Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, January 13, 2010, 2010 special edition, Page 46, Image 46

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    Page 46
M
a r t in
L u t h e r K in g J r .
January 13, 2010
sp e c ia l edition
Housing Protest Planned
Massive rally to
honor King
against the poor.
"The federal government's 30-year
failure to provide enough affordable
h o u s in g is a p p a llin g a n d th e
crim inalization ol people who are on
the streets because o f the lack o f that
housing is totally unacceptable" said
M ichael A nderson, Executive Direc­
tor of the O regon O pportunity N et­
work which has signed on as e n ­
dorser of the January events.
O rganizers o f the event are seek­
ing a reversal o f the federal f unding
trends ot the last 30 years which have
decreased spending’ on affordable
housing, w hich directly correlates to
the em ergence o f a new and m assive
episode o f hom elessness.
O ther dem ands include the enact­
m ent o f a m oratorium on the dem oli­
tion, conversion or destruction o f
any publicly funded units until fed­
eral law guarantees one for one re­
placem ent at existing affordability
Sixteen Portland organizations will
honor Dr. M artin Luther King by
taking part in a m ass action to end
hom elessness.
The local housing and civil rights
activist plan to converge with more
than 1.500 housing advocates in San
Francisco for tw o days o f dem onstra­
tions and m ass actions, Jan. 19 and
Jan. 20 dem anding change from the
O bam a adm inistration on affordable
housing.
D espite attem pts to shut poor
people out o f the political process,
organizers are continuing the plans
for the protest, which coincides with
the one year anniversary o f the his­
toric inauguration o f Barack O bam a.
The action is planned on this an­
niversary as a rem inder to the adm in­
istration that it’s tim e to act on the rates; ensuring adequate funding for
prom ise o f change. In a year o f un­ operations o f public housing to pre­
precedented profits for the banks vent unit loss, high vacancy rates,
that were bailed out by this adm inis­ and substandard living conditions;
tration, record unem ploym ent and Stopping police and business im ­
housing costs have created a new provem ent zone program s that en­
w ave o f m ass hom elessness and a force “nuisance crim es” o r “quality
grow th in program s across the coun­ of life crim es” ; and ensuring that the
try aim ed at penalizing those w ho are more than 914,000hom eless children
poor and un-housed. The main ac­ in public schools are able to stay at
tion on the 20th will be the presenta­ their "hom e school" are fully inte­
tion ot a "people’s bailout” with set grated with their housed peers while
ot dem ands to end hom elessness being provided the support they need
and stop the civil rights abuses to learn and thrive.
In memory of Martin Luther King
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