UNDER THE BRIDGE

National News
WASHINGTON, DC- on the 73rd anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth, January 15th, homeless persons find their civil rights threatened in an increasing number of communities, according to a new report released today by homeless advocacy groups. The report finds that more jurisdictions are enacting laws that effectively criminalize homelessness by prohibiting activities such as sleeping or camping in public, even when no shelter beds are available. “Homelessness will not disappear simply by putting people behind bars. We need to address the systemic causes and look at real solutions. The burden of poverty is far too great to be exacerbated by the criminalization of the impoverished…” stated Donald Whitehead, formerly homeless and now Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless To read the full report on line go to:
www.nationalhomeless.org

The Right to Vote
From: 2002 Voting Rights Manual
http://www.nationalhomeless.org
Homeless people have the right to vote. If you witness discrimination based on an individual’s lack of housing, please contact the “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” project call (202) 737-6444 x19 or e-mail us at
[email protected]
Under the United States Constitution, every American citizen - without regard to personal property - has the right to vote. The fact that people who are homeless have no permanent residence should not be used to disenfranchise them. Many homeless people, however, while qualified to vote, are unable to register due to the many policy and legal barriers placed before them. Thirty states require that a person have a mailing address in order to register.

Planning On Traveling By Bus?
When people are homeless, often times they do not have a valid picture ID due to residency requirements and/or lost documents. Bill Tinker of New Hampshire Homeless Reports that since 9-11 people without picture ID cannot ride on Concord Trailways Bus lines. Members of the news and discussion group @topica.com researched information on ‘internal passports’ as result of 9-11 and had this to report from the American Civil Liberties Union...

“One particularly unfortunate reaction to the terrible events of September11 has been serious discussion about instituting a national ID card.

National ID Cards: 5 Reasons Why They Should Be Rejected
1. A national ID card system would not solve the problem that is inspiring it.

2. An ID card system will lead to a slippery slope of surveillance and monitoring of citizens.

3. A national ID card system would require creation of a database of all Americans.

4. ID cards would function as “internal passports” that monitor citizens' movements.

5. ID cards would foster new forms of discrimination and harassment.

The ACLU believes that the creation of a national ID system would be a misplaced, superficial “quick fix” and would not effectively deter terrorists and, instead, would pose serious threats to the freedom and equality of everyone in the United States.”