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]]>VOCAL-TX RESPONDS TO BILLIONAIRE JOE LONSDALE LIES AND ACCUSATIONS AGAINST UNHOUSED TEXANS
Cicero Institute’s Policies Don’t Work; Cicero Pushes to Incarcerate People Who Can’t Afford Housing, Continuing the Cycle of Homelessness while Enriching Profiteers
Billionaire Founder Boo-Hoos Unhoused People Using Their Voices to Expose Cicero Lies
AUSTIN, TX — This week, VOCAL-TX along with allies from across the state and country worked to uplift effective solutions to Texas’ historic housing and overdose crisis. We also exposed the harmful and cruel approaches of the Cicero Institute and its founder, tech billionaire Joe Lonsdale. See some coverage from our town hall, and our protest at the Cicero Institute. Cicero Institute Founder and tech billionaire Joe Lonsdale responded with lies and misinformation. In response, VOCAL-TX released the following statement, attributable to Paulette Soltani, Co-Director of VOCAL-TX:
“Yesterday, Joe Lonsdale called our protest at the Cicero Institute ‘intimidating.’ The real outrage is that children can freeze to death sleeping in a car – while the richest men in our country push for less access to housing. The reality is a person can die from being bulldozed while homeless and sleeping in a tent, while Cicero uses actual ‘mafia tactics’ to lobby for camping bans, and threaten people with tickets and arrest.
Poor and struggling Texans are using their voices to speak to the true horrors that the Cicero Institute — and the pathetic politicians who take their money — are pushing. Billionaires like Joe Lonsdale and the Cicero Institute promote policies for ticketing, arresting, incarcerating and institutionalizing people who cannot afford a place to live, and who need treatment and care.
Lonsdale stands to profit from these policies as a major investor in the private prison industry. They use words like ‘compassionate’ to describe their ineffective, costly and harmful policies because they know Texans, and people across the nation, would not support their policies if they knew what Cicero is really doing. They accuse organizations that have fought for years for real housing and solutions to the overdose crisis – grounded in evidence – as supporting policies that keep people on the streets.
Billionaires like Lonsdale and his Cicero Institute lie. They lie about what works and what doesn’t. They lie about the people who fight for these policies. And then, despite all their power, money and influence, they try to silence protest and free speech. But we will keep organizing and exposing their lies, because our future depends on it.”
BACKGROUND:
Big cities to small towns across Texas – and the nation – are facing a humanitarian crisis of homelessness, overdose and unmet mental health needs. Over 25,000 Texans are homeless on any given night, and over 5,000 die from preventable overdoses each year. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are proven, effective solutions that could save lives, reduce homelessness, increase the number of people in care and address public safety and community concerns. This is what VOCAL-TX fights for and believes in.
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]]>The post Cicero Institute Profits Off Pain: Victims of Cicero Hold Protest Outside Billionaire-Backed Think Tank Offices in Austin appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>Watch the Cicero Institute Protest Live Here; Read Statement From Victims of Cicero; See Coverage of VOCAL-TX’s Fight Back Against Billionaires Town Hall
Protest Follows VOCAL-TX Rally at Capitol Calling for End to Homelessness and Preventable Overdose Deaths
AUSTIN, T.X. — Today, dozens of activists gathered outside the Cicero Institute – based right in Austin, Texas – to protest its work to take away common-sense, money saving, and data-driven solutions, while pushing policies that ticket and arrest the poor. It’s not just Trump or Elon Musk we have to worry about. The Cicero Institute and its billionaire founder, Joe Lonsdale, have been pushing ineffective, costly, and harmful approaches to address these crises by ticketing and arresting people too poor to afford a place to live. The Cicero Institute policies have made being homeless a crime, at the cost of instead investing in proven solutions like housing, services and care.
Victims of Cicero — a delegation of people from Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York and Grants Pass, Oregon — delivered this statement to tech billionaire Joe Lonsdale at the Cicero Institute’s headquarters.
“We’ve lived through the policies that Joe Lonsdale and the Cicero Institute push. We’ve been ticketed just for trying to survive. We’ve been harassed by police for having nowhere else to go. We’ve had our belongings destroyed by police,” said Maurika Smith, VOCAL-TX leader and member of the Victims of Cicero delegation.
“The billionaire agenda aims to pass policies that make the rich even richer, while the rest of us struggle to survive,” said Eli Cortez, VOCAL-TX Organizer. “They push policies to ticket and arrest people too poor to afford a place to live, instead of fighting to make housing more affordable, stop evictions, or ensure people have a place to live.”
“Kentucky is no stranger to the violent, toxic policies the Cicero Institute is pushing,” said Shameka Parrish-Wright, Director of VOCAL-KY. “Our people are being ticketed for simply trying to survive, and even when people do show up after being cited, there still isn’t enough housing to go around. We’re tired of our laws being dictated by billionaires who don’t know what it’s like to go without a meal or a safe place to stay. Enough is enough.”
“The Cicero Institute, Donald Trump, and their billionaire friends like Elon Musk are peddling backwards, harmful, and expensive policies that will only make homelessness worse. America can be a country where everyone – no matter who they are or how much they have in their bank account – has a place to live. Our elected officials should be solving our housing and homelessness problems instead of making them worse,” said Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center.
BACKGROUND:
Lawmakers in Texas and beyond are being lobbied by the billionaire-backed Cicero Institute – based right here in Austin – to pass laws that ticket and arrest people struggling to survive, doing nothing to create opportunities for housing or care.
As the Trump Administration, Governor Abbott, and GOP are pushing tax cuts to the richest people while gutting federal programs meant to end homelessness and save lives, communities across Texas have few resources to address these issues. State lawmakers must fund policies that are proven to actually solve these problems, like affordable housing, mental health services, and care.
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]]>The post Victims of Cicero Statement appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>We have a message for tech billionaire Joe Lonsdale and the Cicero Institute:
We are here representing Victims of Cicero across the country. We are community leaders from Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, and Grants Pass, Oregon. We come from states that have pushed policies to ticket and arrest people too poor to afford a place to live, instead of fighting to make housing more affordable, stop evictions, or ensure people have a place to live.
We’ve lived through the policies that Joe Lonsdale and the Cicero Institute push. We’ve been ticketed just for trying to survive. We’ve been harassed by police for having nowhere else to go. We’ve had our belongings destroyed by police.
The Cicero Institute makes our communities less safe! You don’t care about policies that actually work to help people — like housing, services, or health care. You just want us gone — out of sight, out of mind, and behind bars.
Joe Lonsdale: We see you and the billionaire agenda!
You make your profit off the pain of poor people by pushing policies that keep us homeless. You invest in private prisons to lock us up. You helped create Palantir, to help police and ICE surveil our communities and detain people. You own Promise, to monitor us when we are finally released from jail.
This is not care. This is not justice. This is cruel and shameful. And we are here today to tell you: Joe Lonsdale and Cicero, the Victims of Cicero see through your lies! We refuse to be treated like criminals because the cost of housing and living is so high. And we refuse to let the billionaire agenda win!
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]]>The post VOCAL-TX Responds to Austin’s Costly New Police Contract After Life-Saving Services Went Unfunded appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>VOCAL-TX RESPONDS TO AUSTIN’S COSTLY NEW POLICE CONTRACT AFTER LIFE-SAVING SERVICES WENT UNFUNDED
City Officials Failed to Make a Plan to Prevent the “ARPA Cliff” That Cut Funding for Services, but Now Have Millions for Added Policing
VOCAL-TX Members Plan to Testify at the City Hall Tuesday and Thursday, Calling for More Transparency and Funding for Services – Not Policing
AUSTIN, TX — In response to ongoing discussions about increasing Austin’s police contract by $218 million, VOCAL-TX released the following statement, attributable to Cate Graziani, Co-Director of VOCAL-TX:
“Just two months ago, the City told us that we were facing a budget shortfall, with no plan to replace ARPA funds for housing, services, and care, but now there’s an additional $218 million for the new police contract. Where has this money magically appeared from and why were Austinites kept in the dark about these critical funds?
Policing is not the solution to record homelessness, an affordability crisis, a historic overdose crisis, and unmet mental health needs — it’s just costly, ineffective, and often makes things worse. People deserve to see real improvements in their community, but that means meaningful funding dedicated to housing, services, and care. No vote should move forward before the City shows us the math and how we got here.”
BACKGROUND:
Just a few months ago, VOCAL-TX members rallied at City Hall and pleaded with City leaders to provide adequate funding to help people get off the streets and to save lives. Millions of dollars in ARPA funds were drying up and would not be replaced, meaning homeless services would return to pre-pandemic levels—a skeleton of what they have been with federal dollars. But the story has now changed. City officials are saying that we are no longer in a budget deficit, and we have an additional $218 million for the new police contract.
VOCAL-TX calls on the City Council to address the City’s new fiscal position, how calculations were made and what changed, and the consequences of an investment this size while so many other needs went underfunded during the budget process. Specifically, service providers deserve to learn why the City made no plan for the “ARPA cliff,” which has already resulted in shrinking programs and staff layoffs, but is now prioritizing funding for policing.
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]]>The post VOCAL-TX Hosts Mayoral Forum on Homelessness, the Drug War, Mass Incarceration, and HIV/AIDS appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>VOCAL-TX HOSTS MAYORAL FORUM ON HOMELESSNESS, THE DRUG WAR, MASS INCARCERATION, HIV/AIDS
See Pictures and Videos From Forum in This Thread
AUSTIN, Texas — Last night, candidates running to be Austin’s next mayor attended a forum with community members to establish where they stand on the issues of homelessness, HIV/AIDS, the drug war, and mass incarceration.
During the forum, organizers underscored how people who are unhoused and impacted by the drug war and overdose crisis must have a seat at the table and say in Austin’s future. Texas Rising also joined the forum to provide educational resources about voting rights and voter registration for people who are unhoused and/or have conviction histories.
“Police, jail, and prison are used as the primary tool to address drug use in our society,” said Alfredo Reyes Jr, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “Because of my drug use, I was put in jail and have a record that still affects me to this day. My criminal record stops me from finding housing and employment. We need a Mayor that supports shifting away from Drug War approaches to drug use, and prioritizes public health strategies instead.”
“People sleeping outside are criminalized and face devastating harm through encampment sweeps,” said Barry Jones, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “I was turned out of my campsite three times by the police. I lost vital medications and personal documents that took months and endless red tape to recover. We need a Mayor that understands that sweeps set a homeless person back to absolute zero. We need a Mayor that works to minimize the harms caused by sweeps.”
“I don’t want a single other person to be in my shoes where they don’t learn about harm reduction until it’s too late. Every overdose death is preventable,” said Anna Dunca, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “We need a Mayor that works to invest and expand harm reduction services in Austin.”
“As Mayor Pro Tem and City Council Member, I made ending homelessness one of my highest priorities and led the Council in increasing our investments in permanent supportive housing, supporting programs such as the Homelessness Outreach Street Team, and expanding supportive services. Every one of our neighbors deserves a safe and stable place to live. With my leadership as Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member, the City of Austin increased its investments in housing and services; as your Mayor, I will work to encourage private partners to invest in this work as well so that we can scale our successful programs and achieve the goal of making homelessness brief, rare, and non-reoccurring,” said Kathie Tovo, Austin Mayoral Candidate.
“As a longtime grassroots organizer in Austin whose former organization won hundreds of millions in funding for those experiencing homelessness, I will fight just as hard as Mayor to eliminate homelessness and address the unnecessary suffering of our current overdose crisis,” said Doug Greco, Austin Mayoral Candidate.
“My life’s work has been centering people with lived experience and those accountable to them in every strategy. I will continue to listen, learn from, and lead by that expertise as your Mayor.” said Carmen Llanes Pulido, Austin Mayoral Candidate.
BACKGROUND:
VOCAL-TX is building a movement of low-income people dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country. We fight for systemic change rooted in justice, compassion, and love. We approach this work with a firm belief in reducing harm and ending stigma, and the knowledge that the issues impacting our communities are driven by institutional oppression, not personal failings.
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]]>The post VOCAL-TX Responds to SCOTUS Decision to Criminalize Homelessness & Poverty appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>VOCAL-TX RESPONDS TO SCOTUS DECISION TO CRIMINALIZE HOMELESSNESS & POVERTY
The Answer to Ending Homelessness is Permanent, Affordable Housing — Not Fines, Tickets and Incarceration
AUSTIN, Texas — The U.S. Supreme Court today decided that the U.S. Constitution does not protect people who are unhoused against cruel and unusual punishment, even when they have no choice but to sleep in public using things like blankets or pillows. As we have seen firsthand in Austin, arresting or fining people for trying to survive is expensive, counterproductive, and cruel. In response, VOCAL-TX released the following statement, attributable to Barry Jones, a VOCAL-TX Leader:
“In an unsurprising but shameful ruling, the least democratic branch of our government has just empowered communities across the country to do what is already the status quo in Austin and Texas: punish people for being poor. Regardless of the Court’s ruling, we know that jailing or ticketing people for experiencing homelessness is cruel and unusual, inhumane, and makes homelessness worse. When they lay their heads down to sleep tonight, thousands of homeless people across America will be breaking the law. We have been fighting against criminalization and for the dignity and rights of people who are unhoused for many years and we will remain steadfast in our commitment to replace criminalization with compassion, care and housing.”
BACKGROUND:
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, VOCAL-TX stands with organizations across the country calling on the Biden administration and Congress to make a downpayment investment of at least $356 billion in the next year with continued funding in future years to ensure that everybody has safe, decent housing that they can afford. Specifically, we call for full funding of:
Johnson v Grants Pass is a court case that said it is cruel and unusual punishment to arrest or ticket people for sleeping outside when they have no other safe place to go. The case started in Grants Pass, Oregon, when the city began issuing tickets for people sleeping on public property, even when there were no safe, welcoming shelter beds. Half of renters in Grants Pass residents are paying more than 30% of their income on rent. The lack of housing that people can afford is a major cause of homelessness in Grants Pass and across the country.
Passed in 2021, Austin’s Prop B and Texas state law HB 1925 criminalize sleeping outside leading to inhumane camp sweeps and hundreds of tickets and arrests each year.
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]]>The post VOCAL-TX Launches Campaign to Fix Austin’s Rapid Rehousing Program, Invest in Housing the Poor appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
]]>VOCAL-TX LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO FIX AUSTIN’S RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM, INVEST IN HOUSING THE POOR
Find Campaign Policy Brief and Firsthand Accounts of the Rapid Rehousing Program Here
View Pictures From Today’s Rally Here
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, VOCAL-TX unveiled a new campaign, Stop the Clock: Fix Austin’s Rapid Rehousing Program and Invest in Housing for the Poor. Among the recommendations released in a campaign policy brief, VOCAL-TX calls on the City to ensure rapid rehousing (RRH) financial assistance lasts 24 months if needed, or until permanent housing is secured.
Throughout March, VOCAL-TX leaders – people who are unhoused or formerly unhoused – surveyed unhoused Austinites about their experiences with RRH. Across the board people reported that RRH is too short and access to permanent housing when RRH ends is too scarce. Many shared stories of how they ended up back on the streets, living out of their cars, and temporarily staying with family members. Today, recipients of RRH shared their stories and called on the city to fix RRH and ensure no one is exited to homelessness.
“My experience was going from the inferno of living on the streets, to what I thought would be paradise of having my own place to live with rapid rehousing,” said Vernon Jarmon, a VOCAL-TX Leader and former Rapid Rehousing recipient. “I thought I was getting a permanent home with no issues, but I almost ended up on the streets again. No one should end up back on the streets if they have RRH. Too many programs aren’t working, and we need these programs to work.”
“There was no way I could save so much of my income per month. I was trying to pay back credit cards and some of my money had been stolen. I wasn’t close to service or food lines to get free food everyday. I don’t know anyone who could live on $400 a month. Because I didn’t cooperate with the rules, I was kicked out of the program,” said Laura Ann Martinez, a member of VOCAL-TX and former Rapid Rehousing recipient.
“I don’t know how people are supposed to do this. Time goes by so fast. People have so much going on in their lives and people need time. But every night I think about what’s going to happen when my rapid rehousing runs out in August. And I know it’s not just me. If I end up back on the streets, what is going to happen to me?” said Maria Cepeda, a VOCAL-TX Leader and current Rapid Rehousing recipient.
BACKGROUND:
While Rapid Rehousing (RRH) is one of the City’s vital interventions to address homelessness, advocates say the program’s assistance is too brief, and would be dramatically more successful if more affordable and supportive housing were available for people exiting the program. Once enrolled, people wait for months to be housed, but the program is temporary, resulting in many housed individuals being forced back to the streets and to shelters often after only six months to one year.
There have been important news stories and reports covering RRH out of other cities with high rents. Dallas Observer and NPR published stories that portray struggles of RRH recipients finding permanent housing before their RRH ends in Dallas and Los Angeles. In 2017, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless published the report, Set Up To Fail: Rapid Rehousing in the District of Columbia, which discussed challenges with the program and called into question discrepancies in the data. D.C. has since passed policy reforms through the City Council to improve their rapid rehousing programs, though advocates have continued to call for further reforms to the program. In 2022, 50 organizations signed a letter urging the Mayor to end arbitrary time limits of RRH assistance.
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]]>The post As overdoses continue to rise in Austin, advocates call for community oversight in opioid fund distribution appeared first on VOCAL-TX.
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