Within a week, the homeless in downtown should be provided with basic public services, which would improve their lives—drinking water, portable toilets and trash bins should be set up. Within a month, unused vacant lots (owned by the city, county or individuals) can be established as safe and legal homeless encampments. That will remove the homeless people from living on the street, sometimes in front of homes in a residential neighborhood. Phase three, which is a longer-term project, is to get them into affordable and decent housing.

With these short-, medium- and long-term goals, this community can help improve the lives of the homeless rather than making their already difficult lives even harder. Of course, some of the homeless need job training, mental health assistance or help to end addictions to drugs and alcohol. Everyone who is living on the streets of Fresno can live a better life than they are now if we come together as a community and help them, just like they were our brothers and sisters, which they are.

[DeSwiss]

8. K&R

''The most thoroughly and relentlessly Damned, Banned, Excluded, Condemned, Forbidden, Ostracized, Ignored, Suppressed, Repressed, Robbed, Brutalized and Defamed of all Damned Things is the individual human being.

The social engineers, statisticians, psychologists, sociologists, market researchers, landlords, bureaucrats, captains of industry, bankers, governors, commissars, kings and presidents are perpetually forcing this Damned Thing into carefully prepared blueprints and are perpetually irritated that the Damned Thing will not fit into the slot assigned it.

The theologians call it a sinner and try to reform it. The governor calls it a criminal and tries to punish it. The psychologist calls it a neurotic and tries to cure it. Still, the Damned Things will not fit into their slots.''

~Robert Anton Wilson