𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 “𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.”

A CLIMATE DYSTOPIA IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Naomi Klein writes about Chico for the Intercept_

“Even in California, where the lack of affordable housing has reached epidemic levels in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chico — an outdoorsy college town — stands out for the ruthlessness with which its city government and police have turned on unhoused residents...

...[One of the right-wing] talking points is that the city’s unsheltered population has suffered from something they call “toxic compassion.” The idea is that by attempting to help, a “culture” of drug dependence and camping by choice is being “enabled.” According to this logic, if camping is banned and clean needles aren’t available, then people will find shelter beds and get the mental health and addiction treatments they need. It’s a domestic version of the discourse of “deterrence” at the southern border: the idea that treating people with some modicum of humanity encourages them to take risky journeys. Cruelty, therefore, is the greater compassion.”