On January 20th, Kat & I went to demonstrate against the city of Las Vegas, arresting and fining homeless people $1,000 for sleeping on the street. The city just passed a bill that will criminalize homelessness here in LV. Poverty is not a crime, what CAUSES the poverty should be criminalized!
My family and I became homeless after we came out while living in Mississippi. For three years we lived on the streets, camping in our camper van in various cities, trying to find a place affordable & affirming (with trans protections & healthcare). Since we've been there, we understand how shelters split up LGBTQ families, we understand those who work night shifts are often turned away from shelters due to having to sleep during the day. We understand what's it's like because we've been the homeless family turned away from shelters due to being trans; we've been the family the police tried to split up because we're trans and homeless; we've been the family harassed on the street by police for sleeping (really bad memories/trauma affiliated with this). We are both dedicated to helping those who need it most. We can not sit by while more cities disobey the federal law stating it's illegal to punish the poor for in fact being too poor to afford a home. With rent prices continuously on the rise here and in other major cities, this will only lead to even MORE homeless people on our streets! We MUST stand in solidarity against these types of actions! This evening, I had a person reach out to me from Oregon, because the above text I posted as a FB post, that was shared in a group and the person saw it. They contacted me to say that it's illegal for city officials to go against Federal Law since, the 9th Circuit Court already Ruled a very similar city ordinance in Boise, Idaho, as unconstitutional. But, the city manager for Las Vegas, says the camping ban will be unaffected by the 9th Circuit ruling. This person went on to explain they would be contacting said court tomorrow on behalf of the Las Vegas ordinance. In addition, I'll be reaching out to contacts at The Center For Constitutional Rights, and the ACLU. We have an email address if you'd like to keep up with our progress here in Las Vegas, working to over-turn this inhumane, unconstitutional law! Send us a shout out @ [email protected]. #HousingNotHandcuffs #HeartTheHomeless #NoWarOnThePoor #Homeless #LasVegas
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Authors:James and Katherine are a transgender couple raising two kids. They were southerners when coming to understand themselves as trans. Ultimately it lead to a nearly three year road trip to find home. Now they are re-housed and still focused on outreach in the transgender community! Archives
October 2020
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