TOMORROW June 2nd 1p.m. @ City Hall: Solutions Not Citations!

Dear Friends and Supporters of BSM:
Our brothers and sisters on the street need individuals right now willing to make their voice heard to city council.
There is a bill up for discussion tomorrow and its implications could negatively affect our brothers and sisters on the street in many ways.

The City Sidewalk Ordinance law is a bill passed in 1998 that accomplishes two things, one is establishing that it is not legal to sleep on the sidewalks in Center City Philadelphia. The other is that it mandates the PPD to contact Outreach Services when interacting with these individuals to offer them social services including housing when available. Councilman DiCicco has introduced an amendment to the City Sidewalk Ordinance, which if passed will move from offering services to homeless individuals to citing them, giving them tickets, and possibly incurring jail time, all for having no place to go.

This bill, beyond costing the city unnecessary millions in litigation, will also make it difficult for individuals who want it to get housing as the criminal record will keep them out of many programs.

Homelessness is not a crime, and citations and jail time are not solutions to homelessness. Housing is where the city should focus its resources, not on criminalizing homelessness.
BSM is asking YOU to participate in our efforts to stop this hurtful bill and carry forward the call for SOLUTIONS NOT CITATIONS

Tomorrow at Breaking Bread we will be encouraging guests to walk to city hall together around 12:45 and we will be closing at 2p.m. instead of 2:30 so that guests and staff can attend the hearing.
If you would like to make a sign in support of Solutions Not Citations, join us at the art table anytime after 11a.m. and there will be volunteers available to help you.

Please Join Us:
TOMORROW, Thursday, June 2nd for a press conference at 1:00 pm @ Dilworth Plaza then a City Council Committee Hearing at 2:00 pm @ City Hall, 4th Floor

let your voice be heard, …it’s not a crime to be homeless!
Keep the focus on Solutions!

***Please send an message to all City Councilmembers and Mayor Nutter before the hearing by going to http://statevoices.salsalabs.com/o/58/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=68. Thanks!