The Olympic Games: Who wins?
The Olympic Games have grown into a multibillion dollar industry. But with that growth comes concerns about the negative effects of the event on the people and places where the Games take place. We ask who wins, and who loses, when the Olympics come to town? We take you to Vancouver, London, and Denver — the only city to ever turn down the Olympics.
How to Change a System: Occupy and the Question of Non-Violence
There’s a raging debate within the Occupy movement over what tactics should be used. On this edition, a debate from Oakland, California between practitioners of non-violence, versus those who believe a diversity of tactics is what Occupy needs to move forward.
Veterans of Occupation: From Iraq to Wall Street
On this edition, we bring you the voices of Veterans from Occupy Wall Street and a special report on veterans returning home from war and the struggles they endure from inadequate healthcare to the inability in finding employment.
How Homelessness Became A Crime
So-called ‘quality of life’ policing may temporarily decrease crime, but it has harsh consequences for innocent people caught up in the frenzy of arrests. If it’s illegal to be on a city’s sidewalks, parks and plazas, where else can people go?
San Francisco Bans Sitting or Lying on Sidewalks
Making Contact’s Andrew Stelzer takes a look at a new San Francisco ordinance that bans sitting or lying on the street.
Paul Boden on SF’s Sit/Lie ordinance and the criminalization of the homelessness
An interview with Paul Boden, organizer with the Western Regional Advocacy Project, about San Franciscos’ Sit-Lie ordinance, & other policies across the country that criminalize the homeless and the poor.
How ‘Quality of Life’ turned Homeless New Yorkers into Criminals
Journalist Sam Lewis volunteered with the homeless led group ‘Picture the Homeless’ over the past two years, recording the voices of New Yorkers without a place to live. Lewis produced this story about how those without homes are criminalized, and how they’re organizing to change the city’s ways.
Redefining Human Rights:
The Case for Food, Health Care & Housing
Are food, housing, and health care human rights? A round table discussion about the right to healthy food, the right to housing, and the right to healthcare. Do Americans have these, and if not, what’s standing in the way?
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Making Contact’s 2009 Year in Review
Two wars continued, the economy remained in freefall, and as hardship ensued, people crafted creative solutions. We look back at some of the most compelling stories we brought you during 2009, and find out where things are headed for 2010.
How We Survive in these Economic Times
On this edition, we continue our series “How We Survive.” We meet a New York City street canner who’s changed his life and community one can at a time; A San Francisco couple paying the bills … with pickles? And we talk to author John Curl who says an unemployment movement may be on the rise.
