Dear Will Johnson,

At a recent City Council meeting, one Public Forum speaker was told by Mayor Kincannon that she and Council members do not answer questions, that the Public Forum is a "one-way street." Is there any Public Forum or Town Hall format in Knoxville where the Mayor and Council members can answer questions put forth by citizens?

Michael Kaplan

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Mr. Kaplan,

You are welcome to write, email, or phone members of City Council. You may do the same for Mayor Kincannon.

Will Johnson
City Recorder

Protesters arrested on UT Knoxville campus

"Oppenheimer" was shot on film -- IMAX-format film, in fact -- but it's not being projected from a film print in Regal's home town. Only 30 IMAX 15/70 prints have been made. One's going to Nashville (Opry Mills), one to Atlanta/Buford, and one to Newport KY.

Downtown Knoxville, tonight.

Ralph Nader was interviewed today on DemocracyNow! on the viability and importance of print media. He's just launched two print papers.

Which leads to asking why, when we have several viable local print papers (see photo) we no longer have an 'alternative' Metropulse, Mercury or Voice. The papers shown below, all distributed free of charge, subsist on ads, public/legal notices and classifieds.

When I-40 was doubled in width as it passed through downtown and the inner neighborhoods, a budget was designated for planting the berms that support the highway. Those woods have become shelter for homeless encampments. Two weeks ago, the city broke through the chain link fence that encloses the berms on Magnolia (opposite the Greyhound station) and demolished an encampment. The vegetation - what was supposed to be an 'urban forest' - has been clear cut. Smart fix.

Rummaging through old files.

Tennessee anti-vax 'movement' featured in a PBS segment

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Does anyone know if Knoxville has a certified community kitchen for use by individuals wishing to prepare foods for home delivery or sale in farmers' markets? I believe this is a common 'economic development' feature in some other cities.

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Thursday, March 18, at 4 pm

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CBS 60 Minutes did a long segment today (March 7) on the "new homeless" in Columbus, Ohio. It documents low-wage workers who've lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and are living in tents because they can't afford housing. It's notable to see how Columbus - and Ohio in general - is dealing with the problem. They're leaving people in their tents and have mobilized the National Guard to provide emergency services.

The CBS reporter states that homelessness is up some 50% this year, and increasing.

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Pratt & Whitney will build a 1 million square-foot advanced manufacturing center on a 100-acre Asheville site the Biltmore Farms Co. offered to Pratt & Whitney for $1, part of $15 million in state economic incentives plan that lured the company to North Carolina instead of several competing states.

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Updated 02 February

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Stop the raids! Join our mission to end destructive raids of unhoused encampments during hazardous weather conditions. When the city of Knoxville conducts bulldozer sweeps to clear encampments of unhoused people during or right before extreme weather conditions, our neighbors risk injury and death as a direct result of having their shelter and personal belongings destroyed.

Hello Mr. Kaplan,

I am sorry your follow-up questions were not answered. I am happy to provide the following information:

1. Smaller encampments refers to areas where a few unsheltered people camp. This is often in an area that is wooded or not easily visible.

2. The City has no designated camping areas.

3. The City tries to be responsive to remove camps when there are complaints from private property owners or when people are camping in public areas.

As Mike Dunthorn indicated, VMC and CAC have added street outreach workers (there are now a total of 9 workers) who engage unsheltered individuals and families with the goal of getting people in shelter and adequately housed. Shelters continue to have beds available to accommodate people, even as they space those beds out and implement other COVID protocols in coordination with the health department. VMC, in coordination with the Health Department operates the Guest House, in order to accommodate homeless individuals who are either awaiting COVID test results or who have tested positive and must quarantine while they recover.

Please let me know if you have additional questions. Thanks,

Becky Wade
Director of Housing and Neighborhood Development
City of Knoxville

Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Article 25 states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, medical care and necessary social services.”

While the Declaration is not in and of itself US domestic law, it does provide internationally accepted guidelines for the behavior of governments towards their citizenry.

The demolition of homeless encampments on public land by Mayors Rogero and Kincannon seems a violation of the Declaration. I can't think of the demolition of Blackstock during a pandemic as anything but "inhuman or degrading treatment." The city, including the Mayor and members of the Community Development office, have not provided any specific details on the destination of those displaced by the demolitions, nor have they commented on public policy regarding the continued demolition of new encampments.

As the moratorium on COVID-related evictions is scheduled to end, and persons continue to sleep on sidewalks, under the highways, and roam the neighborhoods pushing carts, citizens have a right and need to know what the city's homeless policy is.

Eleanor Roosevelt, who served as the first Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, wrote:

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

In response to questions I posed to Michael Dunthorn in the city's Office on Homelessness, I received the following response (below). I have highlighted two phrases in his response. The city claimed the shelters could accommodate all the displaced Blackstock residents. So I asked whether the displaced persons took advantage of those available beds. Apparently they did not, as "many chose to relocate to other, smaller encampments." So I asked whether the city intended to proceed with the demolition of those "smaller encampments." No response yet from Mr. Dunthorn. Second, he stated that "the incidence of COVID-19 in the homeless population here has remained extremely low." So I asked why then would the homeless not be permitted to remain in their encampments during the pandemic, per CDC guidelines. No reponse yet.

Mr. Kaplan,

In collaboration with our nonprofit community partners, the City of Knoxville is continuing to work on the difficult issue of unsheltered homelessness. Before and during the time that the clearing at Blackstock occurred, people in those encampments were contacted and provided options to connect with shelter and other resources to help them. Everyone was given the opportunity to collect their belongings, and many were provided wheeled totes to help with this. Following the clearing at Blackstock, some individuals were able to reunite with their families, some did opt to go into shelter, and many chose to relocate to other, smaller encampments.

Outreach and case management work continues, and with help of funding from the City, Volunteer Ministry Center is in the process of hiring four additional street outreach workers. CAC has hired one additional street outreach worker with support from Knox County, and is also expanding outreach and case management to assist families experiencing homelessness. Shelters continue to have beds available to accommodate people, even as they space those beds out and implement other COVID protocols in coordination with the health department. VMC, in coordination with the Health Department operates the Guest House, in order to accommodate homeless individuals who are either awaiting COVID test results or who have tested positive and must quarantine while they recover. Fortunately so far, the incidence of COVID-19 in the homeless population here has remained extremely low.

With additional Cares Act funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, we are working to provide additional resources to our community partners to support outreach, housing placements, homelessness prevention, and shelter enhancements, and are looking for options to provide specialized shelter and resources for youth and families who experience homelessness.

Knoxville, like every other city in this country, is facing extremely difficult challenges in addressing homelessness during a pandemic. I work every day with our community partners who are tirelessly doing incredible work to meet the needs of as many individuals and families as they can. While a vaccine is now on the horizon, their determination and those efforts will continue through the winter.

Michael Dunthorn
City of Knoxville Office on Homelessness