Call to action: Stop Tennessee HB 2638 and SB 2508
occupynashville.org | Feb 14th 2012 8:12 PM
This week, the Tennessee Legislature will debate House Bill 2638 and Senate Bill 2508, which, if passed, will criminalize homelessness as a Class A misdemeanor and permanently alter our rights to peacefully assemble and seek redress of grievances. We must mobilize to stop these bad bills before they become bad laws.
Here’s what you can do to help:
1) Use the sample letter below to contact Governor Haslam at bill.haslam@tn.gov to voice your opposition to these bills. You can also contact the legislators for the district in which you live, but if possible contact ALL the state legislators—this bill impacts ALL Tennesseans. *The bottom of this message gives information about these bills and tips for contacting your legislators.
2) Pack the meeting halls. Make plans to attend the Senate and House sessions when the bills come to the floor, possibly as early as this Thursday, February 16th at 9 a.m.
3) Occupy the editorial page. Publicize this issue by submitting your letter as a letter to the editor in local and statewide papers.
4) Let the world know. Share this call to action with as many people as possible and encourage them to contact legislators and media.
5) Keep in touch. Visit Occupy Nashville’s website (http://www.occupynashville.org) and facebook page(http://www.facebook.com/OccupyNashville) for updates on how to help.
6) Be prepared to continue the fight. We will continue to oppose attempts to criminalize homelessness and First Amendment freedoms, and we will continue to protest the injustice inherent in privileging corporate greed over human need. Join us!
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Information on HB 2638/SB 2508 and tips for contacting legislators:
- House Bill 2638 with amendments: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Amend/HA0681.pdf
- Senate Bill 2508 with amendments: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/107/Amend/SA0710.pdf
- Father Charles Strobel’s op-ed in The Tennessean: “Anti-Occupy bill hits homeless hardest”
- Find legislators for your district here: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators/
- Find contact information for ALL state senators here: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/
- Find contact information for ALL state representatives here:
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/
Sample Letter:
Dear Governor Haslam (or your legislator(s) of choice),
I know that you, as a civil servant and an elected official are interested in defending the Constitutional rights of all Tennesseans and in helping those who live without the stability of a home. For this reason, I am writing to ask you to halt HB 2638/SB 2508. These bills not only imperil our freedoms, but they also criminalize Tennessee’s most vulnerable citizens.
First and most importantly, these bills will criminalize homeless people across Tennessee as community leaders like Father Charles Strobel have publicly stated. In Davidson County and across Tennessee, there are not enough shelter beds or affordable housing units to accommodate all of those without homes. People without homes and access to private property have nowhere else to go but to the streets and public properties. Yet HB 2638/SB2508 will criminalize them for doing so. In essence, these bills will criminalize the right for un-housed people to exist as a human being.
Secondly, these bills make laying down bedding and protecting oneself from the elements during protest a Class A misdemeanor which is cruel and unusual punishment and a financial strain to Tennesseans and our legal system. As amended, those violating the proposed new law could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 11 month 29 days in jail and/or $2,500 fine. The fiscal impact of bringing large numbers of people into our courtrooms and jails would likely be large, but has not even been considered by the legislature.
Thirdly, these bills unduly constrain First Amendment rights and have a chilling effect on groups and individuals wishing to maintain a vigil in order to petition the government for redress of grievances. A 24-hour, seven-day-a-week presence is the signature expression of dissent against the status quo by Occupy groups across the United States and around the world. Occupations make a powerful statement about the depth of one’s commitment to obtaining a redress of grievances that cannot be made in another manner. While major corporations are allowed to “live” near elected officials through constant campaign contributions and lobbyist activity, this bill limits the presence of real, human constituents who are petitioning their government for a redress of grievances on behalf of the 99%.
Fourthly, these bills are a distraction from real work of the legislature. There are many important issues to work on statewide, and this bill is an unnecessary distraction from them. The bills’ sponsors are trying to push ordinary citizens and homeless people back to the margins of society where they will be “out of sight, out of mind.” Our legislators should be reminded that their job is to serve their constituents, not ignore, criminalize, and silence them.
We hope that you will make the right choice and halt HB 2638/SB 2508. There are other ways to address the concerns that some may have, but criminalizing those who lay bedding down on State property is NOT the right thing to do. Occupy Nashville has worked with the Metro Public Health Department in the past to address any potential health concerns, and we are happy to continue this relationship. We are committed to working with you and other officials to address any future concerns that may arise during the course of this historic campaign.
Sincerely,
(Name, address, #)
Original Page: http://occupynashville.org/2012/02/14/call-to-action-stop-tennessee-hb-2638-and-sb-2508/
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