Damning screen grab from the video below, detailing how NYPD and @NYCDHS conduct the cruel "street sweeps" of homeless New Yorkers.

During "sweeps," people are forced out of their location and often have their belongings discarded.

Let's break this pic down in a short thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/humandotnyc/status/1271201133642633219

If this is the first time you're hearing about the "sweeps," we'd recommend you read this article by @akashvmehta @Gothamist.

"The police arrive at about 9 a.m, flanked by outreach and Sanitation workers forming a team of around a dozen city employees."

gothamist.com/news/despite-c…

As we continue to work to #DefundNYPD, we want to take a moment to list some of the cruel, racist, and counterproductive ways in which @NYCMayor uses the NYPD to target homeless NYers.

Let's start with the Joint Command Center. Video below.

🧵: (1/x)

Last November, @NYCMayor rolled out a plan called "The "Journey Home." Through this plan, he created the Joint Command Center. He also tripled the size of NYPD’s Homeless Outreach Unit, investing $9.5 million per year for 79 new staff and $1.1 million for vehicles and equipment.

Update: It’s very cold. Police will begin removing people in 25 minutes, if not sooner. There are no warming busses. Only NYPD and CitiCare vans to transport people who “agree” to go to shelters, almost all of which are dorm-style or congregate settings. Three homeless NYers outside tried to go down to the station before 1AM, and were forced out. We provided socks but they were suspicious as to whether we played in any role in their removal. A sign of the challenges outreach teams will face more than ever moving forward.

Tonight, we spent hours outside the 30th Street Men's Shelter, where the majority of people who "agree" to come to shelter from the subways are being transported.

This is Rick. Like countless others we spoke to, he left within minutes, and understandably so.

THREAD 🧵 30th Street is arguably the most dangerous shelter the city could be bringing people to directly from the subways. It's the city's largest shelter and bedrooms are dorm-style.

It's no wonder so many people refused to go inside or left within an hour.

thecity.nyc/2020/03/little…

Today, we are releasing a new white paper on the “sightings” process, the process unsheltered homeless New Yorkers must work through in order to “prove” their homelessness and secure vital outreach case management services.

THREAD [1/x]:

wnyc.org/story/new-repo… @WNYC @jamifloyd The people we talk to constantly share a version of what you’ll hear in the video, that they have to be “sighted” X # of times:

(Note: NYers have a right to shelter, but many opt against it for legitimate reasons. The "sightings" are not for shelters).

https://twitter.com/i/status/1091082170817564672

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the formal launch of Human.nyc!

Since we launched the "journey map" one year ago, we've fought to bring the voices & ideas from the streets to the forefront of policy conversations on homelessness.

https://twitter.com/humandotnyc/status/1091082168254849026

We spent the last year working to introduce unsheltered homeless New Yorkers to lawmakers & media 📣.

Our goal was to show @NYCMayor that the services that people want and need (housing) are too scarce & too difficult to access, and that people are NOT "service resistant."

For the past three years, we’ve worked directly with street homeless New Yorkers to map out the process they must go through to secure permanent housing. Tweets will never do this justice, but here’s a broad overview featuring the voices of our street homeless neighbors.

Thread: First, people told us they felt safer on the streets than in the shelters.

It’s not that people are “service resistant.” Rather, the shelters are not suitable for many people. @NYGovCuomo called the decision to leave the shelters “a rationale choice.”