ʍ ɐ ʞ ǝ up; ʇıɯǝ ʇo die

Occupy Phoenix's most devoted protesters

The homelessness situation in Phoenix is dire. According to an October 2011 report by the advocacy group Phoenix Homeless Rising, Arizona has one of the highest poverty rates in the country: 18.6 percent as of 2010. There are approximately 17,000 beds in Phoenix shelters, which is woefully inadequate for a homeless population that ranges between 20,000 to 30,000 on any given day. Heavily enforced anti-camping ordinances in the city have criminalized sleeping outdoors while strict and often punitive rules within the shelters as well as unsanitary and unsafe conditions force many out onto the streets. It’s a catch-22 designed to keep the homeless out of sight in overcrowded shelter campuses and arrest those who dare to (or are forced to) break away.

At Occupy Phoenix the anti-camping ordinances have been stringently enforced to prevent protesters from setting up tents or displaying any kind of camping gear such as sleeping bags or pillows. Sleeping is also prohibited and the police patrol relentlessly to make sure nobody nods off. It is also not permitted to prepare food in public spaces so all food preparation must take place on private property.

On October 15th, the first day of the Occupy protest, an attempt was made to set up an encampment at the Margaret T. Hance Park in central Phoenix but this was met with riot police, pepper spray and helicopters flying overhead. Over forty protesters peacefully held their ground and were arrested but after that night the park was abandoned. The occupiers next selected Cesar Chavez Plaza as their base of operations, with its proximity to all the large banks and the downtown business sector. At first the city insisted on closing the plaza at 6 pm every evening, forcing the occupiers onto the narrow sidewalk but finally enough pressure was brought to keep the park open overnight. But camping was still prohibited including lying down on the sidewalks or sleeping.

So now, in the second week of our occupation, we muddle through as best we can. While I watch the people who have chosen to stay grow increasingly sleep deprived and fume as my helper gets roused up by the police when he nods off in one of our chairs, I do what little I can to try to keep people healthy. I send the young people who have homes home and I steer the homeless to places where volunteers have offered to let them sleep.

But I also now realize that it is the most powerless, the most voiceless of our population who has the biggest stake in this movement. They are the ones who’ve lost the most: their homes, their livelihoods and their families. And they must battle every day to maintain their self respect. It is only fitting that they are the ones who have stepped forward and assumed these roles in our own little corner of the Occupy movement. And if we accomplish nothing else, the very least we can do is raise awareness about how the city of Phoenix has made their existence even more miserable.