Surveillance & Criminalization
Decriminalization
In Portland, Oregon unhoused residents make up only 2% of the population yet from 2018-2020 they made up over half of all arrests. Furthermore, unhoused residents in Sisters’ own neighborhood are 20 times more likely to be arrested than in most other areas of the city.
Criminalization of the unhoused is not new, and was a large reason why Sisters of the Road opened in the first place - to provide a safe and dignified space for people to eat, rest, and build community. We have a long history of organizing against criminalization, and will continue the fight for human rights with our unhoused community.
Surveillance Technologies
More and more municipalities are turning to surveillance technologies to prevent and solve crime. We do not have effective legislation guiding the use of these tools to ensure that rights to privacy are protected. In addition, these technologies are costly, many have low accuracy ratings, and do not prevent crime. At peak performance, their primary functionality is to expedite a response.
Surveillance technology disproportionately affects marginalized communities. Unhoused residents live more of their day-to-day lives in public spaces, leaving them more vulnerable to the consequences of surveillance technology. Additionally, technologies like ShotSpotter (now called SoundThinking)
Decriminalization and anti-surveillance work hand in glove to reduce disparate impacts for unhoused residents.
For more info:
http://stopshotspotter.com/
