Area Muslims Weigh In On the Homeless Bill of Rights
They sleep on the street because they have no homes, but should they be criminalized for this act? Last winter a homeless man froze to death in Moringside, Maryland. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, approximately 700 homeless people die from hypothermia every year.
Several cities have ordinances that make sleeping or camping out in a public area a crime, which advocate say targets the homeless. A coalition of over 125 social justice groups is working on a Homeless Bill of Rights for state legislatures. Rhode Island has already passed a bill that prohibit certain groups of people (mainly police officers, landlords, employers and medical workers) from discriminating against the homeless.
Advocates have identified six main priorities for the the homeless after conducting 1300 interviews, according to a special report by Al Jazeera. Among them are the right to move freely and sleep in public spaces without discrimination, to sleep in a parked vehicle, to eat and exchange food in public, to obtain legal counsel, to have access to toilets any time during the day and to use the necessity defense in any criminal prosecution.
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, since 1999, here have been 1184 acts of violence committed by housed individuals in the United States, resulting in 312 deaths of homeless people and 872 victims of non-lethal violence. Reports received by homeless advocates and shelters around the country prove that men, women, and even children are “harassed, kicked, set on fire, beaten to death, and decapitated for being in a state of homelessness.”
Maryland became the first state to include attacks against homeless people in its 2009 hate crime law. Washington DC followed suit. A statewide public education project in Florida to educate people about homelessness was initiated in 2007 by the National Coalition for the Homeless in conjunction with AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteers. This project has now expanded to Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and South Carolina.
The LA Times in an editorial derided the version of the bill introduced in Los Angeles for “essentially turning the homeless into a protected class, and for encouraging behavior that is unhealthy and undesirable.” They advocated constructing safe restrooms and more free storage facilities “so streets can be cleaned and homeless people can attend to other business, such as seeking housing and treatment.”
The Muslim Link asked local scholars, community leaders, social workers and community members what they think of the Homeless Bill of Rights.
I agree with this bill of rights and if there are ways this causes inconvenience to the more fortunate (the haves and have mores), so be it. The system is rigged against the poor and even the middle class so steps like this one are a welcome way of society restoring some balance!
I do, however, want to see this effort (or a parallel one) to include practical ways to reduce and eventually eradicate homelessness. Homelessness in an economic powerhouse like American is inexcusable and it, along with other issues of social injustice, has much to do with corporate greed and the politicians who are beholden to that greed. -- Imam Zia Makhdoom of MakeSpace in Alexandria, VA.
I can't really answer as I don’t know much about homelessness or what the state of Maryland laws says about the bill to really answer the question. - Sister “Karen” an office manager in Maryland.
I know the bill is being introduced into a couple of states and cities, but I'm not sure it will come to Maryland Assembly or College Park City Council soon. I don't know I can ever run this through my constituents and vote on it.
That said, I think the last thing we should be doing is to ignore the issue altogether. I tend to agree that there are some negative aspects of the homeless environment on the quality of life of the surrounding neighborhood. What I think we should do is to focus on the "homelessness" part of the issue in a compassionate manner. We should try our best to irradiate this from our community and rehabilitate our fellow homeless residents to a dignified and respectable status. There are creative and low cost ways cities can achieve that goal. [He also suggested a micro community idea where tiny homes measuring 99-192 square foot are made on public land to give housing to those without] -- Fazlul Kabir, City Council member College Park.
Historically the only reason for the introduction and establishment of any Bill of Rights is for the protection of those marginalized by society. Thus it is expected that these Bill of Rights would limit the power of others to engage in a social injustice and the abuse of basic rights granted by the Constitution, (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness). Based on documented propensities toward inequality, there exists a need to safeguard the individual rights of certain groups from the arrogant tyranny of the powerful majority against the powerless minority. It is the supposition of arrogant human beings which allows them to believe that homelessness is something which happens to the ‘others’ but never to them. When it comes to the possibility of being homeless, especially when we consider the impact that natural disasters have, the fact is that it can happen to anyone of us. A hurricane, an earthquake or a wildfire that is out of control can destroy a home and render anyone homeless within minutes. And yet we turn up our nose and turn our backs on the homeless with an air of haughty derision. As someone who founded, operates and lives within a shelter for those rendered homeless through no fault of their own, being homeless should not equate to being criminal. I know their worth, their value, their dignity and respect them for whom they are – fellow human beings. Homeless but equal. Due to the impossibility of defining all of the rights which man and government should respect, a Homeless Bill of Rights would end the criminalization of people who live on the streets because “there for the Grace and Mercy of God”, could be any of us,” -- Asma Hanif, RN, ANP, Executive Director Muslimat Al Nisaa, Inc
I think that any person who is homeless should not have the added burden of being discriminated against, just because they are homeless. They should not lose any rights, voting, treated with dignity, etc just because they are homeless. They should not have their children taken away nor be harassed just because they are homeless. Therefore, if the Homeless Bill of Rights provides the homeless with protection against segregation, provide access to shelter, social services, legal counsel, quality education for their children, etc. then I am 100% for it. This bill may provide for the homeless the resources and services they need to improve upon their quality of life.- Imam Hassan A. Amin of the Muslim Social Services Association
I don't see anything wrong w sleeping in parked vehicles...but sleeping public spots and local neighborhoods I wouldn't be comfortable with especially because it could be a safety issue....exchanging food I don't see how that should be a problem either. Hygiene facilities that's a tough one to provide but if homelessness is a problem in certain communities it's important for there to have some access otherwise that would affect the entire community. -- Hafsa, Optometrist, Sunday School teacher
Local and regional jurisdictions have implemented criminalizing homeless and homelessness. Feeding sites have been cited, streets and camps are swept. This whole phenomenon is indicative of a society that is not caring for their vulnerable, and of how our values have eroded incrementally in the last decade plus. Our meaning United States of America (family values have eroded and moral respect for each other as well). In Seattle, we see a dichotomy where citizens line up and are allowed to camp out on sidewalks when the latest I-phone comes out, Seahawks tickets go on sale or the night before big holiday sales. The homeless are asked to move along if sitting under a building overhang while trying to stay dry out of the rain, if found camping in a back alley or congregating near businesses sharing information about local resources. -- Janice Tufte, Muslim Community Advocate and founder of Emergency Muslim Resource Guides/ WarmforWinter Project/ Islamic Civic Engagement Project
I do agree with the bill. Lets make our community safe for every citizen. During the time of the reign of the caliphate, the great Caliphate Umar could put his mat under any tree on the street and sleep without any fear so his freedom guaranteed. -- Isah Nasir
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