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"Homeless Hero": The Story of One of the 12 Most Endangered Activists in America [VIDEO]

Posted by Adam Howard, AlterNet at 1:00 PM on February 4, 2008.


"Homeless Hero" tells the story of Cheri Honkala's rise from homelessness to the leadership of a growing popular movement in America.
Hero to the Homeless: Cheri Honkala

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This moving and engrossing video is from an Al Jazeera segment called "Homeless Hero". It explores the activism of Cheri Honkala, a single mother and former homeless person herself, who has fought passionately in defense of homeless Americans, who are routinely abused by authorities and/or the system itself. It's a powerful and important story of the millions of forgotten Americans who are bound to be overlooked in the Super Tuesday hoopla. Check out the video to your right for more.

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Tagged as: housing, homeless

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.


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View:
the economic consequences of Bush and presidents before him
Posted by: Lector on Feb 5, 2008 1:17 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
For most politicians in or out of this presidential race, this has been a non-issue and will probably remain so. Only Edwards addressed homelessness and when he did he was talking about more than that. Our society has something inherently wrong with it and it’s fatal. If America could eliminate homelessness, it would eliminate a lot of other problems in our country but this requires a lot of other fixes, change of mindset which our political class, as well of the majority of Americans, remain in denial; of homelessness and poverty which go hand in hand. Homelessness, working poor, lower middle class, middle, upper middle and so on are layers of security or insecurity and a lot of Americans are sliding towards that black hole, or easily could, and will only give damn once it’s too late. The rich will never willingly give up their power and history will never be taught properly in high schools so they can learn this simple fact.

Pointless

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Nothing will change unless
Posted by: Chloe2005 on Feb 5, 2008 10:37 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
we have a whole new switch in attitude. We have become a nation of "me first" and it's "my money". The social safety nets are withering. Until we become a nation of focusing on the COMMON GOOD, we will slip into the abyss of moral irresponsibility.
I miss John Edwards' voice and vision.

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courage
Posted by: grethart on Feb 5, 2008 12:14 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
great courage demonstrated by this woman and others....we must not forget our homeless...Some of us have experienced homelessness (been there, done that) and we do understand the courage and energy it takes to attempt to get the 'system' involved.

The experiences of 'homelessness' are mentally debilitating.....we all need to reach out.

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Deeply Grateful
Posted by: vand on Feb 5, 2008 1:18 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
for this "timely" article...from Al Jazeera! (Which US media has effectively censored). I only regret they did not make the connection between loss of domestic spending at home and the hyperincrease of corporate imperialistic militarism. Imagine if we used wealth to care for one another generously rather than murder one another for exclusive wealth and power!
I worked on homeless "issues" for many years before funding ran out and I realized we were struggling with the terrible truth of human inhumanity to human which is biologically based in animal dominance hierarchies. Our advanced brains just can't seem to overcome this primal programming in a "critical mass"!
(Though Saint's and Prophets et al have tried repeatedly throughout our history.) Until we squarely face this gruesome reality, which explains war,poverty,genocide--everything we think of as evil--and address the phenomenon scientifically, spiritually, politically. ecologically in a mutualistic,united,inclusive "interfaithful alliance" of visionary leaders who can reduce the destructive mean-spiritedness generated by fear,selfishness and ingratitude, we will remain plagued. I am not the first to imagine that the threat of ecological disasters MIGHT precipitate such a critical mass of enlightenment. But how to disarm those who profit from war-mongering militarism? How can we protect ourselves from testosterone poisoning? All I know is naming the problem is the first step.

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impressive in many ways...
Posted by: pitipua on Feb 5, 2008 4:22 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
TV like you'll never see in the US of A! So much for freedom of expression... amazing.

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its only going to get worse
Posted by: jwpa13 on Feb 7, 2008 2:48 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Soon, the recession (I think depression) will hit with full force. There will be so many homeless in this country and the problem will be so overwhelming that it will be impossible for the government and the "haves" to ignore the "have-nots". I’m not sure what will happen then. Maybe there will be riots. If riots do take place they could trigger the implimentation of the Martial Laws already in place to further supress us. Allot of us see this as the next move to the totalitarian state that Naomi Kline and others are predicting.

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