收到朋友一個關於日本露宿者捍衛公園住所的運動. 在東京的晚上, 會看到很多露宿者在街上或公園上以紙皮蓋起自己的睡房, 有些還會把房子塗上很漂亮的顏色, 成為城市的一個特色. 到早上, 他們又會很整齊地把紙皮拆開放好. 他們很多會靠檢二手用品來賣, 譬如說, 早上檢了報紙雜誌, 整理好一份一份的, 傍晚會以很便宜的價錢賣. 城市是他們賴以為生的地方.
一直以來, 政府都以一個比較容忍的態度去面對這群人, 不過最近東京政府似乎銳意把這些人趕出城市. 其手段是一般右翼政權所採用的方法: 把露宿者描繪為一群喜歡到處游盪的閒人, 霸佔公共空間等...由露宿者及露宿者之友組成的公園集體正組織反對政府言論和政策的行動. 以下是行動的背景及組織公開信, 大家可以致函以示支持:
HELP US FIGHT city ordinances shutting the homeless out of public parks!
Staying in parks MUST NOT be made illegal!
Our organization, Koen-no-Kai (The Park Collective), is made
up of individuals, both homeless and non-homeless, and
organizations - all working to support homeless persons in
Tokyo. On October 8, 2004, Tokyo governor Ishihara made it
clear at a press conference that he is thinking of revising
city ordinances to prevent homeless persons from staying in
city parks. Newspapers informed the public that, “As soon as
preparations for transitioning [the homeless] have been set…
we will make the prevention of settling [in parks] a solid
policy… if this takes effect, it will be the first such move
anywhere in the nation,” and “Measures against violators will
be strict.”
However, this ordinance contains a great number of problematic points.
1) In his public address, the Tokyo governor has shown no
consideration for actual conditions that the homeless face.
First of all, Governor Ishihara fails to understand the
difficulties homeless people struggle with to survive. This can
be seen in his past statements (some equating the homeless with
“free spirits”) such as “after three days living in the
open, people just get hooked; they can’t stop”. Today in
Japan, there are over 25,000 persons living on the streets.
Once one becomes homeless, the lack of an address makes it
nearly impossible to find work. Without work, one cannot find a
place to live. Furthermore, social welfare administrations in
Japan are not providing Japanese citizens even the minimal
level of subsistence as guaranteed in the Constitution.
Evictions, as well as the removal and destruction of personal
belongings are now being carried out by government
administrations across the country. These actions deprive the
homeless of their place to sleep - fundamental to their right
to exist and survive, and also deprives them of their personal
possessions - fundamental to their personal and social lives.
For example, on October 29, 2004 the east Tokyo park authority
office sent 100 employees, guards, and police at 4am to
violently remove nine tents, newly built in Yoyogi Park, and
their owners. Five of the nine individuals are currently taking
action in court for redress on human rights grounds.
２）By prohibiting persons from inhabiting parks, the Governor
may make parks appear “cleaner”, but the problem of how our
current society sends people to the streets will become less
visible.
Governor Ishihara has stated that the homeless are “an
outcome of the declining economy,” but the fact is that people
do not become homeless simply due to an economic recession. In
Japan shifts in industrial structures (for example, available
employment shifting from manufacturing to service sectors), lay-
offs and corporate restructuring, wage cuts, slashes in
employment compensation, and the reduction of available work to
only that part-time or temporary, have inevitably led to a
continually growing number of unemployed. People are being
forced to the streets because of the government’s failure to
enact sufficient social guarantees, or agenda necessary for
tackling unemployment. It is impossible to think that the
homeless problem could be solved by evicting the homeless from
parks, while preparing to transition only a select portion of
them.
The removal of homeless persons’ tents and belongings is a
gross violation of Article 11 (“…the right of everyone to…
housing”) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, to which Japan is a signatory and
repeatedly being served warnings for its breaches. The removal
of tents not only deprives persons of their living space and
whatever resources they have to find work or subsistence, but
also appears to be a stunt meant to hide any sign of their
existence as they are forced to die on the streets.
３）The governor’s statements reflect prejudices that the
homeless are “scary,” “dangerous,” and ought to be
expelled.
The governor has said that “[because of the homeless] young
girls are no longer able to do gymnastic training or any
exercises in the parks in the afternoons.” Such statements
only strengthen current prejudices. It is expressions like
these that have motivated social exclusion of socially-
vulnerable homeless people, as well as absolutely unforgivable
incidents of violence against them. If society as a whole
should come to think of itself in this way, then not only the
homeless, but also other groups facing prejudice and
discrimination will be increasingly pushed to the outside. The
ordinance preventing persons from inhabiting parks would
destroy the ability of the homeless to congregate and assist
each other for survival, and furthermore allow for greater acts
of social expulsion and prejudice.
４）The ”preparations to transition [the homeless]” that the
governor speaks of are inadequate.
The preparations that the governor speaks of relate to a
program where the city of Tokyo will offer low-rent apartments
and enrollment in six-months of temporary work to persons
living in tents within 5 of the largest metropolitan parks.
However, homeless persons not living in tents, or those in
tents outside of these parks cannot apply. This program started
last year with three parks. Already many entrants speak of
concerns that the provision of work and securities in post-
transition apartment life are not sufficient for stability. If,
next, the prohibition of staying in parks is made official,
then the remaining tents of people who chose not to enter the
city’s program will most likely be forcibly removed. To date,
tent communities have been a space where the homeless could
help each other survive; eviction by the city would not only
scatter them, but destroy their access to personal bonds of
support as well. On January 24th, 2005 an order was passed
allowing the city of Nagoya to forcibly remove eight tents
and their owners from Shirakawa Park. The enforcement of
prohibition against the inhabitancy of homeless persons in
this park, may have a very serious impact on conditions for
homeless persons, and civil society as a whole, across Japan.
For the above four reasons, we are strongly opposed to shutting
homeless persons out from city parks. A great amount of thought
must be given to these issues. We demand that the issues
involved be addressed sanely with an open and civil discussion.
Koen-no-Kai petition board:
Sachiko Arai,
Koji Goto - Soup-no-Kai,
Kanami Ikegami - Food Bank,
Daisuke Kuroiwa - NOJIREN,
Nasubi - San'ya Welfare Center for Day-Laborers' Association,
Noriko Nakamura - Hoshi-no-Ie,
Osamu Ogawa - Inclusive Suginami,
Rayna Rusenko - IMA Emergency Shelter
--------------------------------------
Dear friends,
I am sending a petition being circulated by homeless and
non-homeless activists throughout Japan - to protest Tokyo’s
recent move to “cleanse” parks of homeless persons who stay
there. Please see the translation of the original Japanese
text below and contact [email protected] with your name (and organization)!
The ability of homeless persons to collectivize and create
safe communities in public parks up till now has been an
immeasurable resource for both their own physical and mental
health as well as their capacity to reach out to others (and
organize!). Should the ordinance (see below) pass, the city
of Tokyo will be setting dangerous precedents. First, if we
allow the existence of tents (and their residents) to be
debated as a problem solve-able by banning “offensive”
people/matter from park environments, public discourse will
increasingly be diverted to valuing the health of “parks”
and “public properties” over that of fellow citizens.
Secondly, superficial benefits to “having nice public spaces”
will lead to a chain reaction of prohibition ordinances across
Japan, thus seriously threatening the lives of thousands of men
and women who may ultimately be forced to live fluidly on the
streets.
I ask for any and all organizations and individuals concerned
with this issue to contact me ([email protected]) as soon as
possible with your name(s) so that I may add them to the
petition; we will be using it for active lobbying in the local
and national Diets, as well as for campaigns to stir greater
public understanding. Please feel free to contact me with any
questions as well.
Thank you!
Rayna
PS see the original Japanese version at:
http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~ninja/seimeipic.gif or http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~ninja/seimei2.pdf
