iOS app Android app More  Paul Boden  Paul Boden  Posted:
October 22, 2010 09:46 AM  The Quality of Whose Life? Part 2
What's Your Reaction:  What images do the words "quality of
life" bring to mind? A peaceful beach? A beautiful park? A
farmers market full of healthy produce? In the realm of
policing, the phrase "quality of life" carries different
connotations. It means a veteran getting hauled in for sleeping
on the sidewalk, a homeless woman being prohibited from resting
on a park bench, or even brutal scenes like these from San
Francisco, Los Angeles, and Fresno.  For poor, homeless, queer,
transgendered, and disabled people, "quality of life" is a zero-
sum game. It means someone else's life is better only if theirs
is worse. It also means no begging, no sitting or lying on
public benches or sidewalks, no congregating in public space,
and no sleeping outside. In this context, "quality of life" is
an array of ordinances being used against people deemed
"abnormal" or "undesirable," especially in gentrifyin