October 22, 2018
Greetings,
On October 23, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. on the steps of Oakland City Hall, the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute (MCLI), Western Regional Advocacy Project, The East Oakland Collective, The Village in Oakland, First They Came for the Homeless, and many others will be holding a press conference announcing the release of the U.N. Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing which criticizes the mistreatment of the homeless in Oakland stating that Oakland’s current policies constitute “cruel and inhuman treatment and is a violation of multiple human rights, including the rights to life, housing, health and water and sanitation.”
MCLI calls upon all our supporters and allies to attend this press conference to show your support for the end to the criminalization of homelessness.
MCLI and our allies are demanding that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the City of Oakland end the sweeps of homeless encampments as well as the criminalization of homelessness generally in the Open Letter to Libby Schaff and the City of Oakland to End the Criminalization of Homelessness and Homeless Sweeps Which Are Civil Rights and Human Rights Violations
The U.N. Report comes after a recent decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal which prohibits the criminalization of homelessness. In the case Martin v. Boise the Court stated that “the Eighth Amendment prohibits the imposition of criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter.”
To read the full text of MCLI’s Open Letter to Libby Schaff go here: http://www.mclihumanrights.org/2018/10/22/mcli-announces-u-n-report-denouncing-the-city-of-oaklands-mistreatment-of-the-homeless/
In solidarity,
Steven DeCaprio
Founder of Land Action
Interim Executive Director
MCLI Fall Fundraising Drive
Since MCLI’s founder Ann Fagan Ginger stepped down as Executive Director we have been at a crossroads. We are bringing in the next generation of leadership as we are updating MCLI’s programs and operations. This time of transition presents both a tremendous challenge and a tremendous opportunity.
With your generous support we can invigorate MCLI’s work with new leadership emerging from social movements led by those directly affected by human rights violations. This will strengthen MCLI’s work while striving to realize Ann’s vision that Human Rights should be an integral part of our fundamental values.
MCLI is very close to meeting our Fall fundraising goal of $5,000. We need your support to raise the remaining funds.
Help us reach our Fall fundraising goals. DONATE NOW!
(to make a recurring donation call MCLI at 510-848-0599)
If you wish to use a check to make a donation, please mail it to:
Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute
PO Box 673, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A., 94701-0673
(Submitted by JP Massar.)
