The organization, which has been ticketed 90 times over the last year for providing free meals to the homeless near City Hall, has declared victory after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction.
This issue is more nuanced than the city flat out saying they can’t feed the homeless. They said they can’t do it in front of the public library. The city has a designated spot to hand out food, the charity was told this, but still did it at the library in protest.
Both sides have valid points. The charity has a right to distribute food, but the rest of the population also has the right to safely use public facilities.
I used to live across the street from an organization that handed out food every Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning we would wake up to trash everywhere. The street and sidewalk in front of our house would be covered in styrofoam boxes, bags, utensils, napkins, and food scraps. Roaches and rats had their own free meals every Wednesday night.
Most people were there to get food. Some people were there to get food and sell drugs, and it pretty much ended up as an open-air drug market buffet.
It’s easy to sit back in a clean house in a clean neighborhood and yell across the fence that they should feed the homeless wherever they want. It’s another thing entirely to have to live and work next to these events.
The city has clearly told these guys you can hand out food in designated areas, and they are not doing so. It’s a publicity stunt as much as it is a feeding program.
So instead of being allowed to hand out food anywhere in the city, they should be limited to a handful of specific locations? Isn’t that the exact problem you’re describing near your home?
A not insignificant portion of the homeless are drug addicts, severely mentally ill, or both. These people can be dangerous. Not having them congregate in very public areas is a public safety issue. Full stop.
Pretending that every homeless person is just homeless because of financial issues is disingenuous.
Homelessness is an extremely complex issue, and using absolute statements like that shows you don’t understand the issue at all.
P.S. Inever once said that they shouldn’t be taken care of, but there has to be a balance between care and public safety.
A not insignificant portion of the homeless are drug addicts, severely mentally ill, or both. These people can be dangerous. Not having them congregate in very public areas is a public safety issue. Full stop.
A not insignificant portion of the most vulnerable among the public are drug addicts, severely mentally ill, or both. These people can be dangerous due to not receiving treatment according to their and the public’s health needs. Not having them ( “a not insignificant…untreated…portion of the homeless”) congregate in very public areas is a human rights issue.
P.S. Both sides have valid points. The charity has a right to distribute food, but the most vulnerable among the public don’t have the same right to safely use public facilities as the rest of the public.
This issue is more nuanced than the city flat out saying they can’t feed the homeless. They said they can’t do it in front of the public library. The city has a designated spot to hand out food, the charity was told this, but still did it at the library in protest.
Both sides have valid points. The charity has a right to distribute food, but the rest of the population also has the right to safely use public facilities.
“Both sides have points”
[…a few moments later]
“Crime comitted: poor in front of library”
You clearly haven’t been around a bunch of homeless people. It’s not a super safe place to be.
Like I said, it’s a nuanced issue, but it seems you lack the capacity for it.
Homeless people: Just trying to get some food so they can survive.
Cops: Doing every petty, bullshit thing they can do to prevent homeless people from getting food.
You, the true understander of everything: It’s the homeless people who are the bad guys.
I used to live across the street from an organization that handed out food every Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning we would wake up to trash everywhere. The street and sidewalk in front of our house would be covered in styrofoam boxes, bags, utensils, napkins, and food scraps. Roaches and rats had their own free meals every Wednesday night.
Most people were there to get food. Some people were there to get food and sell drugs, and it pretty much ended up as an open-air drug market buffet.
It’s easy to sit back in a clean house in a clean neighborhood and yell across the fence that they should feed the homeless wherever they want. It’s another thing entirely to have to live and work next to these events.
The city has clearly told these guys you can hand out food in designated areas, and they are not doing so. It’s a publicity stunt as much as it is a feeding program.
So instead of being allowed to hand out food anywhere in the city, they should be limited to a handful of specific locations? Isn’t that the exact problem you’re describing near your home?
TIL not having a mortgage automatically makes you a violent criminal
This doesn’t have anything to do with being poor.
A not insignificant portion of the homeless are drug addicts, severely mentally ill, or both. These people can be dangerous. Not having them congregate in very public areas is a public safety issue. Full stop.
Pretending that every homeless person is just homeless because of financial issues is disingenuous.
Homelessness is an extremely complex issue, and using absolute statements like that shows you don’t understand the issue at all.
P.S. Inever once said that they shouldn’t be taken care of, but there has to be a balance between care and public safety.
A not insignificant portion of the most vulnerable among the public are drug addicts, severely mentally ill, or both. These people can be dangerous due to not receiving treatment according to their and the public’s health needs. Not having them ( “a not insignificant…untreated…portion of the homeless”) congregate in very public areas is a human rights issue.
P.S. Both sides have valid points. The charity has a right to distribute food, but the most vulnerable among the public don’t have the same right to safely use public facilities as the rest of the public.