Safe Haven Member Jesse Masengale Back in City Court
Submitted by Brian Dolinar on September 2, 2009 - 7:16pm
On Wednesday, September 2, Jesse Masengale returned to city court for two tickets given to him by Champaign police this summer. A member of the Safe Haven community, Jesse was present when Champaign police showed up on June 8 to videotape the “tent city” that had been set up on the property of the Catholic Worker House. He was subsequently given two tickets for obstructing and assaulting a police officer.
A Champaign city attorney has offered Jesse a plea bargain, a tacit acknowledgement that at least half of these charges are bogus. The assault charge will be dropped if he pleads guilty to the obstructing charge and agrees to three months of court supervision and 100 hours of community service.
Witnesses say that Jesse had tossed his cell phone to a friend to take pictures when the police began to detain him. This was interpreted by police as an attempt to hit officer Gregory Manzana in the head―assault with a cell phone.
The second charge of obstructing justice was for Jesse’s insistence that police stop their videotaping.
Jesse said he could accept the plea bargain, but that “doesn’t make it right.” He plans to seek advice from his attorney Bob Kirchner, after obtaining the video and police reports, on how to move forward.
Another continuance was granted and the next court date is: October 14 at 9:45 a.m. in Courtroom L.
See a full account of the incident on June 8 and a statement from Safe Haven at:
http://ucimc.org/content/cu-tent-community
Postscript:
Every visit to the courthouse, I am always surprised by the sheer brutality and callousness of the criminal justice system. Today, there were four inmates from the Champaign County jail brought into the courtroom. They were dressed in striped orange jumpsuits and wore shackles on their wrists and ankles. As they entered and exited the courtroom, they shuffled their feet back and forth, unable to take full steps. All four were African American. The image of a chain gang could not help but be evoked.
One of them, a 50 year-old woman, had spent five days in jail because she missed a court date. She initially had received a ticket for throwing trash into someone else’s dumpster. She tried to explain that her husband had a stroke and she could not make the court date. She began crying. Her husband was with her brother while she was in jail and she was concerned for his health. Judge Holly Clemons interrupted her and proceeded with routine affairs, taking a moment to read instructions to others who were in city court that day.
When the judge returned to the case, the woman again tried to inform her of the situation. The Judge rudely said, “Not now.” Indeed, maybe Judge Holly Clemons hears these stories every day. But this is the scenario that judges are faced with given a bloated criminal justice system that locks up its citizens for the most frivolous offenses.
Eventually, the woman pleaded guilty to charges of littering and obstructing justice. When police showed up to serve a warrant for the missed court date, she apparently had given a wrong name and was written a second ticket. The woman wanted to contest this charge, but said she would “just let it go.” She was ordered to pay a combined $360 in fines, plus court costs. The woman did not have $150 to bail out of jail on a $1,500 bond. Perhaps taxpayers will have to pay the cost of jailing her again because she cannot afford the fines.
Again, the criminal justice system is one of the few remaining social service agencies left to deal with poverty, although its methods are the most inhumane and irrational.
worshiping laws
Today, there was also an excellent story on the Chicago Public Radio.
You can listen to it at:
http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=36518
Don't miss the nice slide show.
Father Tom Royer put it best, "They’re worshiping their laws, instead of caring about people."
5 Things You Absolutely Must Know About Homelessness
Seems everywhere we look these days, the topic of homelessness is making a cameo. Newspapers, blogs, the five o'clock news, even the cover of Vogue!
So while we have your ear, world, let us take advantage of this teachable moment to tell you 5 things about homelessness that you absolutely need to know. Consider it a primer in reality, if you will.
Without further ado...
1. Homelessness is not a recession-induced phenomenon.
Remember the 90s, when the economy was booming? Real estate was on the up and up and it seemed everybody was profiting off of something, right? Well, not really.
Homelessness was an issue in the 90s. In fact, homelessness has been a consistent presence in the U.S. since the 1980s. Although people will often cite the de-institutionalization of the mentally ill as the main impetus for the influx of homelessness in the 1980s, in reality, it was actually a combination of things. The 1980s is when the gap between the rich and the not-so-rich began to steadily widen. So while chronically homeless people were more noticeable on our streets thanks to de-institutionalization, income inequality and persistent poverty have been major -- and silent -- causes of homelessness since the Reagan years.
2. To end homelessness, we need more affordable housing.
Today, there is no county in America where a person earning minimum wage can afford the median cost of housing. This lack of affordable housing stock means people who already have trouble making ends meet must use a larger portion of their income to pay for housing. Until the creation of decent, affordable housing becomes a priority at the federal and community levels, it is likely that more households will be "house poor" and thus vulnerable to falling into homelessness.
3. We need both sandwiches and solutions.
Amid the global recession, more and more people are in need of food, shelter, and assistance. We cannot allow the basic needs of people in need to go unmet. Efforts to provide shelter beds, warm meals, clothing, short-term rental assistance, and other "band-aid" solutions are critical for those who are struggling to survive.
So yes, pat yourself on the back for serving a meal in a soup line or participating in a donation drive.
But remember: sandwiches alone will not solve anything. If you regularly participate in street outreach or volunteer at a homeless shelter, consider taking your involvement a step further by becoming involved in advocacy efforts. We will not achieve the system-wide changes necessary to end homelessness by continuing to focus on band-aid solutions, necessary though they may be.
4. Stereotypes are wrong - most homeless people fly under the radar.
If the word "homeless" brings to mind a scruffy man with layers of clothing sitting on piece of cardboard, panhandling, then you need a reality check. This stereotypical image is not always inaccurate, but in no way does it represent the vast majority of homeless people in America.
In fact, families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, most of these families are led by a single mother with 2-3 children. Yes, that's right -- children. One study found that 1 in 50 children in America will face homelessness (according to the homeless definition used by schools, although this is a topic often fraught among homeless advocates).
So why does this stereotypical image persist when the reality of homelessness is so different? Because we can't see it. Because it's not as easy a story to put on the front page of the papers. And because structural inequality is not a sexy topic that folks get charged up about. Which brings us to...
5. You can get involved by getting mad. Mad enough to do something.
Do you think it's unacceptable that we live in a country where people are forced to sleep on the streets, scrape to make ends meet, and choose between medical care and paying rent? Then congratulations, you are now a homeless advocate!
This is a responsibility you should not take lightly, as hundreds of thousands of people will likely experience homelessness in the coming year. These people, and those who are on the brink of homelessness, need people like you who understand the issue and are willing to do something about it.
To get you started in this new role, take a look at 10 actions you can take to end homelessness. Take a good look at your own community, find out if homeless people's immediate needs are being met and if a long-term plan is in place to eradicate homelessness. Ask questions. Dispel antiqued myths and stereotypes and take advantage of opportunities to enlighten others about the modern-day realities of homelessness. Read up... stay informed.
Most importantly, understand that homelessness is not a stigma or an indication of personal short-comings, but rather the state of not having a home in which to live.
http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/5_things_you_absolutely_must_know_about_homelessness
As Predicted, Recession Increases Deep Poverty
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2009
5:23 PM
CONTACT: National Low Income Housing Coalition
As Predicted, Recession Increases Deep Poverty NLIHC Calls on Congress to Fund Additional Housing Vouchers to Stem Increased Risk of HomelessnessTaylor Materio 202-662-1530 x227; taylor@nlihc.org
WASHINGTON - September 10 - According to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, 39.8 million people lived in poverty in 2008, a one-year increase of 2.6 million people and 6.85%.
Even more troubling was the rise in the number of people in deep poverty. Those in households earning less than half of the federal poverty threshold rose by 7.69%, or 1.2 million people, to more than 17.0 million people.
The increase in the poverty rate, especially deep poverty, gives a new urgency to the need for a substantial increase in federal housing assistance. People in deep poverty are at high risk of homelessness; methodology developed by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows that an increase of this magnitude translates to potentially 123,000 to 269,000 more people becoming homeless.
"Coupled with the continued increase in unemployment, these new poverty numbers show how severely the recession is hitting the lowest income people in our country," NLIHC President Sheila Crowley said. "These new data support the concern of housing advocates that the current recession will cause a surge in homelessness similar to that seen in the recession of the early 1980s. Preventing such a growth in homelessness should be a top priority of the Obama Administration."
Earlier this year, more than 1,000 national, state, and local organizations called for funding for 400,000 new housing vouchers over a two-year period as part of the economic recovery bill. In an open letter to Congress and the Administration, organizations said that "as the Administration and Congress consider action to stem housing foreclosures and to reform the housing finance system, equal attention must be paid to the long-standing and unmet need for decent, affordable homes for households with the lowest incomes. Despite the surplus of single family homes for sale today, the shortage of rental homes that extremely low income households can afford continues unabated." (www.nlihc.org; click on What We Mean By Housing)
Earlier analyses by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities foresaw deep poverty increasing by a range of 5.3 million to 6.3 million people by the fourth quarter of 2009, based on a projected end-of-the-year unemployment rate of 9%. Today, the unemployment rate for August, in the third quarter of 2009, has reached 9.7%. The numbers released today are clearly just the beginning of the trend toward deeper poverty that has continued to play itself out in 2009.
Overall, the nation's official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2%, up from 12.5% in 2007.
### The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to ending America’s affordable housing crisis. Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, NLIHC educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone. NLIHC provides up-to-date information, formulates policy and educates the public on housing needs and the strategies for solutions. National Low Income Housing Coalition Links:Post new comment