This letter is a call to action to the citizens of Maine to come together and rally at 11 a.m. Monday. We will be meeting at Monument Square in Portland and marching to City Hall, where we’ll be holding a rally in conjunction and solidarity with the National Coalition for the Homeless.

The National Coalition for the Homeless will be holding its rally on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, as the court is slated to hear the landmark case of Johnson v. Grants Pass, Oregon. This case is one of the biggest cases of our lifetimes concerning homelessness and the criminalization of homeless people and how we treat public spaces. We come together with 30 other cities nationwide that will be holding local rallies, while we are keeping our eye on the pulse of the nation with what’s going on in Washington, D.C., and the Supreme Court.

Although the decision will not be handed down until June, we know that if we can bring as much attention as possible while the Supreme Court is going through its deliberations, hearing amicus briefs and oral arguments for and against. We hope that the court will see how many people across our great nation care about these issues and will come to a decision to uphold the decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals: that arresting and/or leveling fines on people for being homeless who otherwise have nowhere else to go is a violation of the Eighth Amendment.

This is a call to action to all people to come out in support for our unhoused brothers and sisters in Maine.

Zachary Moore
South Portland

 

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