The Libertarian Solution To End Homelessness

[mczerone]

It does not matter who else (either singular or plural) owns the land. He does not own it, and therefore has no right to it.


Detroit tax waivers: http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...ones/FAQs.aspx

By homesteading it, he's created a right to it. He's come to own it.

[helmuth_hubener]

It does not matter who else (either singular or plural) owns the land. He does not own it, and therefore has no right to it.

Well, "In the Beginning" God said let there be light, and behold, when the lights turned on, Adam and Eve looked around and realized that none of the land nor any other natural resource, indeed nothing in existence anywhere on or in planet Earth (except for their own bodies) was owned. They then proceeded, piece by piece, to start owning things.

Detroit tax waivers: http://www.detroitmi.gov/Departments...ones/FAQs.aspx

[/QUOTE] Well that sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare. I think I'll go apply to have my house declared a Historic Landmark instead, if I get a hankering for a bureaucratic nightmare in my life.

All I know is that I looked online at some of these can't-believe-your-eyes, too-good-to-be-true, "super-cheap" houses in Michigan and in Texas, back at the bottom of the housing crash, and it turns out they were not a good deal. Not for me, anyway. Apparently not for anyone else, either.

[Alex Libman]

I've recently received e-mails from a lawyer, partially quoted below:

[...] I'm one of the attorneys working on Lakewood's attempts to close down Tent City. Steve tells me that any attempt to get housing from the government would present a conflict with your personal beliefs. Now, if this is true, I'm actually sympathetic to your point of view. However, I need to let you know about the legal consequences of your refusal. If you have the time and access to a phone, would you please call me [...]

[...] here's what I wanted to say by phone: if you do not apply for housing, Lakewood has the right to remove you from Tent City, something that they signaled on a phone call just yesterday that they are about to request from the court. I believe I understand your objections to applying, but if you do not meet the Consent Order's terms, you may face ejectment in the near future, maybe within a few weeks. Please consider it. Thanks. [...]

(Hyperlinks and emphasis added.)


Here is my reply, quoted in full:

I don't have a cell phone, but we can communicate via e-mail (or, if you prefer, Facebook, etc). I reserve the right to (and likely will) make any part of our communications public.

It has been my openly-expressed position since I first arrived at Tent City (on March 1, 2013) that I refuse to accept any handouts of tax-payer money (that can be avoided). I chose to not be represented by your law firm, and am not a party to the "one year free housing to leave Tent City" agreement that some people have made. As a courtesy, I've agreed to provide all information that you wish to have about me, as I prefer to do everything in the open. For this reason I've agreed to participate in the census to answer questions and be photographed, but not to carry an additional ID card.

I take full responsibility for my homelessness and penniless-ness, which are largely a consequence of my own choice to walk away from a promising career as a computer programmer, and to focus on self-directed studies, which, among other things, have led me to what most people would describe as radical libertarian (pro-capitalist / anti-socialist) political and philosophical views. By staying in Minister Steve Brigham's Tent City, or by starting new ones on other secluded plots of "public land", I am exercising Civil Disobedience against the anti-homelessness laws, which (as even many of my socialist debate opponents agree) are contrary to the NJ State and US Constitution. Through my perpetual arrests and stints in jail, I also hope to bring attention to the failings of the Welfare State, and the hypocrisy of this dubious concept of "public property", as government apologists try to justify most government interventions in the marketplace "in the name of the poor".

I do not agree with the legal position that the government has an "obligation" to provide housing. Idealistically, I believe that this involuntary redistribution of funds from the producers to those that fail to pull their economic weight constitutes theft. Pragmatically, you will find that providing free apartments / motel rooms isn't a viable solution for NJ's 12,000+ homeless individuals, especially as more and more brains, businesses, and jobs are fleeing the state due its tax burden, which is already one of the highest in the nation. Elsewhere on the Internet, I make economic arguments that people like the Tent City residents are victims of government intervention into the marketplace, which has created artificial scarcity in affordable housing and multiplied their cost of living.

My philosophical position, even if it isn't legislatively convenient, is that homeless people should (in circumstances such as ours) be allowed to homestead so-called "public land". More specifically, this means that the land on which we've built Tent City over the past 7+ years should be transferred to an NGO, to create a competently-managed community for otherwise-homeless individuals. I believe that communities such as Tent City, funded through voluntary charity and mutual aid, can exist in harmony with nature and all of our surrounding neighbors. We can find ways to solve problems like smoke pollution, establish better resident screening and safety policies, gradually evolve from tents to "tiny homes" as revenues permit, etc. Unlike the government housing, we can create a solution to homelessness that is simultaneously moral, compassionate rather than bureaucratic, cost-effective and accountable to its funders, and not contrary to the residents' individual incentive to find work.

While staying at Tent City, I have expressed my gratitude to Minister Steve and other Tent City supporters by taking on the role of the camp's "IT guy", "Webmaster", and administrative assistant. I communicate with (prospective) Tent City supporters on Facebook, help Minister Steve answer e-mails and write letters, audio-record his sermons for patrons who cannot attend in person, help other Tent City residents fill out online application forms, etc. This "one year of free housing" deal has caused the camp's population to swell, while donations have declined as many people have been misinformed by the press that Tent City's story is already over. Now more than ever Tent City needs to be able to communicate with the outside world, and I consider it my current calling to help with that the best that I can.

I understand that I may be forcefully dragged out of Tent City at any time - I've lived with that expectation since May. This will begin the dance of my perpetual disobedience and arrests (I hope LPD officers don't get muscle crams in their arms from so much dragging of my limp 300lb body). I would prefer that this be postponed - not as a courtesy to me, but to Minister Steve, if he considers my assistance to be helpful to his work, as he is contractually permitted to stay in Tent City until everyone else has been placed. If Minister Steve's Chapel and the rest of Tent City is to be bulldozed, I would prefer to be the penultimate resident to "leave" Tent City.

Best regards,
Alex Libman
http://Gplus.to/libman
http://Twitter.com/libmn
http://FB.com/libman.org
http://LinkedIn.com/in/libmn

In other news... I've just figured out the [TWEET] tag here and I'm just itching to use it, so here's a reminder of why we can't keep spending $1500/month (plus huge bureaucratic overhead) to put homeless people in apartments / motels:

[angelatc]

By homesteading it, he's created a right to it. He's come to own it.

So when Donald Trump decides to start clearing land in Glacier National Park to build a home, we're going to argue he was within is rights to do that as long as he tent camped there for a few months first? Or are we now supporting giving special rights only to certain people?

Homesteading in the tradition of the wild west was done with the consent of the government.

Homesteading in anticipation of ownership in the current legal vernacular means more than squatting. Depends on the state that you're in, I suppose, but in most places it means paying taxes on said property for some period of time, or at least taking care of it for years. It also means that the current owner has not done any of those things.

If these people were in tents on the churches property, I would argue that the church should be allowed to let them stay. I do not believe that aggression onto property that you do not own conveys ownership.

[mczerone]

So when Donald Trump decides to start clearing land in Glacier National Park to build a home, we're going to argue he was within is rights to do that as long as he tent camped there for a few months first? Or are we now supporting giving special rights only to certain people?

Homesteading in the tradition of the wild west was done with the consent of the government.

Homesteading in anticipation of ownership in the current legal vernacular means more than squatting. Depends on the state that you're in, I suppose, but in most places it means paying taxes on said property for some period of time, or at least taking care of it for years. It also means that the current owner has not done any of those things.

If these people were in tents on the churches property, I would argue that the church should be allowed to let them stay. I do not believe that aggression onto property that you do not own conveys ownership.

No one owns Glacier National Park in any legitimate way, so Trump doesn't even have to camp there. He just can't kick off any other people that have already moved in.

"Homesteading in the tradition of the wild west was done with the consent of the government."

First, we're not talking about "govt privilege homesteading" - we're talking about the philosophically sound version of homesteading: unowned resources my be appropriated by the first user(s), who comes to own it by transforming it, delineating it, and protecting it.

Second - the point by Alex and the rest of us is that we don't care about the "consent of the government." They are illegitimate rulers of public lands and the people, both of which they claim to be able to make rules for.

So, in your opinion, how do you come to own anything? If govt is required, aren't they the true landlord/owner? If no govt is required, how can a govt step in and alter the situation?

[angelatc]

No one owns Glacier National Park in any legitimate way, so Trump doesn't even have to camp there. He just can't kick off any other people that have already moved in.

"Homesteading in the tradition of the wild west was done with the consent of the government."

First, we're not talking about "govt privilege homesteading" - we're talking about the philosophically sound version of homesteading: unowned resources my be appropriated by the first user(s), who comes to own it by transforming it, delineating it, and protecting it.

Second - the point by Alex and the rest of us is that we don't care about the "consent of the government." They are illegitimate rulers of public lands and the people, both of which they claim to be able to make rules for.

So, in your opinion, how do you come to own anything? If govt is required, aren't they the true landlord/owner? If no govt is required, how can a govt step in and alter the situation?

I'm really too old to engage in pointless philosophical discussions that are void of reality. They serve no purpose. The public owns this land. Of course Alex has the right to petition his government with his grievances, and I certainly wish him luck with that.

[Alex Libman]

I'll catch up with other conversations here in a bit, but I'm behind on posting this...

I've recently been interviewed (via e-mail) by Angelia Phillips (aka femmeflashpoint) [FB] [G+] [TW] [IN] - a blogger, photojournalist, and author (among other things). From this she wrote this article about our Tent City:

Vets in the Woods - Where Will You Sleep Tonight?

Selectively quoted below:

Being homeless doesn't have to mean being alone and unwanted.

If you were homeless, what if you found out about a place tucked away in the woods where other homeless folks live, that has privacy, food, and a place to bathe and rest in relative safety?

If you happen to be homeless in Lakewood, NJ, such a place actually exists.

There, the residents live mostly in tents, but have made them as comfortable and homey as possible. Some of them have even put up pretty fences around their tiny yards, and hung decorations on the outsides of their dwellings. So, it's really much more than a place to sleep and get a meal.

[SNIP - see full article]

There are over 630,000 homeless Americans. Of those, it's estimated that 40% of them are families with children. Our elected officials have spent millions of dollars of Americans' monies via tax collection, and it hasn't stopped the problems that come with being homeless. If government intervention worked, we'd not be seeing the numbers of American homeless rise by as much as 10% annually, according to the latest national estimates.

A significant change can happen today, beginning with each of us. We can put a different slant on our perspectives of the homeless and how to help them. Let's start by remembering the wonderful opportunities in volunteering. Volunteering means it happens of your own free will. It means the government isn't involved and no taxes are collected for it. It means much more can be done with much less when bureaucrats keep their hands away from it, unless they're operating as a volunteer as well.

There are some who say that if a people are not forced to help, they won't. I say those with that opinion are either lying, or stupid. I've lived in this country for most of my life and found it to be one of the most generous populations on the planet.

There will always be those who will never want to help, and it's their right to choose. Thankfully, they're the minority. And, should the time ever come when it's their turn to be in need, they might not get it. (Karma can have sharp teeth, and we reap what we sew.)

The article also quotes me at great length:

I was always reluctant to accept government aid, but I also came to understand that there was no aid to accept. If you go to Social Services in Lakewood and proclaim you're about to become homeless, they'll give you nothing but run-around. Ocean County, NJ (where Lakewood is located) doesn't have a homeless shelter. They aren't even allowed to refer you to the shelter in Atlantic County anymore - they just give you a hotline to call, which might (at most) refer you to some church program...

I think there is a great need for tent cities that allow broke and unemployed, or low-income individuals who cannot afford other housing, to survive very cheaply, living in donated $100 tents rather than $1500 per month motel rooms that the government temporarily provides for a lucky few. I think the latter is unfair to the tax-payers, and (just counting the direct housing costs, without the inevitable bureaucratic overhead and other expenses), our Tent City has already saved the taxpayers over $6,000,000, and is currently saving about $2,000,000 a year!

So there's definitely a need for a new Tent City, one that won't be endlessly slandered, sabotaged, and threatened with bulldozers by the municipal government... This stigma of "illegality" has chased away a lot of donors and undermined much community support...

As a member of the Free State Project, I personally dream of setting up a new Tent City in New Hampshire - the economically and politically freest state in the North East, and quite possibly all of USA.

See the article for a lot more of my quotations. They appear a little disjointed, because the "interview" e-mail contained questions I was answering, and only the answers appear in the article, but it's still a great article overall.

Please share: [FB] [G+] [RE] [PIN] [SU]

Please re-tweet:

And, while we're at it...

Tent City's online donations have completely dried up...

[Alex Libman]

SC Homeless Shipped to FEMA Camps?

From Alex Jones Radio Show - Conspiracy Theory or Fact?

---

[Alex Libman]

The next screening of Destiny's Bridge (documentary film about Tent City) is scheduled for Nov 7th, 7:00 PM, in Toms River, NJ!

Please invite all your friends in the area to the Event Page on Facebook!







Please reTweet:

Buy tickets online at http://BrownPaperTickets.com/event/483381

[jmdrake]

I suspect that, all kidding aside, that really is one of their motivations, at least on some level of group-subconsciousness. Tent City is saving the taxpayers lots of money - as Minister Steve Brigham (who is the lead organizer of this Tent City) pointed out recently at Town Hall here... It's really making the government bureaucrats look bad...

I read the comments on that article. Very disheartening.

Wait until tent city expands to over 250 people and then it will cost us $3 million to get them out!! Don’t wait!!!! Evict them now!
Besides, this is NOT a normal way to live! No matter how much we save…

Really? So the real problem is it ain't "normal?"

[Alex Libman]

The Lakewood Scoop is a local spam and fascist propaganda rag in bed with the government... They let anonymous sockpuppets post utter lies, and they've deleted many hours of diligently-written factual comments from myself and other Tent City supporters. They've also edited comments to distort what was said...




RELATED:

Here's something I wrote on Facebook earlier today, along with a news story on Lakewood's population growth:

Lakewood is to become the 3rd largest city in NJ by 2030!

It could even become the largest in the state by mid-century! After all, with fertility rates declining everywhere else, Lakewood is famous for its wonderful community of a certain cultural group whose fertility rates are poised to remain high.

I think this is wonderful - MAZEL TOV!

But there's also every reason to fear that this growth will be terribly mismanaged by the government. High property taxes chase away businesses and create unemployment. Artificial scarcity in affordable housing is the reason why we have the Lakewood Tent City - the largest in North Eastern USA.

Government favoritism is turning back the progress that has been made in "race relations" over the past decades, and creating great resentment as one ethnic / cultural group brilliantly manipulates the Welfare State for its collectivist advantage... This ethnocentric use of government will eventually backfire, and a new wrong will replace the first - a vile crackdown on "segregated" private neighborhoods, private schools, private ambulances, and other voluntary establishments of the Orthodox Jewish community that are perfectly legitimate in the free market.

And so I ask - "can't we all just get along?" Can't we all recognize each-other's Rights (including Parents' Rights, Property Rights, Contract Rights, and legitimate Homesteader Rights) to live as we please and not aggress against others, not even through the mask of the state?

I think that Lakewood, in spite of all the negatives, has a great potential for a Libertarian Spring! I think that if we were to competently explain the ideas of liberty to the Frum / Orthodox Jewish Community - they might just listen.

If you agree, then please join our new "Free Lakewood" Group and help get it off the ground!

[Alex Libman]

From Asbury Park Press -- Film about Lakewood's Tent City seized as evidence in charges against camp founder --

A documentary film about the township's homeless encampment, titled "Destiny's Bridge", has been subpoenaed as evidence in a case against the camp's founder Steven Brigham, who is charged with vandalism and witness tampering.

The film, directed by Jack Ballo, chronicles a year at the encampment, known as Tent City. The documentary features several camp residents and their interaction, and it focuses partially on an arrest made of Brigham, a minister who is also a camp resident.

Juan Pa[s]trana, a detective for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, served the subpoena on Ballo in a "special investigation" into charges against Brigham who was indicted in March on charges of witness tampering, according to Al DellaFave, spokesman for the county prosecutors.

"Please provide the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office with the movie / video documentary created by Ultravision Films named Destiny's Bridge", the subpoena states.

Brigham is due at the Ocean County courthouse in Toms River on Tuesday for a status conference. Investigators for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office have received the film.

Tuesday will make the 10th time that Brigham has been summoned to court on this offense. He was charged after he did what he thought was the right thing to protect his fellow homeless campers, he said Monday.

Brigham, 53, was arrested in June 2012 at the encampment off Cedar Bridge Avenue at South Clover Street on charges of witness tampering and vandalism related to the eviction of two people from the camp.

About 80 people are living at Tent City, which is on township property. There is a continuing legal battle between Lakewood's governing body and the campers to remove them from the site and get them appropriate housing. Campers maintain they have a right to remain there, if no other option is available.

Meanwhile, Brigham enforces rules in the camp, insisting residents not be disruptive or conduct illegal activity there. If they do, they must leave Tent City. When he could not get two residents to comply, he cut the fabric of their tent.

"I cut up the tent I gave her", Brigham said of Deborah J. Martiniello. "It is the only way."

Martiniello, 51, said she bears no hard feelings and now lives in an apartment in Brick since the incident.

"I refuse to testify against him" if asked, she said.

Another man, who Brigham said was a heroin addict and stealing in the camp, also refused to leave Tent City. So Brigham had a small crew cut down his tent.

Police said they charged Brigham with vandalism, contending he used intimidation to remove the man from the camp.

County prosecutors previewed the film to compare notes from what was said in the film to the reports given to investigators.

The film has already had two viewings in Monmouth County. [Its] Ocean County debut is scheduled for 7 pm, Nov 7 at AMC Loews Seacourt, 10 Theater, 635 Bay Ave, Toms River, NJ. For more information, call 732-387-8230 or visit DestinysBridge.com.

This is a perfect example of government harassment!

They don't have a legitimate case against him, so they make things up. The slanderers exaggerate all bad things about Tent City, but when we try to evict some of "the bad apples" for aggression and/or theft, they press charges! The court keeps wasting time, summoning him now TEN TIMES in an endless dance that goes nowhere - only provides the thugs job security at taxvictim expense, and wastes the resources of Minister Steve's pro-bono legal defenders...

They are trying to wear us down. The good guys have things to do and bills to pay. The bad guys are paid by the money they steal ("tax") from us all.

And of course this is a case of "tragedy of the commons". Public land is a really screwed up concept. They should recognize our Homesteaders' Rights and transfer the land to an NGO to care for the homeless - this would be good for the homeless, the neighbors, and the taxpayers too!


EDIT, POST-COURT UPDATE: Minister Steve has been scheduled to appear for the same thing again, now for the 11th time... The dance continues...

They are clogging up the courts, delaying legitimate cases, violating the "right to a speedy trial", and wasting time and money of productive people...

[Alex Libman]

The $#@! has hit the fan!

Follow our Facebook Page for latest!

A multitude of police cars have just descended on Tent City! The police, some armed with assault rifles, are asking for STEPS ID cards. People who don't have them (ex. people who didn't register on time, or refuse to accept Welfare) are being evicted from their homes and/or arrested.

Your tax dollars at work - harassing the poor!

Police have just returned to Tent City in search of any lit wood-burning stoves. Without a warning, with projected lows of 41 degrees tonight, wood-burning stoves, which are the only source of heat for most of us, are now banned at Tent City!

Please help spread the word! Google+, Pinterest, Twitter:

[Alex Libman]

I haven't been arrested yet, but things are getting bad. Pigs are here all the time looking for people to evict, and I'm on the "non-compliance" list for refusing to accept taxvictim money. Bulldozers are also here, demolishing the homes of people they've made homeless again...

For those that are "legally" allowed to remain while they wait for government housing (a promise made back in the spring), things are bad also, because all of a sudden, on October 20th, just as temperatures started approaching freezing, the Township announced that anyone caught using a wood-burning stove or a fire to keep warm will be fined and/or arrested!

Your tax dollars at work - forcing homeless people to freeze!


Some latest posts from Facebook:

Last night I've attended a meeting with local community leaders, and Lakewood Township, NJ mayor Albert Akerman and committeeman Meir Lichtenstein were also present. (Lichtenstein is the Putin of Lakewood, and Akerman is the Medvedev.)

Akerman let it slip that the cost of shutting down Tent City will be "astronomical". Yup, he said that word. "ASTRONOMICAL!"

The tax-payers should be outraged!


Tent City is getting bulldozed because homeless people living efficiently and getting by on voluntary charity isn't what local politicians want to see. They want to put half the homeless in motel rooms for $1500/month (if their friends own the motels, plus much bureaucratic overhead that they feed off), and leave the other half shivering on the streets so they could point at them and say "we need more taxes"!

Mayor Akerman also said that Tent City residents will be given two weeks to switch to propane (not that we have the money to do this), but it turned out to be another lie, as the police were back threatening people for using a stove a couple of days later...

The government promised housing to 122 residents who were on the May 1st census. That was 6 months ago, and they haven't placed anybody yet. With all the overhead this would cost the taxpayers at least $3 million. But this isn't a complete or permanent solution. More people are becoming homeless every day and need a place like Tent City of Lakewood, NJ to help them.

There's an ever-rotating population of 12,000 to 20,000+ homeless people in New Jersey. The government can't house anybody. Taxes are already through the roof, which chases away businesses and increases unemployment. We can't tax-and-spend our way out of this problem!

Tent Cities, if they're responsibly managed and located out of everyone else's way, are the answer. Voluntary charity is far more efficient and humane than the Welfare State, and it doesn't destroy the incentive for people to pull their weight. The only thing we need from the government is to let us use "public land". Aren't we a part of the public?

Thank you very much, everyone, for your support!

The most important thing one can do to help Tent City, which doesn't cost a cent, is to help spread the word. Please invite all your friends to LIKE the "Tent City of Lakewood, NJ" Facebook page. Please LIKE and SHARE posts on that page to get them to "go viral".

If you have a blog, please write about us. E-mail your friends a link to our Facebook Page and Web-site, especially if they have popular blogs or other "media pull" for getting as many people as possible informed. Mention us on Twitter, Google+, and other social networks, message boards, chat-rooms, etc. If you're comfortable calling in to local talk radio, please give us a mention. Etc, etc, etc. The more people we inform, the better able we will be to put pressure on local politicians to back down.

We are also desperately in need of cash donations due to increased need for propane heaters and propane - as many people were counting on their wood-burning stoves which they are no longer allowed to use... Even a small donation would be greatly appreciated - http://TentCityNJ.org/Donate

For information on dropping off donations - http://TentCityNJ.org/Local_Donations

Direct link to donate via PayPal - http://TentCityNJ.org/PayPal

Follow our Facebook Page for latest!

Please help spread the word and get people onto our Facebook page - http://FB.com/TentCityNJ - help it GO VIRAL!

Civil Disobedience cannot work if nobody is watching. Tyranny cannot work if everybody is paying attention!


We also have a new chat-room on IRC - #TentCityNJ on FreeNode (server: chat.freenode.net). "Tent City - New Jersey homeless chat, advocacy, support". IRC chat-rooms always start slow... Just stay there even if there's nothing going on yet.




(more videos)

[Alex Libman]

I've recent sent an e-mail to a lawyer I found via http://www.nlg.org/referral-directory - my first attempt at this. The message was as follows:

I am a resident of Tent City of Lakewood, NJ (http://TentCityNJ.org/). Tent City is a shantytown of 100+ low-income otherwise-homeless individuals living in tents and other low-cost structures situated on township-owned land.

I've arrived at Tent City on March 1st of this year. On April 18th, Lakewood Township, NJ has passed an ordinance that essentially outlawed homelessness on "public land". A deal has been reached between the township and the majority of Tent City residents (represented by Jeffrey Wild of Lowenstein Sandler LLP) that they will get "one year of free housing" in compensation as Tent City is bulldozed to the ground and shut down.

I declined to be a part of this deal, because accepting taxpayer money is contrary to my principles. I believe that I'm pulling my weight here at Tent City, and I do not consider being poor to be a crime. I believe that homeless people have a Right to homestead on "public land", where they are not in anyone's way. My arguments are philosophical and economic rather than legal, and I am very much ignorant of judicial matters. I believe that those anti-homelessness laws may be contrary to the NJ State or US Constitution; and I most certainly consider them to be contrary to governmental fiscal responsibility, the Rights of the homeless, and the cause of Human Dignity. I am willing to openly confront these laws and be arrested in what I consider to be morally justified Civil Disobedience.

I got your e-mail address via the National Lawyers Guild, where you are listed as having an interest in constitutional law, ethics, and social justice. I have no money to pay for legal services. I am wondering if you would have an interest in my situation, or would be able to refer me to another lawyer who could offer me some advice on how anti-homelessness laws can be challenged in court.

(Hyperlinks added for this posting.)

I would appreciate some advice on how to find more lawyers to contact, and whether this kind of an introduction text is ideal...

[Alex Libman]

Notable Facebook post -

People who claim that Lakewood Township, NJ is "pulling the homeless burden" for other cities / counties should review the arithmetic...

The number of homeless people in NJ is estimated at "12,000 to 20,000+". Taking the higher number as a percentage of the state's population of 8,864,590 - about 0.23% of New Jersey's population is homeless, or about 1 in 400.

Lakewood has the population of 92,843 (about 1% of NJ). All things being equal, you would expect a homeless population of 214 people.

And all things are not equal - Lakewood Township ranks #663 (and Lakewood CDP #699) out of 702 municipalities in NJ by per capita income. Ocean County overall ranks #16 out of 21 NJ counties in per-capita income - and it doesn't have a homeless shelter.

So you would expect a lot MORE than 214 homeless people in Lakewood, from the local population alone. Why is everybody up in arms about our Tent City, with only half that population?

Most homeless people live outside of a Tent City like ours - either in taxpayer-funded housing or on the streets. Bulldozing our Tent City will result in more of both - more homeless people living on the streets (especially after the "one year of free housing" runs out), as well as higher taxes.

Yes, many TC residents aren't from Lakewood, but that is also true of normal population in NJ - people move around a lot. The reason why the largest Tent City in North Eastern USA is located here in Lakewood, NJ isn't because Lakewood has pulled in all the homeless from surrounding areas, and it isn't that the government of Lakewood has ever been particularly kind to us...

Lakewood was just fortunate to have people like Minister Steve Brigham, who had the dedication and the competence to organize the support network that makes Tent City possible.

Lakewood residents SHOULD BE PROUD of the Tent City - it is an accomplishment that means fewer people living on the streets and lower taxes than would have been without our Tent City.

[kcchiefs6465]

Notable Facebook post -

+rep.

Stay strong.

[Alex Libman]

On October 25th, Tent City had its second visit from a 2013 gubernatorial hopeful - New Jersey Libertarian Party candidate Kenneth Kaplan.

Ken is running against Barbara Buono (who visited Tent City on August 22nd) and the presiding governor Chris Christie.


Ken's platform on housing states:

We need a creative solution to the decades long quest to create affordable housing in New Jersey. The state must enact legislation to supersede local zoning ordinances, removing zoning barriers which currently prevent owners of single family homes from converting them to two family homes and the owners of two family homes from converting them to three families. This will solve the affordable housing crisis not just for people renting the new units, but also for the home owners, many of whom might be senior citizens, who will now be able to remain in houses that had become too large and too expensive for their needs. This will solve the affordable housing problem without the expenditure of any tax dollars.

Ken Kaplan, Minister Steve Brigham, and I discussed economic issues that contribute to the rise in homelessness, and what role Non-Governmental Organizations like Tent City can play in solving this problem.


Here's a photo of the three of us by the Tent City "LIBERTY" bell:




The weather at the time was pretty chilly, with a cold wind blowing through Tent City...




Ken also met several other Tent City residents and toured the camp's facilities. He had a look inside Elwood and Cynthia's picturesque shanty which is famously featured in many videos and photographs. Here's Ken and I standing outside:



After their planned departure from Tent City, Cynthia wanted to give their home to Jeri, who is disabled, but Jeri was one of the people that were evicted by the police...

(Click the above photos for a Facebook Album which contains a few others.)


---


One can't fail to notice a huge difference between the two gubernatorial candidate visits...

Buono came to Tent City with a gaggle of press and video cameras rolling. She charisma'd her way through the camp, like everybody's favorite aunt, talking fast, setting up photo ops (including the one I was ambushed into), petting dogs, and if Tent City had babies I'm sure she'd kiss every one. But what was the outcome? She has done nothing to help us, in spite of her existing political position and media attention. She did nothing to put pressure on the Township to back off. She didn't discuss the real issues, just made more of the same old economically-insane tax-and-spend promises that she's in no position to keep. Her campaign just used Tent City residents as props! They didn't even link to our Web-site, where the viewers could have learned how to help and made a donation...

The two visits we've had from Libertarian Party candidates were completely different. They didn't bring any press. They didn't want photo-ops (I myself encouraged them). They wanted to understand what Tent City is all about, and to discuss ideas - how to solve the underlying problems that multiply the cost of rent, how to try to reason with the Township, how to help us make it through the winter, how to get cheap land for the Destiny's Bridge project, etc.

It's like we have one party for adults (the LP), and two parties for children playing make-believe (Dems and Reps)... And sadly mature rational adults are only a tiny minority...


---


I recently wrote in the Free Lakewood Facebook Group -

Please support all NJLP candidates:

• Kenneth Kaplan [FB] [TW] [YT] [BP] for NJ Governor - who stopped by Tent City yesterday!

• Steven J Uccio [FB] [BP] for State Assembly, 14th District - who visited Tent City twice, brought donations, donated online, attended Destiny's Bridge film premiere, and helped spread the word about us online!

• Don Dezarn [FB] [BP] for NJ State Assembly, 14th District.

• Sean O'Connor [FB] [BP] [BP] for NJ State Assembly, 14th District.

• Patrick McKnight [FB] [YT] [BP] for NJ State Assembly, 16th District.

Spreading the word about Tent City maxes out all of my computer time and ability to post links on Facebook (after a while it starts making you do increasingly impossible CAPTCHA) - so I can't help promote their campaigns as much as I would have wanted... Maybe you can help!

Promote Kenneth Kaplan as far and wide as possible. It looks like Christie has Buono beat by a large margin - in latest polls by almost 30 points! "Safe" elections are a great opportunity for the Libertarian Party to pick up momentum, especially if the Republican is an authoritarian corrupt tax-raising lying RINO like Christie...

The State Senate candidates need more concentrated local advertising, particularly in the 14th district. It includes my old stomping grounds of Hamilton Township (Mercer County), as well as nearby: Cranbury Township, East Windsor Township, Hightstown Borough, Jamesburg Borough, Monroe Township (Middlesex), Plainsboro Township, Robbinsville Township, and Spotswood Borough.

You can use Facebook search to find friends who live in or near a particular town, and post the campaign links for Uccio, O'Connor, DeZarn on their timelines.

The NJ gubernatorial election is on November 5th.

[Alex Libman]

Protest Injustice Against The Homeless in Lakewood, NJ

Join Minister Steve Brigham for a rally to protest government harassment of the homeless, and of the otherwise-homeless individuals in Tent City of Lakewood, NJ. The laws banning homelessness on "public land" are unconstitutional and need to be confronted!

The event will include speeches, marching with signs, BBQ, and more!

PLEASE help us spread the word about this rally! We need this rally to be big and get lots of press coverage! Please e-mail / call / INVITE anyone in the area who may be interested!

Where: Lakewood Town Square

When: Monday, November 4, 2013 - 2:00 PM

Please help us spread the word to anyone you know in this area...

[Alex Libman]

You can download the sermon [MP3] that Minister Steve Brigham had shared with the faithful at the Tent City Chapel this past Sunday (Oct 27).

It contains a eulogy for Slavik (Sławomir Szustakowski), a Tent City resident and friend, who passed away the previous week...

[Alex Libman]

From the Tent City Voices blog -- If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention --

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."

-- Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.

Tomorrow, November 4, Tent City residents, volunteers, and supporters will gather in Lakewood's town square because, quite frankly, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Minister Steve founded Tent City back in 2005 because both the Township of Lakewood nor Ocean County officials have failed to provide shelter for the growing homeless population. For most of that time, the residents have led their lives of quiet self-reliance with minimal interference. But within the past year, developers have expressed interest in the land upon which Tent City was erected. And Lakewood Township has made it clear that they want the poor who inhabit that land kicked out for good.

Thus, the local government has grown increasingly aggressive in their efforts to harass and intimidate the residents of Tent City. Lakewood Township has recently passed an ordinance that outlaws homelessness on "public land". Police are now conducting frequent raids to evict people who have no other place to go. And that’s not even the worst of it.

Most Tent City residents had prepared to use wood-burning stoves to stay warm this winter. But as of October 20, wood-burning stoves and campfires were banned, and anyone using said fires to keep warm will be fined or arrested. The Mayor of Lakewood has agreed to a two-week stay on the ban, but with the winter fast approaching, we now desperately need more propane heaters and propane.

These anti-homelessness laws are unjust, unconstitutional, and an assault on human rights, we feel the powers that be need to be confronted and the harassment stopped. Especially in the face of unchecked corruption by special interest groups.

Because what makes Lakewood's Tent City so controversial -- besides the simple fact that it exists in the midst of sprawling upscale homes and unprecedented development -- is just how corrupt that selfsame government actually is.

For example, it's no secret that in the Township of Lakewood, in the State of New Jersey, public funds intended for low-income tenants are funneled into land development.

A lawsuit has charged that the Township of Lakewood "is guilty of falsely validating that fair housing practices are being assured to all communities". The State of New Jersey, even when made aware of the Fair Housing violations perpetrated by Lakewood Township, has stood idly by. Meanwhile, the town continues to allow unchecked growth of a special-interest voting bloc that perpetuates the illegal, discriminatory housing practices. And these racist, separatist practices have eroded and all but decimated the African-American community that has been a backbone of Lakewood for decades.

Lakewood is also home to many undocumented aliens who build the housing for the Haredi community. Due to their illegal status, these workers are poorly paid. They rent single family homes from Haredi slumlords who take advantage of the workers' undocumented status and charge exorbitant rents. In order to pay the rent, the undocumented workers invite others to share the cost of living. Tenants have even been found living in closets, attics, and basements - all documented in reports with pictures in Lakewood Township's files.

The Lakewood Code Enforcement Officers in response to complaints from neighbors then cite the landlords. But for a number of reasons, the complaints go unheeded. Many landlords claim as their mailing address every property they own. It makes it difficult and often impossible for Lakewood to find these property owners. Summonses issued by Lakewood Township are not much of a deterrent, as the slumlords don't always show up at their court dates.

The chronic nature of these unsolved problems causes neighbors to move out. When they do, the slumlords frequently buy their property to rent out – and the problem continues.

A key player in these Fair Housing violations is Rabbi Meir Hertz - a community leader who has abused his power and consistently circumvented the laws of his "host country" in various instances:

* After stealing a million dollars from a housing unit in Newark, Rabbi Meir Hertz pleaded guilty to filing a false federal income tax return in 2000. As part of a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney, he was required to resign as executive director of the Lakewood Housing Authority. Nevertheless, Lakewood Township has a contract with the Lakewood Tenants Organization whose executive director is? The very same Rabbi Meir Hertz. And under the auspices of Rabbi Hertz, the LTO operates a Section 8 program.

* Legal documents suggest that when the secular town government threatened to give Rabbi Hertz a yearly contract (as required by law), Hertz appealed to a religious authoritative body to appeal to the Haredi to vote out those who would oppose him. He was able to staff the town council with his own supporters - which enabled him to continue favoring Yeshiva students into obtaining Section 8 housing.

In the face of these Fair Housing violations and in the absence of a homeless shelter, the people who might otherwise qualify for low-income housing are forced to live in tents. Or, in the event that the Haredi political machine gets its way, on the streets.

And it doesn't stop there: The Lakewood Planning Board recently approved the construction of Tashbar, a private boys' elementary school for over 600 K-8 students. According to a February 2012 article in the Lakewood Scoop, "the new 78,000 sq. ft. building will encompass Tashbar's plans for expansion ...along with student and faculty residential units". Indeed, the equivalent of about 50 duplexes dwellings in all. For an elementary school. And who has been named Tashbar's Founder and Dean? None other than Rabbi Meir Hertz.

Regarding the 2010 Census, representatives of the Haredi community stated: "The greater the voting bloc, the more influence we have on all levels of government. And an estimated 70 percent of Lakewood residents receive some form of government assistance. The more people participate in the census, the more assistance the government will be able to direct toward our kehilla. Living in a medinah shel chesed, this is the way we can fulfill our obligation as a citizen of our host country while simultaneously helping ourselves."

What I'd like to know is, since when does being a good citizen of one’s "host country" entail circumventing its laws and oppressing the most vulnerable of its people?

It's time to step up and stop the religious special interest groups from, in the words of Jefferson, "avail themselves for their own purposes".

G'night to all, and I will hopefully see you at tomorrow's demonstration.

[PRB]

The government doesn't like people taking care of themselves.

Not just the government, home sellers and lenders don't like it either. people don't care about the bigger picture of the economy, they usually only care about their own paycheck, this is why broken window fallacy is so hard to understand (or even when understood, ignored)

[tod evans]

Government's got a solution to this dilemma...

[Alex Libman]

Please join us for a screening of a feature documentary film called Destiny's Bridge, which tells the story of Tent City - a shantytown in the woods of Lakewood, NJ.

Thursday, Nov 7th - 7:00 PM

635 Bay Ave - Toms River, NJ

The film has already overbooked its original room at AMC Loews Seacourt 10, and has been moved their largest room. We do expect to have tickets available at the door, however it would be safer to purchase online (see below). Each past screening of this film had sold out! Tickets are still just $10 (plus a small service fee if purchasing online).

Lakewood's Tent City is the largest of its kind in North Eastern USA, with a peak population of over 120 residents. It is a great example of a voluntaryist solution to the economic crisis and government failure, and it has saved the NJ taxpayers millions of dollars! Following the film is a Q&A session and discussion of the issues presented in the film. It is a great educational opportunity for the whole family!

The problem of poverty, if not addressed through reason and compassion, is the historical anchor of civilizations, limiting their potential for freedom and achievement. If we, as a community, let this problem fester, it will continue to grow, until it encourages jackbooted "solutions" that, in the long run, will be bad for us all. The Constitutional Rights of the homeless are already being egregiously violated, and there is even talk of prisons and concentration camps - for the terrible "crime" of falling behind on one's ridiculously inflated cost of rent!

Please help the homeless of New Jersey by helping to spread the word about this remarkable film. Remember, this is more than just a documentary film screening; it is a forum about understanding the current reality and discussing new ideas for how to solve the problem of homelessness for good!

Trailer - http://YouTube.com/watch?v=mNIWjfMDqBM

Film Web-site - http://DestinysBridge.COM

Event Page - http://FB.com/events/168362460031670

Print your ticket - http://BrownPaperTickets.com/event/483381

LIKE for updates on future screenings & DVD's - http://FB.com/DestinysBridge

Also on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DestinysBridge

[Alex Libman]

I'm sorry I can't always keep all forum threads updated on what's going on at Tent City. Please visit and LIKE the Facebook Page for all latest news.

The township has started ticketing homeless people (including a pregnant young woman, and a 72-year-old lady who just returned from a hospital) for using wood-burning stoves. Today was supposed to be the day they evicted me and others for not jumping through their hoops. Earlier today we got a 2-week reprieve from an Ocean County Superior Court judge, because Lakewood Township is reneging on its Consent Order deal (told-ya-so). This gives us a bit of breathing room to continue using wood-burning stoves for a while, but we still desperately need funds to switch to propane heaters...


Steven Uccio [FB] of the New Jersey Libertarian Party [FB] is helping us spread the word and raise funds to buy propane:



http://www.GoFundMe.com/5aytyc



You can also donate directly through TentCityNJ.org, which is tax deductible...






(REMINDER: Tent City welcomes the support of all people regardless of their political views (as long as they are really helping). Tent City and all associated organizations are politically neutral, and do not endorse any specific political candidate, party, or creed.)

[kcchiefs6465]

I'm going to leave this here.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...can-camp-stove

How would you recommend one to get you propane?

[PRB]

solution? Who said it was a problem in the first place?

[kcchiefs6465]

solution? Who said it was a problem in the first place?

Homelessness is not a problem?

[Frank Lee Seaux]

Okay, I do not want to make a new thread and will offer my input on the current topic before going forward. There is no libertarian solution to homelessness. It is a condition incumbent upon the sufferer or possessor to alleviate. The libertarian philosophy, as I understand it, is without artificial devaluation of property (LVT/property tax) and jobs(but there IS no inflation, tell that to a fifties dollar, punk), the 'homeless' numbers would be negligible. BUT THEY WILL NEVER DISAPPEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, etc. If there exists homelessness there, it could only be by personal choice, and not for lack of availability, affordability, or assistance programs.

[kcchiefs6465]

We'll definitely have DVD's, and we'll see if we can do something like Netflix as well. Use links above to subscribe for the latest.

I don't do the social media thing. I'd buy a DVD if you have one, though.