NBC Bay Area /

News

SJSU Students Sleeping Out in Tents Homelessness, poverty message behind tent city

Updated 12:27 PM PDT, Thu, Nov 20, 2008

 

San Jose State University students will set up camp and spend the night in 150 tents on campus Thursday to urge the government to respond to an increase in homelessness and poverty in the country.

The students are responding to ongoing home foreclosures and  unemployment rates by replicating tent cities that pop up all over the  nation. They're trying to grab the attention of the federal government,  paying particular attention to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.

Each tent will be sponsored by a community or student organization and have a prepared statement describing their own definition of poverty and  homelessness.

Students started setting up the tents Thursday morning and will take them down Friday morning. Speakers will start around 6 p.m.

Comments (4)

Sort by: Most Recent | Oldest
  • Irate Monday, Nov 24 at 4:25 PM FLAG COMMENT In point of fact, the organizers of the event staged a successful canned food and blanket drive in addition to their awareness-raising activities. Of course, as this 100 word story does not mention any supplementary efforts in that area, it is inconceivable that they might have taken place, you smug, arrogant jerk.
  • Anonymous Thursday, Nov 20 at 8:24 PM FLAG COMMENT Gee...I love Socialistic causes that indulge in the idea that we are all victims of our bad choices. Keep up the good work and one day we will all live in poverty.
  • Anonymous Thursday, Nov 20 at 3:41 PM FLAG COMMENT gree! How many of these students have actually spoken to a homeless person and simply ask why are they homeless or befriended a homeless person to "help" them off the streets. Why doesn't each tent invite a couple of homeless people to join them for the night to keep warm!
  • Sanders Thursday, Nov 20 at 1:45 PM FLAG COMMENT Who will be picking up the garbage left behind by the students? I suppose the individuals participating in this should be commended, but priase is mighty short these days. I guess faxing, writing letters or contacting their government representatives would be viewed as mundane. I suppose contributing food, clothing or making donations to all the sundry charities wouldn't be as interesting as pitching tents and having the pr ... MORE >

Post a Comment

Name


Comment - You have 2000 characters left

Enter both words below, separated by a space, in the field located to the lower right. Can't read the words below? Try different words or an audio captcha. What's this?