Come join us in East Harlem and stand in solidarity with the homeless of NYC!
The tent city looks great... for photos and live updates go to the
Picture the Homeless Blog.
~eric
Read on!
*******
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tej Nagaraja
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:06:34 -0400
Subject: [PTH friends] *breaking news* Homeless 'tent city' occupation
in NYC [press release, July 23]
To: Tej Nagaraja
*** Breaking News: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** * Thursday, July 23, 2009
*Contact*: Tej Nagaraja (646) 302-5769
*Updates*: http://picturethehomeless.org/blog & http://twitter.com/pthny
#tentcitynyc
*Location*—come!: 115th Street between Madison and 5th Avenues, Manhattan
First on-site press conference scheduled for 1pm—on-site PTH members and
neighborhood residents available for interview at all times.
*
Homeless New Yorkers Occupy Vacant Lot, Create Tent City, Demand Change*
*Call for city government to meet need of low-income residents, not greed of
big banks*
MANHATTAN—On Thursday at 11:00 AM, members of *Picture the
Homeless*orchestrated a spirited occupation of a warehoused (vacant)
lot, currently
owned by the firm JPMorgan Chase, a recent beneficiary of billions in
taxpayer bailout money.
Homeless New Yorkers and their allies turned a fenced-off grassy lot in El
Barrio/East Harlem into a vibrant Tent City, creatively adorned with
makeshift dwellings, colorful art and banners. Under the slogan “NYC: A
Place to Call Home,” they demanded that warehoused lots and buildings be
accounted for by the city, and transformed into housing for poor and
homeless people.
*Jean Rice*, a homeless New Yorker: “Today, Picture the Homeless sends a
message that land use must take into account the common good—as housing for
the needy, not warehoused assets for the greedy.”
Hundreds rallied in support of the bold action. The organizers have invited
local musicians to perform, faith leaders and community activists to engage
the crowd—and community members to feast on barbecue, and discuss and debate
the challenges and struggles all low-income New Yorkers face.
Picture the Homeless members note that more families are homeless now than
when Mayor Bloomberg took office. When confronted with his policy failures
earlier this month, the Mayor could only say that so many remain homeless
because he’s made shelters “more attractive.” For Chase’s part, *New York
Times* quoted an executive during the October bailout: “Twenty-five billion
dollars is obviously going to help the folks who are struggling more than
Chase.”
Picture the Homeless member *Sophia Bryant*: “The government and banks have
failed miserably. Homeless people know what the problems are, and we have
ideas for the solutions. Since they won’t listen, the time is now for people
to take action. We don’t want shelters—we want decent housing. We will build
what we need!”
###
Comments [0]