By Alexa Carera
IR3038: Conflict Management, Resolution, and Settlement
I decided to create a storyboard about the blueprint in place to end homelessness in my hometown, Oakland, California, because the issue is very near and dear to my heart. I often see people with the privilege of secure housing in my community complaining about the ‘ugliness’ or ‘danger’ of the homeless encampments found under nearly every major highway. It often feels like the issue is greater than myself, and so I struggle to express the injustice of the system to people with those complaints.
Although I am not artistically inclined in any way shape or form, the session with Ashling reminded me that pictures and words in unison can have a powerful affect. I wish that I had the artistic ability to show what is in my mind on the page, but I hope the illustrations that I have come up with illustrate my point nonetheless.
For example, in the first panel I want to emphasise the fact that the cellphone, food, car and clothing were added for a very specific reason: many people facing homelessness in Oakland continue to raise their children, hold onto a minimum of one job, and act as a ‘contributing member of society’; yet they still faced a situation in which they lost their home. This can be due to welfare issues, like lack of adequate healthcare, but it can also be completely due to external factors, mainly gentrification and unjust zoning laws.
I hope that this storyboard illustrates the fact that homelessness is a multifaceted issue but the solutions are still right in front of our noses; it is up to those with the privilege to speak up against this issue to ignore our superficial judgements about how a homeless encampment appears and instead prioritise ending homelessness so everyone in our community can live with dignity.
