For the past 5 months organizers with the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center have been working with the real experts on the issue of homelessness, those persons who have directly lived and experienced it for themselves.
Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E.) is the name of a Mid-South Peace and Justice Center sponsored organization who’s members are exclusively people who are currently or have formerly experienced homelessness. Members of this organization will receive training and support as they direct and lead street campaigns around the host of issues,challenges and injustices suffered by our brothers and sisters who live on the streets of our community. These campaigns are all centered around H.O.P.E.‘s four principle values of DIGNITY, SELF DETERMINATION, SOLIDARITY and MUTUAL EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. Currently H.O.P.E. has weekly membership meetings on Thursday nights at the MANNA HOUSE, with an open discussion group meeting on Thursday mornings.
Currently the group is in the planning stages of joining the MAY 1st DAY OF ACTION in conjunction with various labor, immigrant rights and social justice organization. Each of the groups involved are working towards May 1st actions around various issues of injustice with H.O.P.E. leading the charge on SB2508. This grossly unconstitutional law was recently passed by the Tennessee Legislature and shamefully signed into law by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. SB2508 makes it a Class A Misdemeanor to sleep on public property owned by the state. This new law will effectively make homelessness a crime with a penalty of a jail sentence up to 11 months and 29 days and/or a $2500 fine. The members of H.O.P.E. see this for what it is a further continuation of the criminalization of poverty in our state and our community.
The group is currently in the planning stages of a protest centering on SB2508 and the rampant civil rights and police harassment violations within our local criminal justice system at 201 POPLAR. At this event on MAY 1st. members of H.O.P.E will stage host a press conference about the inhumanity of SB2508 and representative of the group will present a official letter and list of grievances to Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich and Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong. H.O.P.E. asserts that District Attorney Amy Weirich and MPD Director Armstrong should come forward and publicly state that neither the DA nor MPD will make arrest or prosecute offenders under this unconstitutional law.
If you or your congregation or organization would like to help H.O.P.E.’s day of action please contact Organizing Director Brad Watkins at 901-725-4990 or by email at brad@midsouthpeace.org
H.O.P.E. is also pursuing the creation of a Worker’s Co’op to facilitate a part time income sources for it’s members. One such venture would involve the creation of a member owned and operated organic cleaning and janitorial service for area churches, businesses and union halls. The other venture, led by H.O.P.E. organizer Paul Garner would involve members of H.O.P.E. being trained in silk screen printing for the creation of t-shirts for organizations, church youth organizations, political campaigns and grassroots organizing groups.
Both of these services will be fully owned and operated by the members themselves.
If you have a background in business or are a business student who is interested in aiding our members in how to write a business plan,bylaws and the basics of operating a business please contact Organizing Director Brad Watkins at 901-725-4990 or by email at brad@midsouthpeace.org.