Tag Archives: criminalization

Inside the Courtroom with our Pro Bono Partners: Akin Gump and Law Center Win Protection of Food Sharing Rights in Dallas

At the end of March, a federal court delivered a victory to the Law Center and its pro bono partner and LEAP member, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, when it ruled that the City of Dallas may not … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights, Hunger | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Criminalization of homelessness – local impact, global issue

As the economic crisis continues at the bottom end of the income spectrum, the past week has brought two victories worth noting, from the most humble of tent encampments to the marble halls of the U.N.’s Palais Wilson in Geneva. … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights, Human Rights | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Looking Back: A Milestone Year for Homeless Advocacy

The year 2012 was an important milestone for the Law Center, as we marked the 25th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Act—the first federal legislation to address homelessness—for which our founder and executive director was a primary advocate.  But while great … Continue reading

Posted in Children & Youth, Civil Rights, Domestic Violence, Housing, Human Rights | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Compassion Deficit: Sidewalk Bans and Criminalizing America’s Homeless

Over the last few years, policymakers across the country have cracked down on homeless Americans, introducing measures that make life an even greater struggle for some of our most vulnerable citizens.  These include laws that prohibit sleeping or storing belongings … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Return of the Rapporteur

Three years to the week since her six-city mission to the U.S., the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, returned to the U.S. to present her report on the financialization of housing to the UN … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Human Rights | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Painful Truth

Philadelphia; Denver; Ashland, OR. What do these cities have in common? They are all addressing homelessness and poverty by making it a crime. And in Sunday’s edition of the USA Today, we shared a painful truth: they’re not alone. Across … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights, Housing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Troubling Increase in Criminalization Laws Continues

The startling trend of criminalizing the behavior of homeless persons is continuing across the country. Despite advocacy by the Law Center, Denver has begun enforcing a ban on camping. The law defines camping as any attempt to cook or sleep … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights | Tagged | 1 Comment

Denver Reminds Us Laws Have Human Consequences

No matter how much you guard against it, there’s a part of you that gets used to human suffering. I smiled tiredly, slipping a dollar in his cup and letting my mind wander.  I was already turning away when he … Continue reading

Posted in Human Rights | Tagged , | 1 Comment

April Showers Bring May Flowers

As the early spring’s plantings start to blossom in my yard, I’ve also been appreciating that the seeds for the human right to housing, some planted years ago, have also started to bloom. In early April, the U.S. Interagency Council … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homeless People Aren’t Criminals

A new USA Today column by Arjun Sethi, a young attorney and member of the Law Center’s Associates Advisory Council, leaves no room for debate: it’s wrong to treat homeless persons like criminals. There’s no shortage of reasons why criminalizing … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Rights | Tagged | Leave a comment