Bloomington's Humanitarian Fail

On June 21 of 2012 our local public library, one of the only indoor public places in Bloomington, instituted no smoking and no loitering rules at our library, the rules were written in a way to disproportionately affect the homeless community who sought refuge in the library during inclement weather.

 Last fall when Genesis Summer Shelter, the low-barrier summer shelter in Bloomington closed its doors mid-October, they let everyone know they wouldn't be opening again next year.

 Over the winter we saw the destruction of "The Office" as it was known in the homeless community, a shaded seating area on the NW corner of Lincoln & 6th St. The benches were long and had backs. After cutting down the two huge trees that shaded the resting spot, hey replaced The Office with a small garden and 3 concrete cubes, as impossible to sleep on as to sit on and have a conversation.

 Then in early February of this year, the Bloomington Police Department began harassing homeless individuals and went as far as to give them jay-walking tickets for crossing the street by The Shalom Center.

 This spring, a group of IU Social Work students began organizing a low-barrier shelter to replace Genesis. It is known as The Ubuntu Project. Ubuntu has full staffing of volunteers, as well as all needed resources. All they need is a location. Volunteers are working around the clock to try to come up with a solution.

 On April 16th, after seasonal closing of the Interfaith Winter Shelter and no summer shelter this year, the most fragile population in Bloomington, individuals whom are unable to meet the requirements for the higher barrier shelters like Martha's House or Backstreet Mission, were left with absolutely no options. With the Ubuntu Project still unrealized, they're sleep became illegal.

It is illegal to sleep on public property in Bloomington or on private property w/o permission, which is how Bloomington's Homeless Rights Activists tried to offer a safe place for these people to sleep when they erected the Dream Tent on W 11th St. last week. On the last night of the shelter this Sunday, over 60 people were housed, dry, warm, and safe from our boys in blue.

 It is easy to see why people believe the city government in Bloomington is attempting to force these people to leave the only city they know or be arrested. Nearly everyone who stayed during the stint at the Dream Tent call Bloomington home and have been harassed, if not arrested, by the BPD for trying to fulfill their basic need of sleeping. Yesterday, the city threatened $2500/day fines for the owners of the land that let the Dream Tent stand.

 Advocates who helped erect the tent did not want the owners of the property to be the ones to bare all the responsibility of our community's most fragile population, they believe it is everyone's responsibility and that our city government should facilitate the effort and be glad that community members are taking care of a problem they refuse to be responsible for.

 Before taking down the tent, Homeless Rights Activists gathered at the Bear Grove at the MCPL where this whole mess started and walked to city council to protest the order for the tent's removal. We had NLG lawyers talking to city legal, but they would not budge. We stormed the building and took the mayor's office, demanding to be heard, but the only people who came out of the Mayor's office door were police.

 Last night, the homeless unable to meet the barriers of existing shelters had to hide themselves to sleep and try to sleep in fear of the BPD finding them. Tonight, and every night until there is a shelter, they will do the same.

 Tomorrow is open comment at our City Council Meeting. Human Right's Activists who erected the Dream Tent are calling for people to come and pack the meeting and make comment about how they feel about their city depriving people the basic need of sleep. They plan on rallying outside @ 7PM, a half hour before the meeting starts to gather and greet their council people as they enter the building. They have requested that everyone bring sleeping bags.

 Please share this story and come and tell your elected officials Sleeping is NOT illegal! and Housing is a Human Right! Hope to see you there!

(To see what happened at the City Council meeting, see the May 2 edition of the Herald-Times: http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2013/05/02/news.homeless-advoca...)

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