March, 2007

Poor Peoples Union Declares Victory; Prepares for Next Stage

BY TONY ZARAGOZA

Residents of Camp Quixote inform the rest of the Olympia community about the need for housing. PHOTO/TONY ZARAGOZA

Olympia, WA -- On February 8, The Poor People's Union (PPU) won a standoff with city officials. Despite objections from the City, the PPU won the right to reestablish the tent city, Camp Quixote, on a new site. According to Rob Richards, an organizer of Camp Quixote, "This a major victory. We get to stay together. We developed leadership, organization, and a plan. Now we're getting ready for what comes next."

On February 1, the day that the City of Olympia banned sitting, panhandling or performing on public sidewalks, the PPU set up a tent city in downtown Olympia. The encampment grew to 50 people with 25 tents, a kitchen, portable toilet and communal hall. Residents organized trash brigades to clean up the neighborhood, made decisions collectively, and banned drugs and alcohol. Support came from throughout Olympia.

As poor people organized to demand their rights, local government and police threatened to destroy what was built. According to a PPU press release, "Our crime is acting independently and effectively, being organized, and caring for all the people of this community -- those without permanent shelter." Tim, an Organizer with the PPU, said, "This is about basic human rights. This is like the civil rights movement for poor people. People are isolated out in the woods -- out of sight, out of mind. But here together we're safe and able to accomplish a lot."

On February 6, the city manager entered the camp and the police chief gave a verbal order to disperse. At the City Council meeting that night, City officials made it clear that they were not going to change their minds: the camp had to go. The City wanted the camp community to simply scatter and disappear.

Supporters and residents of Camp Quixote celebrate the community that they built as they await the arrival of the police. PHOTO/SANDY MAYES

The day after, Carol Harmon, a PPU member, was arrested on a two-year-old warrant after she vocally challenged the City Council about their threats to shut down Camp Quixote, "I'm one of the homeless people you're trying to run out of town, but I'm not going anywhere."

City officials, concerned primarily with development and tourism, sought to defend property over people. On February 8, the City distributed fliers: on one side it promised the arrest of Camp Quixote residents and on the other listed phone numbers for shelters. Many at the camp felt insulted. According to Kandace Jones, an organizer with the PPU, "They gave us a bunch of numbers for referral services. Most of the numbers are for places that don't have any available space and some of the numbers don't even work. They don't care about us."

Jones went on to say, "The goals of Camp Quixote are to get people and the City to realize that there is no option left for us. We want land that's ours, that we can build on, that the people can run. Real democracy -- not this sham and police threats. We are people."

Reading and discussing plans for the camp, current events and poor people’s issues in Olympia and across the US. PHOTO/TONY ZARAGOZA

Jesse Shultz, a PPU member, explained further, "We have millions living on the streets around this country. We are here to demand our rights: the right to freedom of assembly, to housing and to live. If you structure society in this way, you should expect [tent cities] like ours."

The American people have to demand that this country provide adequate housing for all people--but the fight is also bigger. Homelessness in this system is incurable. It results from the elimination of jobs by corporations looking for the cheapest labor and using automated production that eliminates the need for workers. The fight for housing is an important part of building a movement for a new society based on human need, not private property and corporate profit.

UPDATE: In another small victory, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Olympia on February 18 granted Camp Quixote the right to stay on church land for 90 days. In their new location, residents of Camp Quixote are regrouping and the camp is again growing. They are working together to determine their next move. The city remains hostile to the camp, opposing a tent city anywhere in Olympia.

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