As one of the original co-founders of The Contributor, I have a vested interest in its long-term success, and there is no doubt that when we put together our steering committee and thought through the structure, we were on the right track. So it is with great sadness that I watch police in Brentwood working so hard against such a successful business model, and one that has created tremendous opportunities for people who otherwise would be suckling at the public teat on a regular basis.
The current civil rights violations occurring to vendors in the city of Brentwood, Tennessee is not surprising to me and in fact, I'm actually surprised it took this long for some city official to try and put the hammer down on The Contributor.
There is such horrific stigma against those experiencing homelessness, compounded by incredible ignorance of the larger "housed" population as to why people spiral into homelessness in the first place. I don't expect many in Brentwood to "get it," since it is one of the wealthiest communities in the state, perhaps even the country (although residents places like Incline Village, NV. are definitely snickering at the "spec" homes in the Brentwood area), which is why it's more important than ever for locals in that area to have access to what the vendors are selling.
You see, The Contributor isn't a newspaper written for the homeless. It is written primarily by the homeless and formerly homeless to help illuminate the root causes of homelessness, to raise awareness of the challenges and barriers faced by the homeless, and to help provide employment opportunities to those who otherwise wouldn't stand a chance in hell of ever finding a job, especially in communities like Brentwood.
Money buys a lot of things and Brentwood has plenty to throw around. But money cannot buy integrity, honesty, employability, self-esteem and self-respect, and the satisfaction of earning a living. The Contributor provides all these things to its vendors, and at the same time, it helps smash stereotypes about those experiencing homelessness.
Clearly, with the attitudes and behaviors of law enforcement and some members of the community of Brentwood, we still have a lot of work to do.....
Gail Kerr: Brentwood cares more about its
own looks than for the homeless
The city of Brentwood’s ban on homeless and formerly homeless newspaper vendors from selling on public sidewalks that front their sprawling big-box retail stores and lines of chain restaurants has gotten them sued.
Good. Here’s hoping a federal judge throws the First Amendment at them.
The Contributor newspaper and the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Brentwood that is straightforward: The city has an overly broad ordinance to stop anyone from selling stuff from public sidewalks. But both the United States and Tennessee constitutions guarantee the right of free speech, expression and freedom of the press.
Brentwood officials claim they issued citations to the newspaper vendors for safety’s sake. It’s far more likely that Brentwood officials don’t want homeless people hanging in their neighborhood. Poverty does make people uncomfortable, doesn’t it?
Perhaps if they understood what The Contributor is and does, Brentwood’s finest would take the vendors sunscreen and water instead of trying to keep them from crossing city limits.
The Contributor is a highly successful venture. It started in 2007 with 10 homeless vendors and an annual circulation of 1,500 newspapers.
Today, the paper is an official 501(c)3 nonprofit. It has 370 vendors — they’ve had to put a limit on the number — and a monthly circulation in June of 117,111 papers. That makes it one of the most successful street newspapers in the world.
Vendors choose where they sell. Often, clients become friends with their vendor and seek out the monthly paper. The project grew so quickly that downtown corners were soon overpopulated with Contributor vendors. They began spreading out, traveling by bus to areas like Green Hills and Bellevue to sell newspapers. Brentwood was a natural place to sell because their residents are affluent.
The paper’s content focuses mostly on issues surrounding homelessness, but it also has features, puzzles, music reviews, news about local issues and poetry. Vendors buy the paper for a quarter, resell it for $1 and keep the profit and any tips.
They have to sign a code of standards that include selling only while sober, wearing an official vendor identification, staying off private property and not harassing people to get them to buy a newspaper.
Yes, some of them look scruffy. You would look that way, too, if you stood on a sidewalk all day selling newspapers, returning to the mission or a beat-up hotel room to sleep at night.
The vendors who were fined by Brentwood were on public sidewalks and were not obstructing or blocking the flow of pedestrian or car traffic, according to the lawsuit. They paid their fines.
Brentwood could settle this thing easily by changing the law. Maybe city leaders would gain some understanding and compassion if they learned this, the most meaningful statistic about The Contributor. Since it began, one-third of the newspaper vendors have been able to afford housing and are no longer living on the streets.
Surely that is more important that foolish worries about spoiling Brentwood’s look.
