I made 2 old guys uncomfortable

[Lotusflower70]

I hate ignorant people. Two older gentlemen talking about the tents off of Hiawatha Ave. and saying it's a protest. No that's not it. They are homeless people. And one says they can afford tents. I said no most were donated. I also mentioned that there are a lot of little kids there. They got uncomfortable and shut up.

[hlthe2b]

1. Ignorant old bigoted white guys talk a "big game" but are readily intimidated in my experience.

Not sure it will make any difference to them at this late date, but at least they moved along, taking their ugly opinions with them.

[Wounded Bear]

3. "Tough love" sounds great to the average asshole...

in fact, they always seem to emphasize the "tough" part, which leaves no room for any real "love."

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Shouldn't this be in the Minnesota forum?

I know what this is about because I live in Minneapolis but I doubt anybody from anywhere else has a clue. (Note: It's about a controversial encampment of homeless people, mostly Native American, that the city has been trying to help and find permanent shelters for.)

[Lotusflower70]

4. I didn't know about that forum

I thought it was a universal thing that people would understand and appreciate that this kind of ignorance is unacceptable. I will check for that forum.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. A little more context would help make the point, though.

[CurtEastPoint]

8. Just a little context would help. I didn't now what Hiawatha meant (as in a location or place)

[Lotusflower70]

10. Fair enough

Edited post and added to other forum

[Wounded Bear]

5. Homelessness is a problem all over the country...

Here in the Seattle area, it's a huge problem also.

Minnesota is not special, at least not in this.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. What's different about this is that the city is trying to help the people

and not just chase them away.

The Deer family’s experience reflects the unusual approach that Minneapolis city officials and American Indian leaders are taking to address the crowded homeless camp near Hiawatha and Cedar avenues, which sprang up almost overnight last month and has more than tripled in size, becoming one of the largest homeless settlements ever seen in the state.

In major cities across the country, officials have responded to rising rates of homelessness with sweeps, raids, arrests and other punitive measures designed to break up large camps and keep people on the move. A 2016 report from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which surveyed 187 American cities, found that three-quarters of all homeless encampments in the U.S. are illegal; only 4 percent are considered legal.

By contrast, Minneapolis city leaders have made a deliberate decision to embrace the encampment as part of a wider community effort to combat homelessness. Instead of clearing the site, a coalition of city, county and American Indian agencies have launched a massive outreach effort to deliver housing assistance, medical care and other social services. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signaled his intent to work with the tent dwellers last month when he pledged, before a large crowd assembled at the American Indian Center, a “full-throated effort” to find housing for everyone at the encampment by the end of September. The mayor then surprised some in the room by asserting that the encampment is situated on land stolen from American Indians. “It’s Dakota property,” Frey declared.

http://www.startribune.com/at-a-growing-minneapolis-homeless-camp-a-glimmer-of-hope-for-struggling-families/492353631/

[elleng]

7. Thanks.

[elleng]

9. Should the object be to make ignorant people uncomfortable,

or to inform them?

[Lotusflower70]

11. I was trying to inform

But they became uncomfortable as I gave them information. I just wanted to stop the perpetuating of a protest myth and alert them to a problem.

[elleng]

13. Thanks

[CurtEastPoint]

15. You made a difference, Lotus... Thank you.

[tazkcmo]

14. Good for you!

It's so easy to dump on people when you know nothing about them or their situation. I too have been homeless, very recently in fact and it sucks. Thank you for speaking on behalf of the voiceless.

[Lotusflower70]

16. Riding the light rail today

I was listening to people bitch about how can the mayor allow them there. They said it's disgusting and they should clear out the riffraff. Wth? These are human beings.

[Hortensis]

17. Good for you. I don't see that age is relevant.

People shouldn't be given a pass because they're elderly. That's diminishing and insulting. Pay them their due as people by treating them like the citizens with duties we all are.