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About Me
- rn
- I spent most of the past four years hanging out with street hawkers, smugglers, and sub-rosa import/export firms to write Stealth of Nations, a book that chronicles the global growth of System D--the parallel economic arena that today accounts for half the jobs on the planet. Prior to that, I lived in squatter communities across four continents to write Shadow Cities, a book that attempts to humanize these vibrant, energetic, and horribly misunderstood communities. My articles on cities, politics, and economic issues have appeared in many publications, including Harper's, Scientific American, Forbes, Fortune, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Metropolis, and City Limits. Before becoming a reporter, I worked as a community organizer and studied philosophy. I live in New York City and do most of my writing on manual typewriters.
3 comments:
Robert, do you have any thoughts on this development in NYC?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/nyregion/18homeless.html
While the segment of the homeless population in NY that this initiative is aimed at is not even remotely close to being an organized squatter community, it's interesting to note the parallels in the sense that the government is trying to wipe out communities of people.
Despite the good intentions--and good policy in my view--of moving folks into supportive housing, it also seems to derive from an impulse to eradicate any and all unpleasantries from the eyeshot of the average Manhattanite these days (i.e., the wealthy and the upper middle class). That, to me, seems similar to the impulse that fuels all the reproach that is rained down on squatters in the global south. Or am I wrong about that?
Good point, Heath. It struck me when reading the article, too. While the Mayor may suggest that city workers will operate "humanely, respectfully and firmly," there's something awful about a policy that amounts to forcibly removing people from the communities where they have chosen to live. As with squatters across the developing world, the issue here is to work with people to develop a plan they can agree to.
These homeless people are, indeed, people, and they have found a home where they feel comfortable. Can their eviction ever be respectful? Working with them to get them the help they need is different than simply uprooting them from their chosen environment.
Well said. Though I guess a few folks don't see much wrong with it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/nyregion/20homeless.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
If the folks in the encampments support the program, that's great. But I think you're right when you say that governments should at least consult with the people they're presumably trying to help before deciding on a particular course of action.
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