36 hours from now...

[flvegan]

My time, it'll be roughly noon, Saturday, February 11th. At that time, I'll be speaking with a number of folks. My local Food Not Bombs and a few of my local homeless support groups.

A little background...

Yeah, I live in Florida. Tampa, to be specific. That's central Florida. I went outside to my garage to do laundry (that's where the ole washer/dryer is). Even in my sweats, it's cold. Now, I'm no fainting lily when it comes to weather. I spent my first 17 years in the Plymouth area of Massachusetts. I know cold. Here, according to the weather, it's below 50 degrees. Big deal, it's 21 degrees where I used to live up north. But I feel it. When I stepped outside, my first thought was how it must feel to not have 4 walls and central heat to go back into. To have a comfy bed, sheets, blankets to keep me warm. To be subject to the elements that you can't escape. This thought is elevated due to my anger due to the recent, multiple violent attacks against the homeless, for no reason other than boredom...or hate.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13682566.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/13/national/main1206673.shtml
http://www.civilrights.org/issues/poverty/details.cfm?id=39662

I can't sit here, angry. I need to act. I'm an activist, damnit, for many causes, and I need to be more involved in this one. Too many of these folks are veterans that stood up and did something I could never do, they served.

I figure that they're doing what they can just to stay alive, just to get something out of life. I figure that while they struggle to stay alive, I'll struggle to help them out. It's the VERY least I can do.

I have little, yet I have so much. My homeless brothers and sisters have even less. I'm going to give them what I have to give.

I'm sick and tired of how this country and the uncaring amongst us treats the folks that have less than we do. It's no different than the uber-rich treating those that have less the way that they do.

I have to say this, that if there's another random beating of any homeless person, that I hope that I'm there to witness it. Why?

Because for one, I'm not afraid to testify. For two, I'm empowered to stop it. Meaning that, as a fairly big dude, now, you're taking me on too, and I'll lay odds that I'm bigger, faster and stronger than you. I'd let my photo posts speak in that right. For three, I've seen your face, and you'll see me again.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[bluerum]

1. Say it dude. eom

[JeffR]

2. Testify!

Bless you, brother.

[flvegan]

5. Now THAT is what I'm talking about. Testify!

[rucky]

3. Here's a story from yesterday in Dallas

it may also give you some good ideas on how to act as an advocate for this trend:

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa060208_mo_cityhall.a87d189.html

Video captures officer, homeless confrontation

WFAA-TV (CBS/DFW); February 9, 2006
VIDEO: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=50201&catId=104
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV


A City Hall police officer was caught on tape spraying a homeless man with mace and then throwing him on the ground in what appeared to be an unjustified confrontation Tuesday in front of the Day Resource Center.

James Waghorne said he always has his camera ready to take pictures of the homeless, and he was the one who captured the incident after he saw the officer and Darren Green arguing.

"I couldn't believe what I was watching," Waghorne said. "My hands were shaking. He just literally attacked Mr. Green."

...

[flvegan]

7. Totally f'ed up.

What the hell??/

[Katherine Brengle]

4. Amen. It's about 20 degrees here in Mass tonight and I can't imagine

being outside with no protection, no blankets, no slippers on my feet, no laptop to vent into...

Keep fighting the good fight--maybe more of us can do the same.

[flvegan]

6. Exactly.

I'm saddened that more of us don't see it this way.

Thanks to you, though.

[garybeck]

8. Big brother is listening

that's what these warantless wiretaps are about, you know. they're spying on anti-war activists because they are a "threat." it's already documented they've done it.

[Peter Frank]

9. Not to hijack this thread - Links please (I'd love to have this evidence)

On topic -- I often think about the homeless when it gets bitterly cold. I remember that many homeless died in NYC during a winter newspaper strike -- homeless Americans used discarded newspapers to line their clothing against the frigid cold and exacerbating wind chill factor.

The idea of intentionally making these peoples' lives even more difficult is something that I hope I'll never understand.

But I do understand one thing -- Bad ideas lead to bad rhetoric; and bad rhetoric leads to bad actions.

Who's putting the homeless in a bad light? (Tune in to any Clear Channel radio station & find out.)