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The
day began again with a Reality Tour of NYC. Today we made
our way through Brooklyn with Tour Guides Tim Dowlin and Ron
Casanova of New York City.
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The Tour went to the Bedford Ave Shelter located at Bedford
and Pacific in Brooklyn. A former armory the shelter resembled
more of a prison than a home. |
Just across the street from the shelter were a series of abandoned
houses. Normally such abandoned building are filled with homeless
attempting to find safe places in doors. |
"A few weeks ago there were hundreds of people in these
homes, today they are completely gone. Usually when there
is a big convention or event they will push them out to ensure
that poverty stays invisible. Last week they started cleaning
out the houses and now they are using it for police storage."
--Ronald
Casanova
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"Here in NYC and everywhere the role of the shelter system
is not to get folks out of the shelter system but rather a focus
on keeping the contract so that they can continue to make money."
--Ronald Casanova |
"They make you feel like its your fault for not being
able to be successful. But we see billions of dollars being
spent on war and still nothing on the poor."
--Tim Dowlin
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After
returning to the lot the group ate lunch and gathered together
for a discussion on "What are Economic Human Rights and
Who is the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign."
Led
by Willie Baptist and Liz Theoharis of the University
of the Poor (the educational arm of the Poor
People's Economic Human Rights Campaign) the educational
focused on why we took up the economic human rights banner
and gave time for folks to share their stories.
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This
educational was about how the poor people's economic human
rights campaign uses the economic human rights articles of
the United Nationa's Universal Declaration of Human Rights
to make the invisible visible. It discussed human rights violations
in this country and the need to expose these violations as
a way to build a broad movement to end poverty forever.
Mission
Statement of the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign
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Ray Seal of the Deaf and Deaf/Blind Committee on Human Rights
added "The Government can take away everything but my pride"
and taught the group the sign for pride. |
Karla Rowe of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union summed up
the situation that so many of us are in. "They took away
my house, they took away my healthcare, my food, and pretty
soon I am going to be naked." |
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We
then traveled to SOHO for the much awaited Basketball
Game vs Billionaires
For Bush
Additional
Photos from the Game
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Thinking
that we were up for a fair and friendly game, the Poor People's
Economic Human Rights Campaign came ready to play. |
Crowding
the sidelines we cheered our team on to an early lead that we
were able to maintain the entire game. |
"Hey
Hey Ho Ho-- Billionaires have got to go!"
"Score for the Poor"
"Steal the Ball, Not the Elections" |
Despite
their attempts to defeat us our game stayed strong even when
they played us 10 on 5. |
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While
some of our members were tempted by their offers to buy the
game, the court, our scorekeeper, and even our players we
were able to come our on top with a score of 151 to 36 and
1/2.
We
were able to win this game but as we come into the final quarter
of our preparations for the "March For Our Lives: Stop
the War at Home." the stakes have gone up.
We
need all the support we can get in the next few days to make
this march a success.
- Register
Online
- Raise
the score even more! Make an online
donation
- Join
us at our Bushville
802
Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY
(G train to Myrtle-Willoughby Aves)
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| Additional
updates |
