Homeless Activists Converge on San Francisco

by Israel Bayer · 2010-01-21 18:05:00 UTC
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Yesterday marked a coming together of housing advocates up and down the West Coast as grassroots organizations converged on San Francisco to ask the federal government to adequately fund affordable housing and ensure that city governments around the U.S. uphold the basic civil rights of individuals on the streets.

Estimates of attendance ranged from several hundred to a thousand. More important than their number is what united the marchers -- the vast majority are living on the streets. Organizations from Los Angeles, Fresno, Sacramento, Berkley, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon brought activists to the "House Keys Not Handcuffs" protest organized by the Western Regional Advocacy Project.

The group marched through the financial district and the mission district to the federal building, where a delegation met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office to talk about strategies to increase affordable housing efforts and ensure individuals civil rights on the streets. A movement is being built.

Check out photos from the spirited J20 action. Join us in solidarity this month by signing the petition. Right now, we're at more than 300. Let's make that 3,000.

Photo credit: Israel Bayer

Israel Bayer is the Executive Director of Street Roots, a street newspaper in Portland, and the Chairperson of the North American Street Newspaper Association.
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