On May 1st, the City of Boston is set to begin forcibly removing the unhoused community in an encampment on Atkinson Street. We are amplifying the following call to action from Stop the Sweeps Boston (stopthesweepsboston@proton.me), and encourage those who are able to help to do so as part of our chapter community defense priority. As we have seen at our actions and in work such as court support, having people to observe and document events can make a difference in police and other officials’ behavior.
From Stop the Sweeps Boston:
URGENT. CALL TO ACTION. STOP THE SWEEPS. On Monday, May 1, the City of Boston will begin forcibly removing the unhoused community from Atkinson St. (near Mass & Cass), destroying their possessions and forcing them from the area with no plan for housing or support.
This is an urgent CALL TO WITNESS. We ask our friends and community to join us on Atkinson, Bradston, and Southampton Streets during the week of May 1-5, and again on May 8th and witness, photograph, and document these forced removals. We are requesting no active resistance and no unlawful actions. Simply witness, photograph, and (if you can) livestream the planned police action. Please bring one or more companions. Do not enter the area alone. If you wish to support the community and do not have plans to travel with companions, please contact stopthesweepsboston@proton.me to join a shift or team.
Who are the unhoused?
Many are military veterans.
Many are abuse survivors.
Many are LGBTQ people who were cast out of their homes and never found their footing.
Many struggle with mental illness, and many struggle with addiction. But these conditions do not mean that people deserve to lose their only communities, their only possessions. These conditions do not mean that people should be subjected to months or years of incarceration on dubious charges of trespassing.
Please come, stand in silent witness. Please support this profoundly vulnerable community before it’s too late.