Prop B won’t solve the problem of homelessness- VOTE, EDUCATE, VOLUNTEER

Apr 8, 2021

Early voting – April 19-27

Election Day – May 1

VOTE: Prop B will make it a criminal offense for anyone “to sit, lie down, or camp in public areas”. Vote NO on Prop B

EDUCATE: Many of our D5 and Austin neighbors believe that this proposition will solve the problem of homelessness. It won’t. Here’s why (Thanks Chris Harris, Homes Not Handcuffs, Darren Bates*, and D5 Volunteer, Sam Kirsch!)

  • Criminalizing homelessness perpetuates homelessness. Prop B would make sitting or lying down in public areas a Class C misdemeanor ($500 fine). If you are homeless, you likely cannot pay that fine. If you don’t pay your fines, you can be summoned to court. If you miss your court date, a warrant is put out for your arrest. If arrested, you will be incarcerated, and it will go on your record making it even harder to find employment, healthcare, obtain public benefits, and stable housing.
  • Prop B is a racist policy because it would disproportionately affect Black and Brown people. Black residents make up less than 10% of the Austin population, but more than 30% of the residents are unhoused. Prop B would give the discretion of enforcing this law entirely to the police. APD has a long record of targeting, harassing and harming Black and Brown people. Prop B expands police power, undoing so much of the hard work we did last summer
  • “Punishing people for being homeless is cruel, inhuman & degrading treatment” (Bates, 2021)
  • “The real solution is housing. The alternative to Prop B is permanent supportive housing” (Homes Not Handcuffs)
  • “Investing in strategies that work to prevent & end homelessness is a smart use of taxpayer money and should be the strategy of choice for any city seeking to resolve the problem of visible homelessness to the benefit of the entire community” (Bates, 2021)


VOLUNTEER: Sign Up HERE to ensure that Austinites know to vote NO on Prop B.

In Solidarity,

D5 for Black Lives

 

Reference:

Bates, Darren [@DLBLLC]. (2021, April 3). I’m voting “no” on Prop B because criminalization measures do nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness and, instead, only worsen the problem [Thread]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/DLBLLC/status/1378406923620474882