Position Statement on Showers and Bathrooms
We affirmatively state, as a wide array of community members, that we wholeheartedly support and advocate for public restrooms and showers for our community. We are all diminished when the least of us lacks rights to be clean and to relieve ourselves in dignity and privacy. Many, if not all of us are separated from homelessness by a mere fire, flood or medical disaster. Some of us are homeless, and our health is suffering, our lives are being shortened and our basic human rights are being violated every day as we are forced to fend for ourselves without showers and bathrooms.
Because recent county rules make the state of being homeless illegal, we believe it is incumbent upon our community to begin to dedicate our resources to lift our people up and out of poverty. Homelessness cannot be solved by this committee but we do face the decision of making a small improvement in the lives of the more than 320 homeless people living in and around Guerneville. We cannot with one hand illegalize homelessness and with the other refuse them the services necessary to avoid homelessness. Nor can our concern end with showers and bathrooms—we must provide for all of our most basic necessities.
Our entire community needs showers and bathrooms not simply because we might some day be homeless (if we aren 't already) but because our moral conscience calls us to care for the least of our brothers and sisters as we would care for ourselves.
We are aware that there are obstacles to this effort but we must find a way to do this, do it right and do it soon. We thank the RRROC Committee and the Restrooms Ad Hoc Committee for their efforts to date and to urge them to accelerate their deliberations. Every day that our neighbors live with no toilets, no privacy, no way of washing themselves, and no rights to the respect they deserve as humans, is one day too long. We all deserve better.
Requested actions:
Approve both showers and bathrooms at one time
Establish a meeting with the community and the offices of appropriate county supervisors on maintenance funding and other issues regarding showers and bathrooms
Establish an ongoing RRROC subcommittee to look into how to serve the working poor, employed and unemployed, and homeless residents
This statement is on behalf of a grouping of Guerneville residents dedicated to seeing our community have the economic human rights we all deserve. We are small business owners, local employees and unemployed; gay, lesbian and straight; homeless, renters and homeowners; we are living with illnesses, are on disability, and able-bodied; we are spiritual and united in a belief in justice and dignity for all our people. Thank you.
(This position statement was submitted to the RRROC regarding the West County community's need for showers and bathrooms. For more information on ongoing activity, please contact Michael Polson at mpolson1@yahoo.com or 707.869.3876)
End Dialogue section