My roommate loves all things Disney. I noticed the mugs with the Disney castle soon after she moved in, and I thought she was about to leave when I mentioned I’d never been to Disney World. (Disney Land, apparently, doesn’t cut it). Her respect for the Magic Kingdom made her particularly angry when she heard about the latest Disney scandal, where wealthy families hire disabled individuals to accompany them around the park, so that their group can skip the long lines at popular rides.
For those of us who love our gadgets, it was similarly maddening to hear about the wealthy businessman who hired 100 individuals experiencing homelessness to wait outside an Apple store in California and purchase the latest iphones for him. Not only did this entrepreneur fail to pay most of these individuals the meager $40 he had promised them, but he only provided transportation one way — to the store — and left many people, including disabled individuals, stranded in Pasadena.
Even those of us who wouldn’t dream of driving a homeless person and then stranding them, or of beating a homeless person until he died, rarely acknowledge those who don’t have housing. When a pastor of a large church “disguised” himself as homeless and sat outside his parish, only three church members said hello. For many, the “us vs. them” feeling leads us to look the other way in order to avoid speaking to people with a different housing status than our own.
These stories are nothing new, yet somehow never seem to deter people from abusing their privilege over others. People experiencing homelessness have fewer resources available and little means to hold the California iPhone fanatic to his promised $40. For this reason, it was seen as revolutionary when one state passed the first Homeless Bill of Rights in 2012. The law, passed in my home state of Rhode Island, didn’t exactly prohibit others from taking advantage of those with less economic means than them, but goes a long way to protect Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness in the eyes of the law.
In Rhode Island, individuals are now allowed to use public spaces, be treated equally by state offices, not be discriminated against when looking for employment, and to receive emergency medical care. If you are a person with housing, these protections may not seem like much, until we remember that nearly the exact opposite laws are being discussed in Columbia, South Carolina.
Laws don’t put an end to crime or biases, but this Bill of Rights provides a strong foundation for reducing violence and discrimination against those experiencing homelessness. In housing, a strong foundation is crucial. So, with a somewhat biased perspective, I’d like to commend my homeland — and suggest others try to emulate the Ocean State.
(Illinois and Connecticut have also passed Homeless Bills of Rights, which will go into effect October 1, 2013. California advocates hope to see their bill passed in early 2014.)
