VOCAL-TX Hosts Mayoral Forum on Homelessness, the Drug War, Mass Incarceration, and HIV/AIDS

CONTACT: Paulette Soltani, paulette@vocal-tx.org 

VOCAL-TX HOSTS MAYORAL FORUM ON HOMELESSNESS, THE DRUG WAR, MASS INCARCERATION, HIV/AIDS

See Pictures and Videos From Forum in This Thread

AUSTIN, Texas — Last night, candidates running to be Austin’s next mayor attended a forum with community members to establish where they stand on the issues of homelessness, HIV/AIDS, the drug war, and mass incarceration. 

During the forum, organizers underscored how people who are unhoused and impacted by the drug war and overdose crisis must have a seat at the table and say in Austin’s future. Texas Rising also joined the forum to provide educational resources about voting rights and voter registration for people who are unhoused and/or have conviction histories.

“Police, jail, and prison are used as the primary tool to address drug use in our society,” said Alfredo Reyes Jr, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “Because of my drug use, I was put in jail and have a record that still affects me to this day. My criminal record stops me from finding housing and employment. We need a Mayor that supports shifting away from Drug War approaches to drug use, and prioritizes public health strategies instead.” 

“People sleeping outside are criminalized and face devastating harm through encampment sweeps,” said Barry Jones, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “I was turned out of my campsite three times by the police. I lost vital medications and personal documents that took months and endless red tape to recover. We need a Mayor that understands that sweeps set a homeless person back to absolute zero. We need a Mayor that works to minimize the harms caused by sweeps.”

“I don’t want a single other person to be in my shoes where they don’t learn about harm reduction until it’s too late. Every overdose death is preventable,” said Anna Dunca, a leader of VOCAL-TX. “We need a Mayor that works to invest and expand harm reduction services in Austin.”

“As Mayor Pro Tem and City Council Member, I made ending homelessness one of my highest priorities and led the Council in increasing our investments in permanent supportive housing, supporting programs such as the Homelessness Outreach Street Team, and expanding supportive services. Every one of our neighbors deserves a safe and stable place to live. With my leadership as Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member, the City of Austin increased its investments in housing and services; as your Mayor, I will work to encourage private partners to invest in this work as well so that we can scale our successful programs and achieve the goal of making homelessness brief, rare, and non-reoccurring,” said Kathie Tovo, Austin Mayoral Candidate.

“As a longtime grassroots organizer in Austin whose former organization won hundreds of millions in funding for those experiencing homelessness, I will fight just as hard as Mayor to eliminate homelessness and address the unnecessary suffering of our current overdose crisis,” said Doug Greco, Austin Mayoral Candidate.

“My life’s work has been centering people with lived experience and those accountable to them in every strategy. I will continue to listen, learn from, and lead by that expertise as your Mayor.” said Carmen Llanes Pulido, Austin Mayoral Candidate.

BACKGROUND:

VOCAL-TX is building a movement of low-income people dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country. We fight for systemic change rooted in justice, compassion, and love. We approach this work with a firm belief in reducing harm and ending stigma, and the knowledge that the issues impacting our communities are driven by institutional oppression, not personal failings.

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