What would be a humane response to the needs of the most vulnerable in society during a humanitarian crisis? Lock them up — that’s what the new Emergency Coronavirus Bill proposes. The Government introduced it on Thursday (March 19) to Parliament

Adams, F

Emmerich, F

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Anyone can publish on Medium per our Policies, but we don’t fact-check every story. For more info about thecoronavirus, see cdc.gov.Coronavirus and the homeless: Whyincreasing policing powers is not theanswerFelicity Adams, PhD Candidate, and Dr Fabienne Emmerich, LawLecturer, explain the impact the Emergency Coronavirus Bill could haveon the homeless.Keele University FollowMar 20 · 4 min readWhat would be a humane response to the needs of the most vulnerable insociety during a humanitarian crisis? Lock them up — that’s what the newEmergency Coronavirus Bill proposes. The Government introduced it onThursday (March 19) to Parliament.The legislation will increase police and immigration oIcer powers to detainand quarantine people if they are suspected of being infected. Should aperson refuse to be tested, they are committing an oMence and subject to£1,000 Pne. The Government states that the measures contained in the Billare “temporary, proportionate to the threat, [and] will only be used whenstrictly necessary and will be in place for as long as required to respond tothe situation”.The Government positions the Bill as part of a utilitarian endeavour toprotect the “nation’s public health”. However, this will disproportionatelyaMect people who are homeless and are unable to self-isolate and othervulnerable groups who depend on services. Is the Government content withexcluding these vulnerable people from our nation? Journalist Owen Joneshighlights in the Guardian the “collision” between the COVID-19 pandemicand the systemic inequalities generated under the British class system. Bypermitting the police to detain those unable to self-isolate, these additionallegislative powers go one step further in exacerbating these inequalities.The Government turns away from the needs of the vulnerable byresponding to the threat posed by an inability to self-isolate throughdetention. In essence, the Government is criminalising vulnerability andneed.MPs call for safe spacesThe Lib Dem MP Layla Moran has put forward an alternative approach. Sheis calling for “safe spaces must be provided for homeless and othervulnerable people to self-isolate”. This approach complements the broaderscale strategy suggested by candidate for Labour Deputy leader DawnButler MP. She has taken to Twitter to reinforce the need for acomprehensive social care programme to confront the pandemic.Despite a call for love and solidarity during this humanitarian crisis, theGovernment has prioritised operationalizing punitive legislation whichexpands the carceral net. In eMect, the police are coercing people to bescreened and detaining those who refuse. The Government and media areprioritizing the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Thosewho do not Pt into these measures are left unsupported. This in eMectcreates a hierarchy of vulnerability in which people who are homeless andoften have complex needs become invisible.In spite of compassion and care, people who are homeless and present withsymptoms may be detained. There they will be subject to further harm.Activist and author, Angela Davis describes the prison as a place ofisolation, suMering and violence. Similarly, The Royal College ofPsychiatrists highlight the likely increase in individual suMering and the riskof self-harming behaviours and suicide whilst in immigration detention. Itis clear that detention is the embodiment of suMering and this suMeringtranscends individual detention contexts.Care not detentionAbove all else, we need a robust approach to the COVID-19 health crisiswhich centres care not detention. Nevertheless, the Government shirks itsduty of care to adequately safeguard society. Instead, community organiserslead the way in supporting some of the most vulnerable through mutual aidgroups. These small groups equip those at risk from contracting the viruswith necessities to help them navigate this unfamiliar terrain. These eMortsinclude running errands, cooking, and alternative forms of socialization.The Big Door Brigade, a group of people based in Seattle, WashingtonoMering mutual aid resources highlight the power of these groups to createmore “survivable” societies. What is clear is that unlike the additional policepowers, these progressive mutual aid eMorts are underpinned by love, careand compassion.We are all living in increasingly fragmented societies with narrowing accessto healthcare services and basic amenities. We must take seriously the needfor “social-distancing” during these unprecedented times. However, theseimmediate individual eMorts must be carried out in plural with a broaderscale collective strategy rooted in compassion.“Social distancing” requires us to be mindful of our physical proximity tolimit our collective exposure to the Coronavirus. We follow this guidanceout of love for each other. But what this advice does not require is for us tolimit our social interactions with our existing communities and beyond.Fortunately, advancements in technology enable our interactions to take amyriad of alternative forms. Nor does the advice invite us to disenfranchisepeople on the periphery of our society through “emergency” carceralgovernance measures. We need each other more than ever.During these uncertain times we must challenge these coercive initiativeswhich divide our societies and opt for full-scale community solidarity. Thismeans standing strong with our marginalised friends and leaving violencebehind to look back on itself. Our eMorts must centre the most vulnerable inour collective consciences in order to shield each other and create desirablesocial worlds.Keele Comment Police Homeless CoronavirusWrite the Mrst responseStay up to date on coronavirus (Covid-19)Follow the Medium Coronavirus Blog or sign up for the newsletter to read expert-backedcoronavirus stories from Medium and across the web, such as:More people are getting infected with Covid-19, but fewer ventilators are needed. Why?Will people get the coronavirus vaccine?Hey America, what happened to contact tracing?Discover MediumWelcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smartvoices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads insight. WatchMake Medium yoursFollow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver thebest stories for you to your homepage and inbox. ExploreBecome a memberGet unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — andsupport writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. UpgradeAbout Help Legal11 clapsWRITTEN BYKeele University Follow№1 in England for Student Satisfaction (NSS, broad-based) andTEF Gold - it's the #KeeleDicerence. Britain's largest single-sitecampus. Many squirrels.Keele University Follow№1 in England for Course Satisfaction (The Guardian, 2019) andTEF Gold. Britain's largest single-site campus. Many, manysquirrels.KEELE COMMENT KEELE EXPERT VOICE KEELE STUDENT VOICE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE KEELE UNIVERSITYUpgrade

Coronavirus and the homeless: Why increasing police powers is not the answer

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Coronavirus and the homeless: Why increasing police powers is not the answer

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