From Housing and Dignity to Homeless and Worthless

In November 2018, a site that housed homeless women was given an eviction notice to clear the lot they had been on, causing a village of these women to become shelterless. The shelter, Housing and Dignity Village, was created on a vacant lot in the city of Oakland, California. After receiving the notice, the village then sued the city to avoid being evicted. Within the court system, the city made promises to provide new shelters to these women, but sadly that was not the case.

The city of Oakland dehumanized these women by leaving them shelterless once again. Abandoned and forgotten by the city, these women could not find shelters with vacant beds due to the growing homeless population within Oakland. This city has turned its back on its citizens, already facing hardships, leaving them uncertain about the next time they will have a bed to sleep in (LaGrone).

How exactly was the city able to convince the court system to remove these women and children from their housing? Even though the village was set up on an unused city lot, a public space, the city was able to convince the court system that it was not like a previous case, that stated a homeless person cannot be criminalized for sleeping in a public space. This situation was barely different than the previous case from another city, but Oakland was able to win the case by saying it will provide shelter for each and every one of the people living in Dignity and Housing Village, but shortly after the city had no plans to shelter these women. Families are struggling to find open beds, and many are not even trying due to the unlikelihood of actually finding one. Not only does this show the city of Oakland turning its back on its citizens, it also shows the city has no regards for the well being of families who cannot possibly afford to live a comfortable lifestyle. This is not the first encampment to close down, and with the trend of more of these shelters closing there will be more people left on the streets.

As of January 9, 2019, there has been no corporate media coverage on this issue, other than a few local stories, this issue remains unheard of in the United States. The local news outlets covered the same topics, and after describing the issue, the audience is left in the dark about the current situations of these residents. The major question here is why do these stories go unheard of? Why do big news outlets focus on stories that cover incidents that happen to big celebrities that have more than enough money to rebuild their house that partially burnt down?

There are real people who need help, and are having their shelter taken away from them every day. This just might be one example of hundreds of different cases similar to this. Corporate media brushes these stories away and the American people are clueless to the homeless epidemic that still persists today.    

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