NLCHP Decries Increasing Dehumanization of Homeless People

Press Type: Press Release   Associated Program: Civil Rights

Released: 08/2005

As reported by the AP wire service, two 19 year-old men alleged the DVD "Bumfights" inspired them to attack homeless men in Los Angeles with baseball bats. The first victim claims to have been attacked while sleeping on a sidewalk last Tuesday. A private security guard witnessed the second attack approximately 90 minutes later. That victim is still in critical condition at last report. "The vicious and cowardly attacks against two homeless men in Los Angeles are symptomatic of the growing trend to deny homeless people basic human dignity guaranteed to everyone," says Maria Foscarinis, Executive Director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. These attacks and the DVD that allegedly inspired them are part of coarsening attitude toward homeless people in America. A growing number of jurisdictions have passed or are considering laws penalizing basic life-sustaining activities, such as sleeping in public or panhandling, which contributes to this trend. Rather than seek solutions that address the reasons that homeless people are forced to sleep or beg in public places, these laws more typically aim to remove then from public view. "Seeing homeless people in public places may--and should--make us uncomfortable; but it is not a reason to try to sweep them out of sight," said Foscarinis. "Instead of trying to eliminate homeless people we should work to eliminate the reasons that they are homeless." Some cities, such as Philadelphia, have done a better job, she said, demonstrating a more humane, constructive and effective approach to homeless people living in public places. The mission of NLCHP is to prevent and end homelessness by serving as the legal arm of the nationwide movement to end homelessness. To achieve its mission, NLCHP pursues three main strategies: impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education. By placing homelessness in the larger context of poverty, NLCHP aims to address homelessness as a manifestation of deeper causes: the shortage of affordable housing, insufficient income, and inadequate social services. NLCHP presses for solutions that address the causes of homelessness, not just its symptoms. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty was established by Maria Foscarinis, a former Wall Street lawyer working to address homelessness at the national level since 1985.

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