Help for the Poor, NOT the Elites

I live in the streets of Korea town, where it is mostly peaceful and safe to walk around. In recent months I have seen tents next to my neighborhood church, and I have also seen tents next to my building. In several occasions I have seen the police dragging the tents and taking them, but the homeless people keep coming back to our area and set their tents back up. At first, I was scared for my life, and did not feel safe walking near them, thinking they could just grab my purse. But, then one day I saw a young man and woman cleaning their little space and I couldn’t stop but notice the way they were dress: they were still clean, their clothes did not look old, the girl’s hair was nicely dye and brushed, and I saw kitchenware. That very moment, I asked myself what is going on? Is it that they are choosing to not work or is it that they can no longer pay their rent and are being force to abandoned their homes. It was interesting to notice too that these people look between the ages of 23 and 40. It was this day that I realized that there is an important issue going on here that needs to be addressed. I went online and prove all my thoughts, homeless population have risen 23% over last year. Based on the statistical data, the majority of people that are affected are African Americans (being the highest amount), Latinos, and Whites. The problem that has occurred over the last year is due to the high housing cost that has risen and people can no longer afford to pay rent with what they earn. Some people have lost their houses because they are being remodeled and the tenants there can no longer pay the new rent increase. I did find out that voters have pass proposition H, which is expected to generate $355 million annually for services to combat homelessness. Although, this proposition has passed, people are still not inform in what they need to do to reach out for this resources.

This issue reminds me of Hooks main argument in “Comrades and Struggles” where she reinforces that oppressive structures does not include women of color, men, transgenders, and queers. I feel that this issue needs to be made obvious that this form of oppression affect the whole community not just that group being oppressed. The issue of homeless affects me, my peers, the people being oppressed, and the government. President Trump cannot only focus his attention in the 1% but needs to help this high percentage of people losing their homes and staying in the streets because the cost of living for them its too expensive. The political leaders need to step down, and put themselves in the shoes of this people, they need to find solutions to connect to this people and help them by providing services that can be at their disposal. Homeless people need to feel comfortable and aware that there are programs implemented to help them and that they are accessible to them. The lives of this people matter, as they too are human, their safety matters, and we need resources that can be reachable to the less fortunate. We need new policies that involve the struggles of all people.