Post by Kordax on Mar 20, 2007 21:23:46 GMT -5
The homeless are handled differently by the police in different cities, aren't they? I just returned from St. Petersburg, FL, where the City Council & the police have finally had it with the homeless & their camp following advocates. Dirty begging people occupy every major intersection down there & they've pitched filthy base camps on public properties akin to Miller & Coolidge Parks. Police are ARRESTING the homeless whenever they sleep outside in public spaces now:
Statement from tent city residents, March 9, 2007:
stpeteforpeace.org/tentcity.html
It has become clear that the leaders of St. Petersburg are trying to run the homeless out of the city. In addition to the tent slashings, there has been an increase in the number of tent city residents being arrested, and the city is not giving us an equal voice in the decision making process.
The city has made it known that they believe homeless people are bad for St. Petersburg’s business community. As human beings, we feel that putting profit ahead of the basic rights of people is wrong.
Tent cities take homeless people off the streets and put us in an environment that allows us to find permanent employment and a permanent place to live. It gives us a chance to live and work toward our goals with dignity. But instead of working with us to achieve a win-win situation, the city appears to be teaming up with others to strong-arm us and intimidate us into accepting a proposal that does not include our hopes, desires and dreams.
The city’s current proposal is not a compassionate solution to helping the homeless of St. Petersburg – instead, it is only a way to move the homeless out of sight so the city does not have to deal honestly with the people of the two tent cities. If the city continues to "help" in this way, we'd be better off if they just left us alone.
Couldn't we get a little tougher on the homeless around here despite the grant $$$ the city pocketed for "curing homelessness?" Couldn't our police do their part to help generate more whining, self-pitying letters to the editor like this one? How about a little more "strong arming" & "intimidation", guys?
Statement from tent city residents, March 9, 2007:
stpeteforpeace.org/tentcity.html
It has become clear that the leaders of St. Petersburg are trying to run the homeless out of the city. In addition to the tent slashings, there has been an increase in the number of tent city residents being arrested, and the city is not giving us an equal voice in the decision making process.
The city has made it known that they believe homeless people are bad for St. Petersburg’s business community. As human beings, we feel that putting profit ahead of the basic rights of people is wrong.
Tent cities take homeless people off the streets and put us in an environment that allows us to find permanent employment and a permanent place to live. It gives us a chance to live and work toward our goals with dignity. But instead of working with us to achieve a win-win situation, the city appears to be teaming up with others to strong-arm us and intimidate us into accepting a proposal that does not include our hopes, desires and dreams.
The city’s current proposal is not a compassionate solution to helping the homeless of St. Petersburg – instead, it is only a way to move the homeless out of sight so the city does not have to deal honestly with the people of the two tent cities. If the city continues to "help" in this way, we'd be better off if they just left us alone.
Couldn't we get a little tougher on the homeless around here despite the grant $$$ the city pocketed for "curing homelessness?" Couldn't our police do their part to help generate more whining, self-pitying letters to the editor like this one? How about a little more "strong arming" & "intimidation", guys?
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