A conversation about the implications of an impending SCOTUS decision on homelessness policy.

With

Helen Cruz, resident, Grants Pass, Oregon

Matt Ford, TNR staff writer

Will Knight, decriminalization director, National Homelessness Law Center

Tracy Rosenthal, writer and organizer

Donald Whitehead, executive director, National Coalition for the Homeless

Moderator: Jesse Rabinowitz, campaign and communication director, National Homelessness Law Center

A bit of background on Grants Pass, Oregon:  

On July 24, 2018, Debra Blake was banished from every park in Grants Pass, Oregon. She added the exclusion order to a growing pile of violations—for sleeping, sitting, camping, and trespassing, a mix of civil and criminal charges that accrued late fees, bench warrants, and jail stints, wrecked her credit and job prospects, and made her a known entity to police. At 59, Blake had lived in Grants Pass for almost 15 years, seven without a home. She didn’t qualify for a bed in the town’s only shelter, and there was no place she could legally rest outdoors. “It seemed like everywhere she camped she would get tickets,” a friend of hers told me. “Every night. Everywhere. Anytime the cops caught her, she was in the wrong place.”

Read  more here:  https://newrepublic.com/article/181036/new-sundown-towns-grants-pass-v-johnson

BIOS:

Helen Cruz is a Grants Pass resident

Matt Ford is a staff writer at The New Republic. His work focuses on law, the courts, and democracy. Originally from Nevada, Matt previously wrote for The Atlantic.

Tracy Rosenthal is a co-founder of the L.A. Tenants Union, a frequent contributor to The New Republic, and the author, with Leonardo Vilchis, of Abolish Rent, forthcoming from Haymarket on September 24th. They are now on rent strike in New York City. 

Will Knight is a directly impacted Colombian-American immigrant, movement organizer, and litigator who has dedicated his career to advocating for the most vulnerable in our society.  As a victim of cartel violence who lost his father to the carceral state, Will began his legal career in criminal prosecution through the Truman Young Fellowship, but he found his calling at the other table, as a public defender.  

Will is now regarded among the best criminal defense attorneys in Arizona, and in his private practice he has been a courtroom advocate for the humanity of marginalized communities since the pre-Obergefell fight for marriage equality.  Most recently, Will’s counsel and leadership across a broad spectrum of civil rights cases—from pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of state-sanctioned brutality and murder, to holding Maricopa County’s top police and prosecutors accountable for politically prosecuting peaceful protestors with false charges—were instrumental in A.G. Merrick Garland’s decision to launch a D.O.J. civil rights investigation into the City of Phoenix’s violent police practices.    

Will joined the Law Center in March 2023 as its new Decriminalization Director, where he wields deep personal and professional experience combating systems of oppression to help end our governments’ inhumane treatment of the unsheltered and precariously housed in a growing national housing crisis.   

Jesse Rabinowitz joined the National Law Center in October 2023 as the Campaign and Communications Director.

Previously, he was the Senior Manager for Policy and Advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen, a DC-based nonprofit working to end long-term homelessness. During his eight years at Miriam’s Kitchen, Jesse managed The Way Home Campaign, a coalition of over 110 organizations and 7,000 voters working to end chronic homelessness in DC which has won funding to end chronic homelessness for over 6,000 individuals. Jesse’s work has been featured in various media outlets, including the Washington Post, NPR, The Guardian and USA Today.

Jesse received his master’s in social work at Howard University. He has spoken across the country on topics such as advocacy to end homelessness, the connection between white supremacy and antisemitism, and how to build local budget campaigns. 

Tracy Rosenthal is a co-founder of the L.A. Tenants Union, a frequent contributor to The New Republic, and the author, with Leonardo Vilchis, of Abolish Rent, forthcoming from Haymarket on September 24th. They are now on rent strike in New York City. 

Donald Whitehead Jr. – Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless

Donald Whitehead is one of the country’s leading experts on Homelessness. Donald serves as the Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Donald is One of the co-founders of Racial Equity Partners and a Homeless Veterans Advisory Committee member for the Secretary of the Department of Veteran Affairs. Donald's career includes 28 years of service that has spanned every facet of homeless service from outreach to Executive Director. Donald has served on many organizational boards, including two terms as President of the National Coalition for the Homeless, two on the Board of Directors for Faces and Voices of Recovery, and two on the Georgetown Center for Cultural Competency.

Donald served two terms on The State of Maryland Drug and Alcohol Policy Council, The Baltimore Ten-Year Planning Committee to End Homelessness, and The Cincinnati Continuum of Care Board.

Donald was one of only 100 advocates invited to the first National Symposium on Homeless Research. Donald testified before committees in the 107th and 108th Congress. Donald, along with members of the staffs of the offices of Representatives John Conyers, Julie Carson, and Barbara Lee and the staff of the National Coalition, directed the creation and introduction of the Bringing America Home Act, the most comprehensive legislation to date to address Homelessness in America.

Donald provided policy advice to Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, and Biden. In 2005, Donald received a distinguished service award from the Congressional Black Caucus for his

work on Homelessness. Donald received a second award of Special Recognition from Congress in 2008. In 2011, Donald completed the prestigious American Express Leadership Academy. Donald has provided written and verbal testimony to the United States Congress and the United Nations. In 2016, Donald and their team housed 300 long-term chronically homeless individuals in central Florida. In 2020, Donald personally housed over 200 unsheltered homeless individuals in Prince George County, Maryland, at significant personal risk during COVID-19. Donald has recently appeared on the Dr. Phil show and has been interviewed numerous times in the printed media, radio, and television. Donald has been featured on CBS News, ABC News, FOX TV, CNN, MSNBC, and many local stations. Radio appearances have included CBS Radio, NPR, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, local stations throughout the US, and stations in Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and Mexico. Donald has been a dinner guest of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Donald majored in Communications at the City College of Chicago, The University of Cincinnati, and Union College and University in Ohio. Donald served as a Journalist in the United States Navy. On a personal note, Donald is a stand-up comedian and actor. Donald has performed in six movies, multiple commercials, stage plays, and network television shows and has received a regional Emmy for a role in the movie Open the Sky. Donald lives with his beautiful wife, Tracy Whitehead, in Laurel Maryland