Answer one or two questions and form a question to further the discussion The r

Answer one or two questions and form a question to further the discussion
The role of the homeless population in conversations and legislation surrounding environmental justice has been an under-recognized factor. The homelessness crisis in the United States has been a persisting issue and has continued to worsen due to a societal system that continues to relinquish the visibility and basic human rights of the houseless community. Recognition of the houseless as contributors to environmental pollution is a dehumanizing way that the population has been included in environmental justice discourse. There is a need for a change in the dialogue about how the houseless community is not a source of the pollution problem, but rather start addressing how the houseless should be included in environmental justice solutions. Here in Los Angeles, the struggle of NIMBY mentality (not in my backyard), has caused the houseless population of LA to be frequently displaced and ignored. According to an article from The Guardian, as of June 2023 there has been a 9% increase in the homeless population here in LA, and an overall increase in major cities across the United States (Levin 2023). The present issue of revitalization plans—such as the plan for the Los Angeles River—not being heavily inclusive to the homelessness population that reside in those spaces, has made relocation or other dehumanizing solutions for the homeless evermore present in modern legislation. We cannot begin to revitalize urban spaces without addressing every environmental justice concern, especially the human rights of the homeless population in these spaces that are often disregarded.
Supplemental Texts:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/californias-prison-homelessness-pipeline-rcna93975
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/29/los-angeles-county-homelessness-unhoused-population#:~:text=The%20unsheltered%20population%20increased%20by,steady%20at%20roughly%2020%2C000%20people.
https://nlihc.org/resource/survey-identifies-connections-between-criminalization-homelessness-and-environmental#:~:text=Among%20those%20environmental%20hazards%20were,of%20police%20or%20vigilante%20violence
Discussion Questions:
What is something that the average citizen can contribute to helping the unhoused population in Los Angeles?
How are the unhoused affected more by environmental hazards? What can LA do to keep the unhoused safe from these hazards?
Why is the LA River not suitable for unhoused individuals to live on/near? What type of health and safety risks come from living on the river banks?
Do you think La should prioritize healthcare for unhoused individuals who suffer from mental illness? Expand on this.
After reading the piece from Bonds and Martin for today’s required text, what are your thoughts of the homeless population being treated as though they are a part of the problem of environmental pollution? How have we seen this way of thinking be applied when thinking about the houseless population here in Los Angeles?
What are some key examples provided by Bonds to illustrate how homeless individuals are treated as “pollution” in urban environments? How does this dehumanization impact their lives and well-being?
The article discusses the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) phenomenon in relation to the siting of homeless shelters and services. How does NIMBY perpetuate environmental injustice and affect efforts to address homelessness?
Homeless individuals often face criminalization due to laws targeting behaviors associated with homelessness. How does this criminalization further marginalize and stigmatize the homeless population?
Drawing on Kim, why is discourse surrounding environmental justice and urban sustainability sometimes harmful to marginalized populations?
10.What is the homelessness to prison pipeline? How can it be disrupted?
11.How does capitalism feed into and exacerbate environmental degradation?