Class Warfare: Disabled Homeless Evicted for Elite Disney Marathon
September 4, 2016. Anaheim, CA. To the disabled, the blind, the cancer-sufferers, the paralyzed, the veterans, and the rape and domestic violence victims who have been forced to live in tent communities along the Santa Ana River, the "Happiest Place on Earth" became the cruelest place on Earth on September 2nd through 4th, 2016.
While those who could afford the high price of entrance to run in Disney's Marathon may have had a fun time on September 4th, that Marathon displaced residents whose only homes were in the tent community along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim. The residents would not have been in the way of the race, but seeing the people living next to the route would have let Marathon runners know there are homeless in Anaheim, a reality the city and county want to keep under wraps. The cost to run was hundreds of dollars per person. For those who could afford to turn the marathon into a Disney vacation, the cost was in the thousands of dollars.
Those living along the river had nowhere else to go, having been mainly displaced from owned or rented homes due to foreclosures and divorces. Once a person becomes homeless in Orange County, that person is frequently arrested and/or ticketed for economic crime of being homeless, thereby preventing that person from later renting or owning another home due to a criminal record. In other words, the homeless have almost no opportunity to get a regular roof over their heads. Low income workers also cannot afford a home and reportedly some of Disney employees are also among the homeless.
There is a misconception that homeless individuals are mentally ill. Most of those living along the river next to the marathon route were physically disabled and most of the women there were domestic violence or rape victims. Most of the men were disabled veterans. When speaking with these individuals, any reporter would find most of the homeless are articulate and very intelligent while doing their best to survive the cruelest of circumstances. The members of the homeless communities form family bonds from the shared unfortunate circumstance of being forced to fight for survival in the United States of America. Due to the breakdown of the family structure in America, many people who own homes don't care about and don't help their relatives as much as other castaways living in the homeless communities.
While those who could afford the high price of entrance to run in Disney's Marathon may have had a fun time on September 4th, that Marathon displaced residents whose only homes were in the tent community along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim. The residents would not have been in the way of the race, but seeing the people living next to the route would have let Marathon runners know there are homeless in Anaheim, a reality the city and county want to keep under wraps. The cost to run was hundreds of dollars per person. For those who could afford to turn the marathon into a Disney vacation, the cost was in the thousands of dollars.
Those living along the river had nowhere else to go, having been mainly displaced from owned or rented homes due to foreclosures and divorces. Once a person becomes homeless in Orange County, that person is frequently arrested and/or ticketed for economic crime of being homeless, thereby preventing that person from later renting or owning another home due to a criminal record. In other words, the homeless have almost no opportunity to get a regular roof over their heads. Low income workers also cannot afford a home and reportedly some of Disney employees are also among the homeless.
There is a misconception that homeless individuals are mentally ill. Most of those living along the river next to the marathon route were physically disabled and most of the women there were domestic violence or rape victims. Most of the men were disabled veterans. When speaking with these individuals, any reporter would find most of the homeless are articulate and very intelligent while doing their best to survive the cruelest of circumstances. The members of the homeless communities form family bonds from the shared unfortunate circumstance of being forced to fight for survival in the United States of America. Due to the breakdown of the family structure in America, many people who own homes don't care about and don't help their relatives as much as other castaways living in the homeless communities.
After having been forced out of their prior houses and apartments due to the economy and the breakdown of America's family structure, these disabled individuals again found themselves forced to move on less than two days notice. They had no cars and no moving vans to help them move their belongings. They had only their feet and some bicycles and bike attachments. While offering no assistance of any kind, Anaheim Police told the the river residents to pick up their tents and belongings and carry them 30 miles from Anaheim to Cypress. Most of the women were pretty frail. Some were paralyzed and/or blind or partially blind. Some were pregnant.
Residents were told that anything they could not move during the less than two days moving time would be confiscated. The residents watched as their belongings and keepsakes were trashed by prison crews who threw the confiscated items into trucks. During a prior forced move, a memorial for veterans and others who had died along the river was destroyed, and the gravestones were broken up and the pieces were carted away as trash.
Though the workers were told not to speak to the press or anyone else and the officers claimed only the only official who could speak was someone not present, one worker did speak. The worker (referring to himself and his co-workers) told the press, "Do you know you are filming prison labor?" The press also learned that the workers had no choice but to follow orders and would rather not have had to be an instrument of class warfare.
The operation of destroying the homes and belongings of the poor was run by the Anaheim Police Department and the County of Orange on behalf of one of the richest corporations in the world. The prison slave labor appeared to be mostly poor, Hispanic victims of the elite prison industrial complex, now operating for the benefit of ric corporations like Disney. Exploitation of the poorest of the poor and the helpless by the super-rich is commonly called class warfare.
So, while the runners looked happy, their participation in the run was devastating to domestic violence victims, rape victims, pregnant women, children, Americans with disabilities, people suffering with cancer, and little dogs.. Every year, there are many other marathons in Southern California that seek runners and most cost significantly less to participate in than Disney's event. Marathon enthusiasts have a choice as to whether they will run in a marathon that overall does more harm than good or whether they will run in a marathon designed around the greater good.
The following videos were filmed by reporters from the Justice Gazette.
Residents were told that anything they could not move during the less than two days moving time would be confiscated. The residents watched as their belongings and keepsakes were trashed by prison crews who threw the confiscated items into trucks. During a prior forced move, a memorial for veterans and others who had died along the river was destroyed, and the gravestones were broken up and the pieces were carted away as trash.
Though the workers were told not to speak to the press or anyone else and the officers claimed only the only official who could speak was someone not present, one worker did speak. The worker (referring to himself and his co-workers) told the press, "Do you know you are filming prison labor?" The press also learned that the workers had no choice but to follow orders and would rather not have had to be an instrument of class warfare.
The operation of destroying the homes and belongings of the poor was run by the Anaheim Police Department and the County of Orange on behalf of one of the richest corporations in the world. The prison slave labor appeared to be mostly poor, Hispanic victims of the elite prison industrial complex, now operating for the benefit of ric corporations like Disney. Exploitation of the poorest of the poor and the helpless by the super-rich is commonly called class warfare.
So, while the runners looked happy, their participation in the run was devastating to domestic violence victims, rape victims, pregnant women, children, Americans with disabilities, people suffering with cancer, and little dogs.. Every year, there are many other marathons in Southern California that seek runners and most cost significantly less to participate in than Disney's event. Marathon enthusiasts have a choice as to whether they will run in a marathon that overall does more harm than good or whether they will run in a marathon designed around the greater good.
The following videos were filmed by reporters from the Justice Gazette.
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