Good News For Homeless People: Amnesty!
Working with District Attorney Kamala Harris and Assistant District Attorney Mke Menesini, the leaders of Religious Witness with Homeless People have secured amnesty for thousands of poor and homeless individuals burdened with bench warrants resulting from “quality of life” citations issued in San Francisco between June 5, 2000 and March 31, 2003.
Municipal Court records reveal that in the period from June 5, 2000 through March 21, 2003, there have been tens of thousands of citations levied against poor and homeless people. Many of these charges have resulted in bench warrants and subsequent incarceration of homeless people. It is on behalf of the poor and homeless people criminalized by these citations that Religious Witness with Homeless People has secured amnesty.
PLEASE NOTE: Amnesty has now been granted to any person with an outstanding warrant issued in San Francisco prior to March 31, 2003 resulting (only) from the following citations:
- drinking in public,
- obstructing public way,
- illegal peddling,
- littering,
- camping in cars, etc.,
- public urination/defacation,
- disobeying park signs,
- illegal peddling in parks,
- camping in the park,
- sleeping in the park after 10:00 p.m.,
- drinking alcohol in the park,
- disobeying park rules, and
- open container/drinking near a business.
Religious Witness has twice before secured amnesty for homeless people; former D.A. Terrance Hallinana honored our request on two previous occasions, January 1996 and June 2000. Through the efforts of Religious Witness over the last ten years, up to 100,000 homeless people have been relieved of the ever-pending burden of bench warrant arrest.
Drew