In a coordinated multi-agency attack on homeless encampments earlier this month, the City of Fresno destroyed tents and other shelters used by the homeless community. Reversing a policy implemented a couple of months ago, the Fresno Police Department (FPD) has returned to the tactic of not allowing the homeless to build any permanent structures. With thousands of homeless on the streets in Fresno, and homeless shelters able to provide only a couple hundred beds, a majority of the homeless have been turned into criminals. If you are homeless and can’t get into a shelter, you are breaking the law if you try to sleep anywhere in the city. This new policy penalizes the homeless and criminalizes poverty.

An earlier story provides some background on the situation. Meanwhile, new questions about these attacks on Fresno’s homeless are being asked as Indymedia reporters interview spokespersons from the H Street encampment.

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Live interview with Mike Rhodes THURSDAY, Feb. 19 on Free Radio Santa Cruz.