Miami Activists "Take Over" Public Land to Build Shanty Town for Homeless : Miami IMC

The shanty town is under construction on the NE corner of 62nd St. and NW 17 th Avenue in the Liberty City section of Miami as of 3pm today. The lot is owned by the city of Miami and has been vacant for years, since the City purchased, and subsequently demolished, the low rent apartment complex at the site.

The occupation (take over) of public land is a direct response to the housing crisis, including the recently publicized government housing scandals, and the corresponding gentrification of Black communities in Miami-Dade county.

"During this housing crisis, local officials have been decreasing the number of affordable housing units, while simultaneously, making developers richer by stealing from the poor," argues Max Rameau, one of the organizers of the shanty town. Citing the HOPE VI project which destroyed 851 units of public housing and the over 1,000 vacant public housing units, Rameau asserts that "far from relieving the crisis, government has been deliberately exacerbating it" in order to reward their politically connected friends at the expense of the poor.

Rameau concludes the community is out of options. "We are left with little choice: either continue to rely on the fox to provide security for the chicken coop or do it ourselves. The city and the county have no interest in housing poor Black people, so we will do it ourselves."

The shanty town is legal under the landmark "Pottinger Settlement", a court supervised guideline for treating the homeless. The settlement was reached after years of city of Miami abuse of the homeless. Pottinger dictates that the homeless cannot be arrested for engaging in "Life Sustaining Conduct," including public nudity related to calls of nature or bathing, eating, sleeping in public and maintaining "temporary structures." The shanty town enables the homeless to conduct "life sustaining" business together in one public location instead of separately in several locations.

The shanty town is a long term project designed to house homeless people, not a short term tent city. Volunteers will train residents to run the town themselves, enhancing the long term viability of the project.

Other participating organizations include Hope for the Homeless and Hopeless, Inc., Brothers of the Same Mind, N'COBRA, Downward Mobility, LIFFT and Food Not Bombs (Ft. Lauderdale Chapter).

For more information, contact:

* Max Rameau, Center for Pan-African Development, afrimax@gmail.com 786-556-6881

* Amanda Seaton, amandaseaton2004@yahoo.com 305-978-8612