One problem that was encountered today during a sympathy protest at UNC Charlotte was the ability for homeless people to gain access for food at the occupation site. Some individuals at this protest balked at the idea of the occupation site being used to service the needs of the most disenfranchised (the homeless). The economic collapse made the ultimate victims out of the homeless. They exist as the ultimate precarious individuals, ones who have been ignored and who show the end result of poor economic policy and a social system developed out of lack of care. The moral thing to do is to use the idea of the community to care for the homeless and let them into the community.
The problem with the society we have now is that ultimately individuals who have nothing to spend or invest (capital or labor wise) are ultimately deemed worthless and non-existant. The idea of the homeless individual is one who has conceded to not exist in the society as a whole, they have been deemed extra precarious and cast aside. Their ontology diminishes by the mere fact of the existence around them; they never choose to exist as homeless people (who would?), but instead have it cast on them. If the occupiers truly want to stand for justice, then developing the occupation as a place where the homeless can be taken care of is the best way to start.
The whole notion of the occupation is to reaffirm the social contract, to show that we are all equal players in our society. The first thing should be to address those who have ultimately been forgotten in the social contract. Show that a distribution of limited resources (the donated resources) can be distributed to other needy members of the community. Setting this as an example would be the best way to show that this can be done in the larger community.
- Mark Brinton
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