FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ray Valentine
July 9,
2012 440-204-8284
Trial Begins for Last November’s Occupation of Vacant Franklin School
Building
Six Defendants
Contest Unlawful Entry Charge for Protesting Lack of Housing for City’s Homeless
WASHINGTON,
DC – Today, July 9th at 9:30am, trial
begins in DC Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave. NW) for six defendants arrested
last November as part of an occupation of the vacant, publicly owned Franklin
School building at 13th and K Streets NW. The six defendants will
have a jury trial and face charges of unlawful entry. If convicted they face up
to 180 days in jail and/or a $1000 fine.
On November 19, 2011 a group of DC
community members going by the name “Free
Franklin” entered and occupied the vacant Franklin School building in
downtown Washington, D.C. at 13th and K St NW. Protesting the lack of
housing for the city’s homeless, the Free
Franklin group intended to use the act of occupation as a means of
redistributing public resources to meet community needs. Following a festive
and roving puppet cabaret highlighting social movement struggles in DC, Free Franklin unveiled the surprise
occupation of the former homeless shelter.
"There's a real crisis of affordable housing and resources for working
people in DC, those of us who’ve been here for a long time contributing to the
city but now we can’t afford all the new luxury condos and high rents,” says
defendant and DC resident Rosa Lozano. “If the city government would rather
board-up and sell-off our shelters and schools than use them as they were
intended, it's our right to reclaim those public properties and keep them open
as community resources."
Community groups have been fighting for the
city to re-open the Franklin building as a shelter, but DC officials have
ignored all demands thus far, and instead have been trying to sell the building
to a private developer to turn it into a boutique hotel.
"I participated in this action because the people of this city
can't count on the DC government to be honest with public resources,” says
defendant pro se and DC resident Jesse Shultz. “If they can't figure out what's
more important, shelter and basic human services or luxury hotels, then it's on
the community to reclaim what's ours and provide for ourselves."
The city is currently facing a growing crisis
of homelessness (currently over 6,500 homeless individuals) and lack of
affordable housing, but the city continues to close shelters and cut funds for
needed services, including $7 million cut from homeless services in next year’s
budget.
“I hope that the jury will find the
defendants not guilty because their actions were morally correct and were done
to promote the public good and as a response to unjust policies. Laws that keep
public property shuttered instead of being put to use to meet community needs
are unjust, and what the defendants did was an attempt to restore justice,”
explained supporter Ray Valentine.
Direct action tactics like those
employed in the Franklin occupation have been used effectively on numerous
occasions in the district. Franklin first became a shelter in 2002 through an
occupation by housing activists and was re-opened again in 2003 due to pressure
from a second occupation. It remained an emergency shelter for the homeless
until 2008. Other shelters, including the Community for Creative Non-violence
(CCNV) shelter, were also opened as a result of community action.
For more
information, go to: http://freefranklindc.blogspot.com
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