As the Criminalization of Homelessness Intensifies, Those Offering Aid Are Met with Hostility and Punishment by Law Enforcement
As Invisible People reporters interview social workers, harm reduction specialists, activists, and advocates, we are hearing a lot of first-hand stories of police brutality, not only against homeless people but also against workers trying to help the unhoused community. Many have described being pushed, shoved, spit on, and called names by police officers.
The horrific truth is that as the US increasingly moves toward criminalization agendas, nobody’s safe from the violence, housed or unhoused.
From Kensington to California, Vicious Attacks on Harm Reduction Specialists and Advocates Abound
The summer of 2024 was a brutal one for our unhoused neighbors, particularly those people suffering from illnesses or addictions. The urban heat island effect really took its toll this year, causing innumerable deaths and human suffering.
Standing there on the frontlines of the crisis was the University of Pennsylvania’s clinical researcher and harm reduction specialist Kelsey León, who took a moment to provide an exclusive quote for Invisible People about what the post-Grants Pass atmosphere looked like in Kensington, Philadelphia.
“The heat waves were already detrimental for unhoused folks in general,” said León. “That, coupled with the increased policing in Kensington, has often meant that I’ve witnessed police aggression or, in some cases, been subject to this myself. Here you are, performing harm reduction or an act of charity, and you’ve got police officers stopping you, being like, what are you doing? And all you’re doing is giving out water.”
“Being harassed by police for giving out water during heat waves is one exemplary byproduct of criminalizing homelessness. And that was definitely happening throughout Kensington. That was our experience this summer,” León said.
Since the Grants Pass decision and the rigorous vilification of homeless people portrayed as criminals merely for existing, homeless advocates live in a perpetual state of harassment.
“I was on a work call yesterday, and one of my colleagues in San Francisco was saying that members of the harm reduction team were going through even more overt forms of harassment, like people spitting on them, verbally harassing them, and doxing them,” Leon continued.
This kind of treatment appears to be taking place from coast to coast.
Homeless Advocates Are Being Arrested
In late summer 2024, a homeless advocate named Austin Davis from Tempe, Arizona was rewarded with not one, not two, but five citations and multiple misdemeanors for trespassing after attempting to pass out food to people living in nearby parks.
Davis was arrested and imprisoned over the ordeal. Similar charges were brought against a 90-year-old pastor in Dayton, Ohio, and a 78-year-old Arizona-based restaurant owner.
Then, there was the case of 57-year-old Ray Lyall, a Denver Homeless Out Loud volunteer who was arrested for trying to provide unsheltered people with tiny homes. According to Salon, Lyall was homeless at the time and hoped to help himself and others by providing shelter that didn’t violate the legislative policies, which restrict the use of cardboard, tents, and newspapers. Colorado police responded to the gesture with a SWAT team and 70 police agents, arresting 10 people and seizing all of the tiny homes.
“I’m homeless, so I can’t have a jury trial. I can’t afford your system,” Lyall said of the court fees, fines, and prison time he was saddled with as a result.
“The advocacy work is already hard,” explained León. “We already know the work is hard. It’s even harder to be unhoused and survive. This criminalization approach is just despicable.”
The Implication: Homeless People are Criminals, and If You Help Them, You’re a Criminal, Too
At the end of the day, the increase in violence against advocates, activists, and harm reduction specialists coincides with the collective mentality of painting homeless people as criminals. Not only does this inaccurate narrative push the public to vote for laws that will criminalize their unhoused neighbors, but it also coerces the public to tolerate acts of aggression committed by law enforcement agents against anyone who is trying to help.
There are a great many arguments proving that anti-homeless legislation harms society and makes communities less safe. Many research studies have proven how costly and ineffective the approach is. Countless bits of data show that housing is the key component fueling the crisis. But perhaps the most telling evidence is the stories of the people themselves, housed and unhoused, helping and hurting, and acting in good faith, only to be subject to violence.
Imagine a reality where acts of kindness are considered crimes, and sleeping outside on boxes will have you hauled off to jail. This is where we are as a society.
Talk To Your Legislators Today About Homelessness and Harassment
Police should not be the first line of defense against people who are living unhoused or their allies. A new study depicting the consequences of ticketing and fining unhoused people shows that many violent acts occur in which homeless people and their advocates are the victims and law enforcement agents are the perpetrators.
While police presence is touted as a deterrent to violent crime, studies suggest that the risk of police brutality and police shootings increases when minority populations interact with law enforcement, even if the officers are supposed to be there as a precaution. Police are also proven more likely to respond with fatal force in areas where people are economically disadvantaged, such as homeless encampments.
Talk to your legislators about preventing future acts of harassment by drafting legislation that prioritizes housing over handcuffs.
