UN investigator accuses US of shameful neglect of homeless

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/12/un-investigator-us-neglect-homeless

UN special rapporteur says wealthy US ignoring deepening homeless crisis while pumping billions into bank rescues
• Investigator meets homeless victims of American dream

A United Nations special investigator who was blocked from visiting the US by the Bush administration has accused the American government of pouring billions of dollars into rescuing banks and big business while treating as "invisible" a deepening homeless crisis.

Raquel Rolnik, the UN special rapporteur for the right to adequate housing, who has just completed a seven-city tour of America, said it was shameful that a country as wealthy as the US was not spending more money on lifting its citizens out of homelessness and substandard, overcrowded housing.

"The housing crisis is invisible for many in the US," she said. "I learned through this visit that real affordable housing and poverty is something that hasn't been dealt with as an issue. Even if we talk about the financial crisis and government stepping in in order to promote economic recovery, there is no such help for the homeless."

MUCH more at the link --

[Solly Mack]

1. k/r

[RedArmy300]

2. Not to go off on a communist rant but...

The Republican Party is essentially going to turn this country into Imperialist Russia if they get all the power they want so damn bad, but even if they don't they've already turned it into a country where its just a matter of time before Marx's theory of spontaneous revolution occurs. I know I know, people don't like the doom theories, but seriously if you read Marx's theories you'd understand that he perceived a CAPITALIST society growing beyond its means resulting in the oppressed lower class rising up. The Rightists come in two flavors, the corrupt tsarist-esque nobility who lead the second flavor, the easily duped scared little drones. The former is a pack of evil geniuses, projecting the problems THEY cause onto the Left through fearmongering and fostering a mob mentality on a large scale.

The way to fix the country is absurdly easy but we have a corrupt bureaucracy that is a danger to itself and others staffed by idiots who would rather overcomplicate things. If we don't get revolution we'll damn well collapse because reform is out of the question for the scum of the Earth...

[bobbolink]

5. Blaming it on the RW is what keeps this crisis growing.

[RedArmy300]

9. Not to be rude...

But the blame has to go somewhere and it sure as hell isn't being caused by a zionist-liberal conspiracy to promote socialism. =/ The false equivalency people like to delude themselves into existing is one of the problems with the media and private business has been and will continue to be the death of this country as well as the ability to give angry mobs a platform to shout from, the homeless will never be given a voice unless the UN sends a large scale relief force but we know there is no way in HELL that will happen.

I do not hate the masses that the Republican Party spread their hatred and put the fear of their God into, they are like use, scared, confused, and looking for answers but once they find them they - like us - cling to the side they believe is right with the same ferocity that North Vietnam rejected the presence of the United States military. These people should be pitied as much as the mentally unstable and the homeless, they need help, everyone of the lower class needs help, but that help will NEVER come and I fear for all the boasting and chest pounding some people have about our armed forces they do not realize that if the class segregation gets to the point that the working class is angry enough to fight then, even if the rebels fail, the country we would live in afterwards would be unrecognizable.

The only way to fix the government - to fix the United States of America - is to make stalling legislature a federal offense and to put the hammer down on all forms of bias and extremism, this means no more New Black Panthers or KKK, no more Tea Party or whatever liberal equivalent, I know there is no equivalence between the extremists on the left and the right as the right is essentially state sponsored terrorism BUT that does not mean that we shouldn't get a grasp on this. If we make stalling a criminal offense in the big government machine then you damn well know more would get done.

[leftstreet]

11. What...so Wall Street could have gotten bailed out faster?

Stalled legislation? What...we need to hurry up and get that mandated private insurance passed?

Sorry, but the only place you CAN place the blame here is on the Ruling Class and its beloved Capitalism. End of story

[RedArmy300]

12. I agree with your point.

I hate capitalism to - its the foundation of my core beliefs that private business is dangerous, all entities, especially large corporations CANNOT be trusted. I know my rants can get pretty..odd...but to make it perfectly clear there should only be Left or Center as the Right is fueled by paranoia, violence, and greed purely. Capitalism was NEVER a good idea and didn't even try to be but we spent years and trillions of dollars rejecting its polar opposite, Communism, and look what that's got us.

You can have private property, you can have your homes, you can have your little local businesses, but once you go national the government should have EVERY right to force you to adhere to their laws or have your assets seized. Government sponsored health programs should be mandatory and America should be vastly more tolerant, I find it funny we're one of the younger countries but we claim to be the best, yet our politicians have damn near victorian ways of thinking.

[Scruffy1]

16. Well said

I hope you stick around.

[RedArmy300]

46. Thank you.

Thank ya kindly, I just hope my hardline Leninist beliefs don't get me in trouble.

[bobbolink]

28. More will NOT get done until every one of the people who claim to be "progressive" gets

active and joins with others to ELIMINATE HOMELESSNESS.

[TygrBright]

45. Sorry. You're talking about trashing the Constitution.

I want to see Capitalism as we know it die a quick and painful death, too. But not at the expense of establishing a state-based authoritarian structure to replace our Corporate Oligarchs.

There was a good reason that separation of powers and plenty of checks and balances were written into the Constitution.

It's possible to restore the legislative process, reform the electoral process, and restore the democratic power of the citizenry without creating a powerful centralized state authority. It takes longer, it's messier, and it's unsatisfying to the "simple fix" crowd, but I've been poor and I've been homeless and I've been in jail and I would STILL rather do things the slow, painful, messy way than the quick authoritarian unconstitutional way.

opinionatedly,
Bright

[emilyg]

10. +100

[kentuck]

3. It's true.

It's fucking true!

[Hannah Bell]

4. kr

[leftstreet]

6. K&R

Very interesting piece

Thanks for posting

[bobbolink]

7. Thank you so much, Donna! I have often thought that it will be shaming from other countries that

will FORCE this country to stop this crisis!

A long time ago I read about reporters in other countries writing scathing articles about the racism in the US that had a large effect on this country being shamed into taking action.

I am honestly disgusted that "progressives" won't take up this cause. Maybe if there are enough reports like this, some will finally get motivated.

And, take note...the article DIDN'T CALL FOR MORE CHARITY!

Thanks... this is important! :yourock:

P.S. Could you please add this to your journal, so I can find it again (and maybe others will see it?) Thanks!

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. I dunno. There's such a huge bloc of "America is never wrong" thinkers that even shaming

won't get through to them. They'll just cry out that our nation is being persecuted or some such nonsense. :(

[bobbolink]

24. The alternative? Just be silent and let people die?

[Donnachaidh]

27. That certainly looks like it's the MO of those in power, doesn't it?

That also has to be thrown back in their faces until it stops.

[bobbolink]

29. It is also the MO of average people, including those who call themselves "progresssive"

I hereby challenge you and everyone reading this to take this article, and call into all the so-called "progressive" radio hosts, and tell them it is time to start talking about this among "progressives"! It is time to form some action plans, instead of just blaming the RW or those in power.

If 300,000 people can write in in support of Keith Olberman and his job, then surely at least that many can write in to get him to start covering the issue of homelessness in depth. There is information and material that NEVER sees the light of day.

WE are complicit with our silence!

WE are allowing the suffering and death.

It is time to put ourselves on the line.

[GreenPartyVoter]

30. Not saying that. Just saying that I think some of our population aren't going

to be shamed. They just don't seem to experience that emotion in relation to what our country does or how it(dys)functions. Hence their comfort level with allowing things like poverty, homelessness, and illegal wars to go on.

We're going to have to get things done without their help.

[bobbolink]

35. "We're going to have to get things done without their help" EXACTLY.

That is a lot different than saying we can't get anything done.

When I began working on the PowerPoint, I knew that I wouldn't be able to reach about 25% of the people it was presented to. But that doesn't stop me..... it MUST be done, and done now.

The situation is dire, and waiting for the RW and the politicians to get on board is increasing the suffering.

It has been YEARS now since Sapphire Blue began posting about this, and still there is no willingness to take action.

Yet, people say all the time "Have Hope", "Don't give up".

Those two things are within the power of DUers to change.

[GreenPartyVoter]

36. "Have Hope." and "Don't Give Up" are useless. Having hope never improved anything.

[bobbolink]

39. You are exactly right. Yet, that is what I get pushed on me all the time.

Its an easy way to put the blame back on the individual, rather than the societal responsibility.

[bobbolink]

41. The man we honor today proved that, didn't he?

He prayed, he had hope, but, HE. TOOK. ACTION.

He converted the population in this country to a more sane thought.

[Donnachaidh]

25. Then we need to request foreign journos to come here and DOCUMENT the truth

You can bitch all you want about persecution -- but putting a real FACE to the problem will shut them down. And keep pushing the pictures and video in their faces until they STFU.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. I think that might help some, but we also need a lot of Americans speaking up and owning up

to our problem. Not just to show the "America's Always Right" crowd that they don't speak for the country, but also because that's the first step toward a solution. We have to collectively admit that our system is broken.

[bobbolink]

33. So, I guess that means that you are writing an LTTE today, and getting everyone you know to also do

so. ^_^

We homeless people have little voice. As you have seen right here on DU, we are castigated.

We depend on people just like you to make the noise and be heard.

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. Yes, I am going to write letters to my political reps and also to

Keith and Rachel. My local papers are pretty meh, though, but I might give them a try too.

Can I run it by you before I send it out? I'm having one of my "thick as a brick" days and would like someone to check my work before I send it out publicly.

[bobbolink]

37. Generally, I consider Reps more hopeless than local papers, but your mileage may vary.

Of course, I would be happy to have you send it on to me, although I certainly don't consider you "thick as a brick". :hi:

I would also appreciate it if you would post the finished letter here at DU. There is no reason why the DU population can't be doing these things.

It would be good to think of an action to be taken locally, and start recruiting people for that, also.

thanks. :pals:

[GreenPartyVoter]

38. LOL "Mileage may vary" All right. I have a kid to send off to a friend's house, and then I will see

what I can do to draft a letter. I definitely want to use info from this article, so I need to reread it again and see if I can get it to sink in better this time around.

Edit: I just noticed the date on the piece. I'm wondering where I can get more recent data, because I imagine with our economic crisis the numbers of homeless have only gone up.

[GreenPartyVoter]

42. Ok, some more recent data has been found. (link inside)

About Homelessness: http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/about_homelessness

Why are People Homeless?: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/why.html

Prevention Fact Sheet: http://www.ich.gov/PDF/FactSheetPrevention.pdf (Good ideas on the theory of how to prevent homelessness, but not very specific on actions to be taken.)

State of Homelessness in 2011: http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/3668

[Donnachaidh]

23. Done my dear! I've been looking for pieces like this

I too believe we need to SHAME this country back to reality. If this is what it takes -- bring it!

[old mark]

8. K&R- We have been neglecting a lot of things here, but I don't think

there will be a favorable response to the UN-most RWers hate it already and want the US to leave it.
It evidently "offends" them...

mark

[bobbolink]

40. And all this time I thought there was more to the population than RWers. Silly me.

:shrug:

I guess its just hopeless, then....?

[kath]

13. The rest of the world is becoming more and more aware of just how messed up the US really is.

And it seems like they're getting a bit worried about it as well.

[me b zola]

14. K&R

[Bonobo]

15. It's a human rights issue.

We have no moral standing to criticize any other country, including China.

[Wilms]

17. up

[Selatius]

18. We don't have enough socialists in government, they're too poor to compete against the rich. nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. This is very true.

[lonestarnot]

21. K & R!

[sarcasmo]

22. I am no fan of the U.N. but they are right on this account.

[Starry Messenger]

26. recommend.

[bobbolink]

32. Putting your excellent thread to worki:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x216032

There is something that EVERYONE can do.

Thank you, Donna! :pals:

[GreenPartyVoter]

43. This caught my eye...

"The US government does not tally the numbers but interested organisations say that more than 3 million people were homeless at some point over the past year."

The US government does not tally the numbers.... That sure says a lot right there.

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. Kick for the evening crowd

[mdmc]

47. ..