Protests and the Homeless
After the killing of George Floyd due to a police officer kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes, causing him to die from Asphyxia (strangulation), protests began happening all over the world. The hatred and frustration against the police forces started off with riots and looting, and then adopted a calmer approach. Destruction to major cities all over the nation have directly affected some homeless people, including a homeless man named Cale from Austin, Texas.
A video went viral of a homeless man's mattress being thrown into flames, destroying his home. Throughout the video he is heard shouting "No" and "I live here" and then turns to the person filming and asks "What are you doing?" A lot of the protests are happening on homeless encampments, destroying their homes and belongings. The individuals who are participating in the protests, which sometimes turn into violent and destructive riots, don't realize that the homeless can't shelter indoors and avoid the chaos that comes with protesting. Our world is already struggling through a global pandemic, making it hard enough for the homeless to be safe.
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| Internet responds to viral video by donating mattress to homeless man identified as Cale (Twitter) |
Nobody has been held responsible yet for the starting of the fire, but the homeless man who was affected is being taken care of. A spokesperson for the non-profit, United Way in Austin, spoke out and stated that they are paying for Cale to stay in a hotel and bought him a cell phone until they can accommodate him with an apartment. A mattress has also been donated to Cale and will be delivered to him, as well as many GoFundMe's being set up to help Cale out.
People all around the world are outraged about the killings of black lives due to police brutality, and have taken initiative to make a difference. However, this time leaves the homeless feeling extremely vulnerable as their camps are being destroyed, and some are even receiving fines for being outside past city imposed curfews, even though they have nowhere else to go. It's important to be aware of the homeless people that are peacefully living on the streets, and to simply leave them and their belongings alone while protesting for BLM.
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Posted by: Jessica Woolley, Portland State University
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