Unconscionable

And Unacceptable

On 24 July 25, before he left for a business trip in Scotland, Donald John Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14321. It is grandly titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets.” It gave his minion mice permission to play while he was away.

Credit. Cagle Cartoons

Mr. Big stayed in the news while abroad. The Scots booed him. The camera caught him cheating at golf. King Charles was in the neighborhood and ignored him. The European Union flattered him for increasing taxes on his subjects by means of a poor, unnecessary, and unenforceable tariff deal.

The order was published on the day he returned to America, on 29 July 25.

The Awful Order

EO 14321 has as its stated purpose and policy the “Shifting (of) homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment (to) restore public order.” (Emphasis added.)

Section 1 claims that “Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe. The number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during (2024 was) 274,224…The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health condition, or both. Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes. An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions…Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.”

It makes a bad situation worse. It is duplicitous on its face and unsustainable in any present context of detention, incarceration, or elimination of “undesirable” residents of this county.

It is the very embodiment of “mission creep” during a Time of Terror. It expands its net of abuse beyond racism, to capture marginalized residents. It is the next step down the slippery slope of “cleansing” operations. Remember Nuremberg.

And, beyond concerns about human rights, civil liberties, and the rule of law, EO 14321 enshrines the standard Trump 2.0 opportunities for unjust enrichment and criminal misconduct. It is predatory.

No Room in the Inn

The United States is holding over 1.2 million persons in its prison systems. ICE is scrambling to find or create space to detain another 100,000. To that burden in current and proposed custodial care afforded by the American taxpayer, EO 14321 will add another nearly 300,000 persons. Options for holding persons swept off the streets quickly morph into human warehousing programs of a dystopian nature.

Civil Commitment versus Detention

Both commitment and detention programs are custodial. The difference lies in the nature of persons held, the purpose of the restrictive condition, and its likely duration.

1. Civil Commitment. The language of EO 14321 is ominous. It speaks of “restoring” civil commitment programs. Think The Snake Pit (1948) or One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest (1975). Think any horrible time where a person can be disappeared into a place of confinement with disturbed strangers. With no means of escape. The objective and net effect of EO 14321 is to take into custody, hold, and “treat” persons guilty of being wretched in a public place. It directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:

a. Seek to reverse Federal or State judicial precedents and terminate consent decrees which would impede civil commitment of persons “with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time; (emphasis added) and,

b. By legal means, assist State and local governments in identifying, adopting, and implementing “maximally flexible civil commitment, institutional treatment, and “step-down” treatment standards that allow for the appropriate commitment and treatment of individuals with mental illness who pose a danger to others or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves.”

Good-bye writ of habeas corpus, due process, and most constitutional protections.

2. Detention. ICE detains persons guilty of working while brown. Congress requires it to maintain capacity for holding 34,000 persons in a humane manner. It cannot adequately process and hold the 3000 person per day (1 million per year) “catch” target set by Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff. The Project 2025 playbook blesses the use of “temporary” custodial facilities when the capacity of jails and prisons designed to American Correctional Association (ACA) standards is exceeded. Alligator Alcatraz has proven a costly experiment in that type of inadequate and inhumane holding.

Double Speak

The White House styles EO 14321 as a campaign promise kept—to Make America Safe Again. In 2023, the Felon Trump said: “We will use every tool, lever, and authority to get the homeless off our streets. We want to take care of them, but they have to be off our streets.” The White House website proudly points to the following three executive actions preceding EO 14321:

1. On 27 Mar 25, President Trump signed Executive Order 14252—entitled “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful.” It directs the National Park Service to clear all homeless encampments and graffiti off Federal lands in Washington, D.C.

Credit. Edmonton Journal

In the Washington, D.C. region, there were 9,774 people experiencing homelessness in 2024:

a. 3,960 single individuals; and,

b. 1,656 people in 539 family households

How many were sleeping in encampments or exposed to weather is not clear. The families sleeping in cars are the ones most affected by cuts to the school nutrition programs. Reduced funding for public transportation and library facilities makes spit baths in their toilet rooms an endangered hygiene option for the homeless.

The order does not speak to the details of the eviction operation. The “getting them off the streets” objective is clear. Relocation logistics are not stated. And, the budget for the “taking care of them” part is not defined. These silences are worrisome.

Too many Americans are one paycheck away from homelessness to ignore remedial implementation strategies and details. Human rights and herd health are at risk when force is unleashed against marginal members of the governed.

2. In a single night in January 2023, there were 35,574 veterans experiencing homelessness in the U.S. Nationwide, veterans comprise about 7% of the homeless population, according to Backpack Bed for Homeless. On 09 May 25, Captain Bone Spurs signed Executive Order 14296--Keeping Promises to Veterans and Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence. The EO promises to provide a National Center for Warrior Independence at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus. The administration calls this “a place where homeless veterans can go to receive the care, benefits, and services to which they are entitled.” The goal of the Center is to help veterans “earn back their self-sufficiency.” The phrasing is offensive and the concept is outrageous. These men and women already “earned” our respect and support. The grand vision of the Center is challenged by the reality of resources, bureaucracy, and/or the actual struggles faced by veterans on the ground.

The duplicity of Captain Bone Spurs is hard to take.

3. As part of First Lady Melania Trump’s BE BEST Initiative, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $1.8 million dollar investment to prevent homelessness among young Americans aging out of the foster care system. Give credit where due. This is a good idea. Now let’s see a report of where, when, how, and to what good effect the funds have been or will be spent.

The Importance of Being Urgent

Trump 2.0 already has a very active program of lawless, disruptive, and counter-productive interaction with residents actively supporting themselves, their families, their neighbors, their community, and businesses offering services they need. EO 14321 targets residents down on their luck.

It seems reasonable to believe that karma will smite the spin doctors serving Trump 2.0.

Until then, it is vital to monitor implementation of EO 14321 and to challenge its every illegal act.

The Abiding Issue

Pogo Possum was a cartoon character living in the Okefenokee Swamp and the Sunday paper comic section from 1948 to 1973. He was famous for his humble satire.

Credit. Flickr

In this observation he is twisting a victory dispatch from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry during the War of 1812 into a comment about Americans fighting each other to the detriment of both sides. At least as famously, and immediately applicable today, was Perry’s exhortation “Don’t give up the ship.”

We are a nation convulsed by the weaponizing of our rule of law against our essential freedoms and inalienable rights. We live in an untenable and unsustainable context of purposeful chaos and cruelty. Trump 2.0 is a naked effort to benefit the few at the expense of the many. It purposefully pits neighbors against each other.

We the People dissatisfied with the results and consequences of Election 2024 do not enjoy the option of surrender.

Manifesto

The human animal can live:

1. Three minutes without air;

2. Three days without water;

3. Thirty days without food; and,

4. Forevermore without:

a. Donald John Trump; and,

b. The noxious Project 2025 playbook.

It is wrong to ignore both sides of the issue of homelessness.

It is worse to give credence and public funding to programs that are not thoughtful, lawful, and cost-effective.

Anthem

It is up to each of us disappointed in the results and consequences of Election 2025 to:

1. Rise up;

2. Stay up;

3. Protest;

4. Persist; and,

5. Prevail.

To be all we can be.

To be free.