By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
Have rich and privileged Democrats lost their empathy for the homeless?
“The current direction of criminalizing homelessness shows that if you don’t have enough money to live on, you will ultimately be incarcerated. Once incarcerated, the way people are treated in jail will destroy people’s souls first, then their bodies.”
~Jack Bragen, an excerpt from an article he wrote for the Street Sheet entitled: “Criminalization Won’t Make Homelessness Go Away” (September 15, 2024 –
I want to be clear on this point. When I mention or reference “The State,” I’m talking about the local, state, and federal government apparatus/bureaucracy which includes their police agencies. It doesn’t matter if we are under a Republican or Democratic administration. They both can be referred to as “The State.”
When California Governor Gavin Newsom began to pivot and “slide” toward the center right with his politics, I knew something strange was going on. It’s obvious that Gavin Newsom is positioning himself politically for a run at the White House in 2028. However, I firmly believe that he is making some tragic mistakes. Gavin Newsom is abandoning his base in order to curry favor with those on the far right.
Like many of you reading this article, I know who right-wing talk show host Charlie Kirk is. I know that Charlie Kirk and most of those who listen to him despise everything about me and what I stand for.
- I am a progressive;
- I am an outspoken journalist who believes in the power of a vibrant free press;
- I support the LGBTQ+ community!; and
- I believe in the equal distribution of wealth in this country.
Now, remember, Charlie Kirk has consistently asserted that the concept of White privilege is a myth and a “racist” lie.
“White Privilege” is a Racist Lie
Approximately one week ago, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a directive that advised cities to force homeless Californians to move their camps every three days.
California Launches Model Ordinance to Address Homeless Encampments
Critics of the new policy say that the directive not only places an unfair burden on the homeless, it makes it more difficult for social workers and service providers to build trust and meaningful relationships with homeless people. Dr. Margot Kushel, the Director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative had this to say about the policy: “We know that disrupting people, making them move every two or three days, disrupting them from the outreach workers who are desperately trying to engage with them and build their trust, it just makes things worse.”
Gavin Newsom orders state agencies to move homeless people out of camps — but to where?
Source: https://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2024/07/newsom-homeless-encampments-order/
Gavin Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has produced an incredible video which teaches men and young boys to learn how to embrace empathy and shun toxic masculinity. The video is entitled: “The Mask You Live In.”
I’m wondering if Governor Newsom has studied or paid attention to his wife’s trailblazing work? I’m not seeing much empathy or compassion from Newsom toward the homeless population in his policymaking. Governor Newsom has said that he’s directed billions of dollars toward substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling via Proposition 1, but he continues to urge local municipalities to criminalize homelessness. Maybe when you’re rich and in a position of political power, the needs of homeless people don’t really matter anymore; maybe you become blinded by your ambition for political power. What mask is Gavin Newsom living in?
And that leads me directly to my next “person of interest.” Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco has led a full court press on homeless people in the City and County of San Francisco. Lurie has instructed the San Francisco Police Department and the Department of Public Works to conduct mega-raids and sweeps of homeless encampments
Sweeps & the PoLice!!!
Thank you to Poor Magazine: https://www.poormagazine.org/post/sweeps-the-police
Swept off of Shattuck
Thank you to Poor Magazine: https://www.poormagazine.org/post/swept-off-of-shattuck
Poor and Unhoused Communities Are Under Attack!
Thank you to the Street Sheet, Cathleen Williams February 15, 2025 edition
Link: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkURCjxVvy29mosOC5ssZKVoEbYxgQ?e=oXL4XJ
Last week, at the same time that Gavin Newsom was talking about the California budget and his new 3-day camp removal directive, Lurie was touting an initiative to expand the ranks of the SFPD and San Francisco Sheriff’s Office.
Mayor Lurie unveils package boosting S.F. law enforcement hiring
Link: https://missionlocal.org/2025/05/mayor-lurie-unveils-package-boosting-s-f-law-enforcement-hiring/
In the Mission Local article, Daniel Lurie was quoted: “The effects of declining staffing, Lurie wrote, ‘include reduced neighborhood presence, slower response times, and an overreliance on costly and unsustainable overtime.’”
I take issue with the expansion plans for SFPD mainly for the same reasons that San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ members Shamann Walton and Jackie Fielder opposed the allocation of $61 million in overtime for SFPD. Number one: statistics clearly show that crime is down in the City; number two: Where is the fiscal accountability at? Have San Francisco residents forgotten about the $100 million in overtime the SFPD bilked taxpayers for? No, we have not! While we’re on this subject, where is SFPD Chief Bill Scott going? Answer: The in-house police department at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
L.A. Metro’s Struggle with Homelessness Is ‘Big Dilemma,’ Loukaitou-Sideris Says
Link: https://luskin.ucla.edu/loukaitou-sideris-on-l-a-metros-struggle-with-homelessness
I knew there was something fishy about Bill Scott going down to Los Angeles. It didn’t take long for me to connect the dots. Scott has proven himself as an aggressive “attack dog” when confronting human beings suffering from homelessness. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of unhoused people who sleep on buses and trains in the Los Angeles area. If you have connections with homeless advocates and activists in the Los Angeles area, I humbly request that you warn them that Bill Scott is coming. However, let’s not get sidetracked by this fact.
Daniel Lurie also proposes to increase the ranks of the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office by 200 sworn peace officers. I must comment on this specific issue. I know from personal experience and direct observation that the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Office is horribly understaffed. This understaffing results in numerous lockdowns at San Bruno Jail and the downtown facility on 7th Street. As a consequence of these lockdowns, there is an interruption of rehabilitation programs and, often times, social workers and service providers are denied access to detainees. Many detainees are in desperate need of housing, drug treatment, mental health counseling, and more. So, yes, I do agree that the ranks of the SF Sheriff’s Office must be expanded in order to provide the services needed to keep people out of jail. However, I am not convinced that this is Daniel Lurie’s intent.
The manner in which SFPD is “moving” on the homeless and locking them up at an alarming rate, pronounces Lurie’s disgust at the existence of homeless people on the streets of San Francisco. Homeless people appear to be an “irritant” and “obstacle” to Lurie’s urban business plans.
Our independent nonprofit news organization has sent emails to Daniel Lurie’s staff requesting that they provide us with Lurie’s plan for affordable housing and permanent supportive housing. They’ve ignored us.
I recently interviewed a homeless U.S. Army veteran by the name of John F. Winchester. He said this about SFPD’s enforcement of San Francisco’s “sit and lie” policy. “I was recently walking near 6th and Minna. One of the homeless men whom I’m friends with told me that SFPD continues to harass people sitting or lying on the sidewalk between the hours of 8 am and around noon. First, the cops issue a warning and then five minutes later, they arrest you and take you to jail. From what I could see, none of these people were brazenly breaking the law, but they were tired and trying to rest. It is now a crime in San Francisco to be homeless, and no one gives a damn about us!”
It’s obvious that Lurie is getting his marching orders from Sacramento. Lurie’s wife, Becca Prowda, is currently serving as Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Protocol in Sacramento. Coincidence?
I’ve spoken to some local community activists, and they love and respect Lurie’s wife. I take issue with her husband’s policies. There has always been an attack and proverbial war waged on the poor/homeless. The most recent flurry of activity began almost immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson.
Gavin Newsom’s Fraudulent Homelessness Agenda
https://prospect.org/infrastructure/2024-08-02-gavin-newsom-homeless-sweeps
What happened after Newsom’s executive order on encampments? State agencies refuse to answer how they are carrying out the governor’s directive
ACLU Condemns Newsom’s Model Ordinance on Homeless Encampments
I think we need to come to the realization that the U.S. Supreme Court as it exists today in 2025 is an extension of The State. What Daniel Lurie has done is mimic and pick up exactly where former mayor, London Breed, left off in regard to the war waged on the homeless.
On 100-day mark, majority of Mayor Lurie’s legislation is inherited from Breed
Will Mayor Elect Daniel Lurie End the ‘War’ on the Homeless
The City of San Francisco’s Escalating War on the Homeless
Sweeps Kill
It isn’t just Daniel Lurie waging a war on the homeless. Another mega-rich power couple has begun to surreptitiously attack the homeless and defund those who advocate for them. Ladies and gentlemen, I was sickened and dismayed by an article that described the activities of Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg.
‘Devastating’: Chan Zuckerberg charity slashes funding for more Bay Area nonprofits
https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/13/nonprofits-furious-chan-zuckerberg-initiative-slashes-funding
Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy quietly cuts funding for affordable housing, homelessness groups
I don’t even know where to begin. I think it’s best that I allow our readers to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions. But I want you to stop for a moment. Take a look around. What do you see? Homes being foreclosed upon, and people working two or three jobs just to put food on their tables. Trump’s tariffs have prices spiking and here in California, and “The State” recently approved a 17-percent rate hike for State Farm Insurance Company. Do you think that the Luries, the Zuckerbergs, or the Newsoms really feel our pain?
I have a quote that I’m directing towards Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi. This quote comes from Cenk Uygur from his book, “Justice is Coming,” (How Progressives are Going to Take Over the Country and America is Going to Love it), from page 267, he says “I don’t want the left wing to get me wrong. There is no way in the world we should just trust conservatives now and let them keep their power. They don’t exactly have a great track record of sharing that power or extending love back to us. No, we must defeat them thoroughly and then reach out to bring them into our wagons once the battle is over. During the battle, you should NEVER BE NAÏVE or MAKE UNILATERAL CONCESSIONS. You build trust after you win, not a second before.”
Gavin Newsom, don’t forget who your base is.
The Coalition that can win for Progressives and Democrats in the mid-terms and in the 2028 presidential election consists of people of color, teamed up with Progressive White people. Remember, you heard it here!
We leave you with this song and video by Phil Collins. Gale and I chose this song together. We felt that it was very fitting for the message that we’re trying to convey. We hope you enjoy it…it’s a classic! Share this article far and wide by all means necessary.
Another Day In Paradise (Official Music Video)
Phil Collins wrote “Another Day in Paradise” in 1989 to raise awareness across the globe about homelessness. The Phil Collins Experience carries on this mission in each city they tour raising money for a local homeless charity in each community through merchandise sales. https://www.thephilcollinsexperience.com/
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group. For over twelve years, Malik has been a published journalist and news reporter focusing on criminal justice issues, conditions of confinement in jails and prisons, as well as hot-button political issues. You can reach him via email or you can write to him directly.
Suggestions or Leads on Stories Are Always Welcome
Malik can be reached at mwashington@destination-freedom.org
or write him directly at: Keith Washington #711060, San Francisco County Jail #3, 1 Moreland Drive – Pod 1B-Cell 4, San Bruno, California 94066
