A Voice from the Homeless
Sarah Lutz
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Features
|
Just Peace brought the National Coalition for the Homeless to MC on Wednesday April 8th. The National Coalition for the Homeless is the oldest grass roots organization of its kind, started in 1981. Their vision is a just society without homelessness.
Steve Thomas spoke on behalf of the coalition as the voice of the "Voices from the Homeless." In Jasper Lounge about 40 students listened as Thomas broke stereotypes of the homeless, explained the struggles and embarrassment of homelessness, and gave the cause of homelessness.
Homeless people are stereotyped as drug addicts, alcoholics and mentally challenged. However, 44 percent of homeless people have jobs. Only 30 percent suffer from some form of mental disease and 24 percent have a substance abuse problem. While these numbers are low, hate crimes against the homeless are on the rise.
A special on CBS News 60 minutes called "Bumhunting" investigated why packs of teenage boys are maliciously attacking or manipulating the homeless. Since 1999, there have been 500 attacks on the homeless resulting in 150 deaths. Of the attacks, 64 percent have been committed by teenagers. The belief that the homeless are lazy, stupid and responsible for their situation is used to justify the attacks. Bum Fight DVD's are also thought to influence such attacks.
According to the website for the National Coalition of the Homeless: "The release of "Bum Fights" in 2001 has led to a proliferation of bum videos. Six different videos have been produced in the past five years…In these videos, homeless people are coerced to perform degrading and dangerous stunts for money, alcohol, or food." A character known as the "Bum Hunter" attacks homeless people while they are sleeping. The creators of such films take advantage of the helpless for entertainment purposes.
The homeless are people that deserve the same rights as those with a home. In Thomas's ideal world, "the people that fall wayside to society would be nurtured first. Veterans would be put up on a pedestal rather than a street corner and every man, woman and child would have a home."