The New York Civil Liberties Union today will file notices of claim on behalf of three homeless New Yorkers whose belongings were destroyed by police and in conjunction will launch a campaign #TheThingsWeCarry asking for humanity in the treatment of homeless New Yorkers this holiday season. "Homelessness is a tragedy, not a crime," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. "The government has no right to treat homeless people's few personal possessions like garbage. No matter how much pressure the city is under to address homelessness, all people deserved to be treated with basic humanity." In the early hours of October 2, 2015, three homeless New Yorkers, Floyd, Timmy and Jesus were sleeping in a small area partly sheltered from the rain in East Harlem when they were awoken with flashlights by police and sanitation workers in white hazmat suits. They were told they were no longer welcome. Along with the other homeless people in the location, the three began to gather up their belongings. But before they could do so, sanitation workers seized their personal possessions and threw them in a sanitation truck with operating trash compactors. The three protested the actions of the officers to no avail and watched as their possessions were destroyed. The illegal destruction of their property was caught on video. The NYCLU requested this footage via a Freedom of Information Law request, and is today releasing never-before-seen footage of homeless people being kicked awake and watching as their possessions are dragged away in front of them and thrown in a trash compacter. The NYCLU’s three complainants lost some of the most valuable possessions they owned. Floyd lost his birth certificate, social security card, blood pressure medication, inhaler, clothing, a list of important names and phone numbers including shelters, and a silver cross necklace. Jesus lost his birth certificate, social security card, clothing, jacket, shopping cart and personal hygiene products. Timmy lost his birth certificate, social security card, shoes, jackets, a Steelers jersey and personal hygiene products. The notices of claim will ask the city to return to these three homeless people the monetary value of what they lost, as well as damages for emotional distress. Altogether, the monetary value of their possessions is low, at most $800 dollars per person. But the emotional cost is priceless. To many homeless New Yorkers, the things they carry give them a sense of home where there isn’t one. “It’s heartbreaking to watch a group of homeless people, who have fallen on hard times and have so little, be treated as though they are less than human,” said Alexis Karteron, supervising senior staff attorney at the NYCLU. “If this is how the city is treating its least fortunate, New York has lost its way. We hope this holiday season our great, diverse city can find its moral compass once again and stop the criminalization and targeting of homeless New Yorkers.” This year as homeless New Yorkers prepare for a brutal winter, they must also contend with the launch of HOME-STAT, an initiative that calls for daily canvassing of homeless people and increases law enforcement’s role in addressing homelessness, raising concerns that homeless people will face further criminalization. To highlight the costs of aggressively targeting homeless people, the NYCLU today launched a public education campaign urging people to ask for humanity in treatment of homeless New Yorkers, particularly during the holiday season.

New Yorkers across the city are showing solidarity for homeless New Yorkers who have lost their personal possessions by sharing the importance of their own personal possessions with photos and stories on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at #TheThingsWeCarry .

. The NYCLU is releasing for the first time the surveillance video showing the destruction of homeless people’s items and the rough way they are treated by law enforcement on a social media video narrated by Floyd.

The launch begins on December 21st, the longest night of the year, where a candlelight vigil is held annually in memorial for the passing of homeless New Yorkers.

New Yorkers committed to protecting the basic human rights of homeless people will be sending emails to the city throughout the holidays asking the mayor to return to his original vision of a humane approach to homelessness through an online NYCLU action page.

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