topic : homelessness
June 2007
by Leslie Cushman
Camp Quixote has moved back downtown from its Westside location at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Church (OUUC). The United Churches of Olympia accepted the request to host the camp when it became clear that other plans for a new site were falling through. The relocated Camp is set up to host up to 20 people and is located on a small parking lot on 11th and Washington, right next to the church building. The OUUC, as well as members from St John's Episcopal Church, pitched in on the move that took place May 19.
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June 2007
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Workers construct the foundation for Camp Quixote's relocation to the United Churches of Olympia, located on 11th and Washington. (Photo by Paul Peck)
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March 2007
by Ray Kavick
My name is Ray Kavick, anarchist and member of the Olympia Poor People's Union (PPU). This is a short reflection on the first week of an encampment we set up in Downtown Olympia on Thursday, February 1. We called the encampment Camp Quixote. This piece is not that comprehensive, but gets the basic story out there. My comments do not represent those of the PPU. The PPU is a non-hierarchical group dedicated to improving the lives of the poor and "homeless" in Olympia by whatever means available.
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March 2007
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Camp Quixote in its original downtown location, at State and Columbia, February 7, 2007. (Photo by Sandy Mayes)
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March 2007
Camp Quixote residents and guests find ways to entertain themselves, despite the weather. February 7, 2007. (Photo by Sandy Mayes)
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March 2007
by Tony Zaragoza
The Poor People's Union (PPU) won a standoff with Olympia city officials. Despite ongoing objections from the City, the PPU won the right to reestablish the tent city, Camp Quixote, on a new site. According to one of the organizers of Camp Quixote, Rob Richards, "This is a major victory. We get to stay together. We get a place for now, and dialogue has been opened for a permanent site. We developed leadership, organization, and a plan. Now we're getting ready for what comes next."
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March 2007
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Pots on the stove at Camp Quixote in its original location at the corner of State and Columbia. (Photo by Tony Zaragosa)
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February 2007
by Marco Rosaire Rossi
France has undergone a mini-explosion in anti-poverty activism. For the past few weeks, hundreds of people have been camping out on the streets, out of necessity or out of protest, to bring attention to France's homeless problem. The primary goal of the demonstrators, who are from a variety of social classes, was to secure a legally enforceable right to housing -- and, remarkably, they have done it!
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January 2007
by Peter Bohmer
The anti-homeless sidewalk ordinances passed [on] Nov. 28 are one more pinprick in the war against the poor, against homeless and street people. It is part of the ongoing attempt to criminalize the poor rather than to determine causes and solutions to poverty, racism, homophobia, the lack of affordable housing and the lack of meaningful work at livable wages.
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December 2006
Where the streets have no say: Selective enforcement keeps the Olympia homeless worrying about more than the yellow reign of patrons
by Wally Cuddeford
Recently, Olympia City Council members Jeff Kingsbury and Doug Mah co-sponsored proposed revisions to the city ordinances to discourage, what they call, "anti-social behavior" encountered downtown. The proposal would, among other things, make it illegal to sit, lie, vend, or solicit within six feet of the edge of a building. The proposal would only take effect within the downtown area, and has exemptions for people with disabilities, people . . .
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December 2006
I intend to oppose this ordinance for two reasons. First, because I believe it is based on a faulty assumption -- that our downtown is unsafe and that passing this ordinance will make it safer. Second, because passing this ordinance tonight is a divisive action when what this community clearly needs from its City Council is strong leadership that brings people together to create the kind of inclusive downtown that is welcoming to all and consistent with the vision of our comprehensive plan.
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December 2006
by Drew Hendricks
The Olympia City Council passed the amendments to the Sidewalk Ordinance Tuesday, Nov. 28, with Councilmember TJ Johnson voting against, and Councilmember Doug Mah absent.
Councilmember Laura Ware tacked on three amendments, setting an expiration for the ordinance on Dec. 15, 2007, pending renewal; allowing an exception for sitting or lying down in doorways between 10 pm and 7 am; and allowing "busking" (street performance) within designated areas, with a permit. Ware also secured a guarantee from the City Council to spend $200,000 to "fill gaps in services" to the homeless and . . .
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November 2006
by Pat Tassoni
Attempting once again to sanitize downtown into a shop-only area, certain members of the Olympia City Council have recently proposed a number of ordinances targeting the poor in our community. These ordinances include a ban on car camping, no panhandling, no sitting on the sidewalk, and a no sale of fortified wine. The city has considered such items before. The city claims it is responding to complaints from "Business," as presented by the Olympia Downtown Association (oda) and the Olympia Police, but as usual are unable to present any real statistical data demonstrating that . . .
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November 2006
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Demonstrators "sit-in" to show solidarity with those who have fewer seating options, September 30. (photo by Pat Tassoni)
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January 2006
by Nichole Ketcherside
I started working on the documentary "Downtowners" when I enrolled in the program Local Knowledge at The Evergreen State College during the 2004-2005 academic year. Local Knowledge gave students the opportunity to do community-based research. One of our first field assignments was to conduct an ethnographic observation. I chose to focus on the Olympia Transit Center when I noticed a lot of youth were congregating on the corner of Washington and State. I began collaborating with fellow classmate Jessica Eskelson on a short video focusing on the issues of public . . .
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October 2005
by Pat Tassoni
Poverty is a form of violence. It is a result of inequality rather than a proof of inequality... The existence of poverty in the United States should not be accepted as a necessary evil or an insoluble problem, but should be considered a crisis requiring emergency measures. It is a matter of will and priorities, not a matter of resources.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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September 2005
by Melissa Roberts
For twenty-five years, Bread & Roses, a small group of volunteers grounded in the Catholic Worker movement, has provided services to poor and homeless individuals and families in Olympia. Beginning with a shelter for women and children, the group has also provided such services as a soup kitchen, men's shelter, and the Bread & Roses Advocacy Center. This Labor Day season, Thurston County residents can join the second quarter-century of community service by contributing via "Work-a-Day for Bread & Roses" held September 12th. This day, Olympia residents work their . . .
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September 2005
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"Helping end the cycle of homelessness . . . Work-a-Day for Bread & Roses. Love is an Action. Act. workaday4broly@yahoo.com "
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