Echo Park Rise Up: A Vision of Love and Community
Donation protected
A New Vision for Unhoused Communities
Imagine a world where there was no “bottom”. One where your neighbor was your neighbor because they’re your neighbor not because of tax brackets or real estate. A world where good is done for the sake of good not gain. In the past few months, we the unhoused community at Echo Park Lake, have been creating the groundwork for this world.
Amidst all the drama of L.A.P.D and city harassment we’ve been able to come together as one ☝️ community; both “unhoused” and “housed." What we’ve discovered is that there really is nothing but love. Separation is an illusion. One that our society unfortunately permeates in everything it does. From class division to hierarchical work structures to goals that benefit only the individual ♂️ people are either really feeling themselves... #ego, or really feeling down on themselves and that just isn't our reality. At least not the one that we live everyday in the park.
For us there are no barriers and no labels.
No class divisions and no power structures. We are simply a community of people trying our best to keep positive and keep going through difficult times. When the Mayor cut funding for showers during COVID-19, we didn’t just accept it, we built our own showers . When the city decided to then cut our water supply we didn’t just accept it, we rallied community support and now have full gallons everyday . The point is, we aren’t just your typical homeless encampment who accepts 2nd class citizen treatment and the city knows it ✊.
Now it’s time the world did. We need your help in maintaining and spreading our vision. A vision of inclusion not alienation.
For the past few months, with the help of our community and through the grace of God, we’ve been able to create a JOBS PROGRAM for the unhoused in and around the lake. What at first started as a way to spread some blessings soon turned into a radical new vision of society. Rather than losing all sense of normalcy once you find yourself outside and penniless, why not create an unhoused community that’s an image of society? Where all the essentials are still available and work isn’t a million and 1 applications away.
A community kitchen with tables and chairs so food isn’t such a desperate endeavor. A community pantry tent where all donations can be logged and stored so as to better address the needs of each unhoused encampment. A community medical tent to help with the more common health issues people find themselves with. Community showers and charging stations. Community gardens for both unhoused and housed to grow in. And pay people for it. Pay the unhoused to run all of it. A cook for the kitchen, a nurse for the medical tent, pantry workers, trash collectors, security etc. Give people that sense of agency and purpose that comes along with a job and watch them grow.
We need your support to keep this vision alive. If you feel like we do, that economic position doesn’t dictate humanity, then please donate and help us reach our goal of $20,000 by December 2020. Let’s clean up the city and change the way homelessness is viewed forever.
**All funds raised will go directly to the unhoused community at Echo Park Lake for the following**:
-Expansion/ sustention of camp unhoused JOBS PROGRAM
-Purchase of camp basic survival needs (water, food, hygiene products , etc.)
-Batteries and gas for camp generators and lights
-Building camp communal kitchen and dining area
-Supplies for camp medical tent
-Supplies for camp beautification projects (such as The Lotus Collective Community Garden)
Imagine a world where there was no “bottom”. One where your neighbor was your neighbor because they’re your neighbor not because of tax brackets or real estate. A world where good is done for the sake of good not gain. In the past few months, we the unhoused community at Echo Park Lake, have been creating the groundwork for this world.
Amidst all the drama of L.A.P.D and city harassment we’ve been able to come together as one ☝️ community; both “unhoused” and “housed." What we’ve discovered is that there really is nothing but love. Separation is an illusion. One that our society unfortunately permeates in everything it does. From class division to hierarchical work structures to goals that benefit only the individual ♂️ people are either really feeling themselves... #ego, or really feeling down on themselves and that just isn't our reality. At least not the one that we live everyday in the park.
For us there are no barriers and no labels.
No class divisions and no power structures. We are simply a community of people trying our best to keep positive and keep going through difficult times. When the Mayor cut funding for showers during COVID-19, we didn’t just accept it, we built our own showers . When the city decided to then cut our water supply we didn’t just accept it, we rallied community support and now have full gallons everyday . The point is, we aren’t just your typical homeless encampment who accepts 2nd class citizen treatment and the city knows it ✊.
Now it’s time the world did. We need your help in maintaining and spreading our vision. A vision of inclusion not alienation.
For the past few months, with the help of our community and through the grace of God, we’ve been able to create a JOBS PROGRAM for the unhoused in and around the lake. What at first started as a way to spread some blessings soon turned into a radical new vision of society. Rather than losing all sense of normalcy once you find yourself outside and penniless, why not create an unhoused community that’s an image of society? Where all the essentials are still available and work isn’t a million and 1 applications away.
A community kitchen with tables and chairs so food isn’t such a desperate endeavor. A community pantry tent where all donations can be logged and stored so as to better address the needs of each unhoused encampment. A community medical tent to help with the more common health issues people find themselves with. Community showers and charging stations. Community gardens for both unhoused and housed to grow in. And pay people for it. Pay the unhoused to run all of it. A cook for the kitchen, a nurse for the medical tent, pantry workers, trash collectors, security etc. Give people that sense of agency and purpose that comes along with a job and watch them grow.
We need your support to keep this vision alive. If you feel like we do, that economic position doesn’t dictate humanity, then please donate and help us reach our goal of $20,000 by December 2020. Let’s clean up the city and change the way homelessness is viewed forever.
**All funds raised will go directly to the unhoused community at Echo Park Lake for the following**:
-Expansion/ sustention of camp unhoused JOBS PROGRAM
-Purchase of camp basic survival needs (water, food, hygiene products , etc.)
-Batteries and gas for camp generators and lights
-Building camp communal kitchen and dining area
-Supplies for camp medical tent
-Supplies for camp beautification projects (such as The Lotus Collective Community Garden)
Organizer
Ashley Bennett
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
