10 Unbelievably Sh**ty Things America Does to Homeless People

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/story/154830/10_unbelievably_sh**ty_things_america_does_to_homeless_people

1. Outlawing sitting down. People are allowed to exist in public, but sometimes the homeless make that civic rule inconvenient, like when their presence perturbs tourists or slows the spread of gentrification. One solution to this problem is the "sit-lie" law, a bizarrely authoritarian measure that bans sitting or resting in a public space. The law is clearly designed to empower police to chase homeless people out of nice neighborhoods, rather than protect cities from the blight of public sidewalk-sitting.

***SNIP

2. Denying people access to shelters. In November the Bloomberg administration tried to institute new rules that would force shelters to deny applicants who failed to prove they had no other housing options, like staying with relatives or friends (NYC's overcrowded shelters being so appealing that people with access to housing are desperate to sneak in).

***SNIP


3. Making it illegal to give people food. Two weeks ago, Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter announced a citywide ban on giving food to the hungry in public parks. Amidst outcry by homelessness advocates and religious and charity groups, Nutter insisted the policy is meant to draw unhoused people to indoor facilities where they might benefit from medical care and mental health services. Critics pointed out that the policy -- rushed to go into effect in 29 days -- may have more to do with planned renovation of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the construction of a new museum, as Isaiah Thompson reported in the Philadelphia City Paper.


***SNIP

4. Installing obstacles to prevent sleeping or sitting. Many cities have invested in their homeless torture infrastructure, spending thousands to install obstacles preventing the homeless from sleeping, standing, or sitting in parks, under bridges and next to public transportation.

[Adam051188]

1. would it be more humane to just make being homeless illegal?

instead of making games out of it, just put them in jail. that's where we put our mentally ill already, why not the homeless?

[leftstreet]

2. Why not mandate home ownership?

[Adam051188]

5. good idea.

then we could do away with any semblance of competition between private lending institutions under the guise of humanitarian interest.

progress

[4b5f940728b232b034e4]

17. Don't give the Republicans any ideas

They already mandated health insurance and kept single payer from us.

[yeoman6987]

38. You are right

But it astounds me that Democratic Mayors seem to be making these horrid rules in the big cities.

[marym625]

39. It's all about and always about

The money

[CrispyQ]

49. IIRC, it was a democrat that mandated insurance.

[Maedhros]

60. The Portland OR city council is considering a program to purchase micro-houses for the homeless.

http://q13fox.com/2014/08/23/portland-considers-building-tiny-houses-for-the-homeless/

I don't know if this is a reasonable plan, a pipe dream or a publicity stunt, but I like the idea that the city council is at least thinking about addressing the homeless problem by giving people access to homes.

[Kalidurga]

3. Thank you for the reminder

Laws serve mainly to protect those who have money and to trample on the rights of people who have nothing.

[Journeyman]

7. "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor . . .

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."
~ Anatole France

[SamKnause]

20. Thank you.

I am not familiar with that quote.

Time for me to research Anatole France.

Thanks for sharing.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Homeless torture infrastructure.... "Coin-op benches with retractable homeless spikes"

Pigeon prevention devices:



Retractable homeless spikes:

[shaayecanaan]

43. absolutely perverse and disgraceful

Nt

[CrispyQ]

50. We are an unbelievably mean society.

That is wrong on so many levels. I am totally disgusted that cities would actually do this.

[questionseverything]

55. is this real?

where?

[NYC_SKP]

56. China and London are among the places we find these, but NYC has had them for 100+ yrs.

In one form or another.

Now they've gone high tech AND capitalist with the coin-op angle.

In NYC, one can find old tubular iron railings with a raised sawtooth profile welded along the top tube, there to prevent rail-sitting.

[questionseverything]

57. inhumane and just sad

i guess i have learned my new thing for the day,,,as depressing as it may be

[daleanime]

6. Alright DU, I'm calling you out....

important subjects like this can not be allowed to sink.

[Cleita]

8. It's cruel IMHO.

If you don't like homeless and you have an extra room or guest house, offer it to a homeless person or couple, or mother with child. Just having an address gives them the opportunity to get benefits and maybe a job. I have seen all the former on the streets in my community. If you don't want to do that then the city councils and county boards of supervisors should offer them housing before making it difficult to live on the streets. If they can't do that, then they need to have squatters rights like many countries do, who have large poor and homeless populations, that means that they can construct crude shelters in streets and parks to protect them from the elements.

We need to do better and we need to be more compassionate.

[Bette Noir]

32. Are you doing that?

When I bought my first house, I had a spare bedroom. The first person who moved in with my family stole my husband's truck. The second one conned me out of several thousand dollars-- I paid off his student loans-- before leaving the country to fight for Khaddafi. The third ate all our food, and destroyed some of my pots and pans, while refusing jobs that were offered to her-- not junk jobs, but professional positions in her field-- after I arranged the interviews.

I redefined that room as a workshop for Hubby.

[Cleita]

35. No. I'm occupying the spare trailer on someone else's property myself.

But my point is that those people who don't want to look at humanity suffering in the streets in front of them should do something constructive about removing them that doesn't involve herding them like cattle out of sight and out of mind. I know most people aren't willing to take in the destitute so they should be prepared to do the next best thing and that is to move their public servants to do something about it that isn't cruel and inhumane.

[indivisibleman]

44. I've had similar experience

though not quite to the extremes you experienced.
I think large communities could easily outfit an abandoned factory or apartment buildings to accommodate some form of housing for these individuals and families. It would get them off the street, give them shelter from bad weather and heat and cold. It would give them time to regroup and find a way forward. Counselors could assist them in making decisions as to how they could better their lives. If they wanted to remain homeless as a few people would rather do what would be the harm of letting them have a small room for themselves for free with the one requirement of keeping it clean.
I think that doing this as a community is the way to go and not individual help which often becomes a big problem for both the person helping out and the person or persons being helped out.

[raven mad]

51. There is an older defunct motel here in Fairbanks that did just that.

Run by a TRUE Christian group; it is not a "dry" shelter as long as rooms are kept clean and there is no disorderly conduct. Each room houses 2, has a full bath, coffee maker and microwave. There are 2 free-food kitchens within walking distance even at 40 below.

Many homeless will not go to a shelter where they're preached at, forced to stay "dry", etc. At our local food banks and shelters, we've found that no one refuses to help with the work, including janitorial, stocking, etc.

I'd love to see dozens of solutions like this. Unfortunately, there is only room for so many and when winter hits, the shelters stay full to overflowing. We lose several people each year to hypothermia from lack of shelter.

[indivisibleman]

63. I agree

There should be no preaching of any kind. But with the option available to speak with a counselor or just someone to listen I think some people would take advantage of that. But they need to guard against folks that want to proselytize.
Yes, I don't think requiring people to stay dry etc helps the situation at all. I just think there should be one requirement and that would be to keep their room clean. They could also have the option of helping out with various chores at the place but nothing required.
I think that if a community worked on this they could provide all the housing necessary. It just isn't that high a priority for some towns.
Don't you think that a lot of people believe that if you provide something like this more people will opt to live this way in order to save on living expenses? So I don't know how to prevent this becoming an option for people who now live on the edge just making rent each month.
I always feel that most people would rather have their own space and also more space than what would be available in a housing for the homeless arrangement. But who knows? It could become a very attractive option as living expenses continue to rise year after year.

[raven mad]

65. We live very "close to the edge" ourselves.

I think that privacy, or lack thereof, would be one deterrent to a shelter, as such, becoming attractive to those who can make rent, utilities, etc. There is another hotel downtown just begging to be put to use; it's been the center of a major back-taxes fight for over 10 years. I think, if the owner was given the option, he'd donate it to the city for this use. In the picture it's the building "looking for love".

The Polaris has been both an eyesore and a bone of contention for a long time - I would gladly volunteer time if this choice was mad! It's at the heart of downtown, with Golden Heart Plaza, the Visitors Center, and the State Courthouse right there with it. There is a market within a 10-block (short blocks) walk as are a number of clinics.

[indivisibleman]

66. True

It would be interesting to see a program put in place by every state and to see where it works and where it doesn't.

[Cleita]

53. This is a problem that has to be taken care of by a community.

For individuals it's hard to do anything to help because of the multitude of problems behind the homelessness.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. agreed

[ZombieHorde]

10. Thanks for posting. nt

[LiberalElite]

11. K&R (a million times if I could) nt

[daredtowork]

12. I wish I could vote this up twice

This is one of the reasons I stopped posting at Daily Kos

The powers that be there were supporting the Sit/Lie laws in Berkeley! And claiming their wife was "scared" to walk on sidewalks! What a Chamber of Commerce line of B.S.! In over 20 years I have never felt scared to walk at all hours on the main streets of Berkeley - and I'm a small woman! But what I have felt is very much pain because I have severe mobility issues, and Berkeley has been removing bus bunches and placing stakes around planter boxes and otherwise removing public places to sit!!! Furthermore, rich people sit on the grass near certain gourmet meccas all the time, because there is not enough sidewalk seating. Certainly no one was planning to arrest them! These laws are just to harass people perceived as beggars - and if you click my sig, you will see that in the Berkeley area, they have no frakking choice because there is no cash welfare for single people without children.

You know who you are. Shame on you.

However, I found this article extremely heartening and uplifting. This is telling truth to power. People will physically transform if you put them in survivable circumstances:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/housing-homeless-can-save-money/

Doing the right thing saves money! Who would have thought? The only thing getting in the way is people's ASSUMPTIONS about the causes of homelessness.

[daredtowork]

15. Ps. Another Sidewalk story from "radical" Berkeley

My Mom came to visit me and took me to a restaurant with outdoor seating. The street had recently been revamped with hanging flower baskets and lots of outdoor "side walk" cafe style seating. I don't think, however, that the businesses owned the entire sidewalk.

I saw a woman sitting outside on the very edge of the sidewalk. She had a sign that said her husband was out of work and she needed money to feed her children. She caught my eye because she was wearing hijab or a full sari - unusual appearance for someone begging there. She didn't say anything - she just held her bowl.

Along came a guy in a green shirt. This was a "Berkeley Ambassador". These are not police - they are payed by a Berkeley merchants group I believe. They are definitely not police!

Even though Berkeley voters overthrew the Sit/Lie law, this Berkeley Ambassador greenshirt was allowed to patrol the sidewalk in the name of Berkeley merchants, and he made this woman, who was sitting at the edge of the sidewalk - definitely in the "public" part - and making no noise whatsoever, move along and "beg elsewhere".

This made me so mad! Who authorized these merchant-paid para-police to enforce a law that Berkeley voters rejected! I thought this particular beggar was rather picturesque! She was certainly not threatening or making a nuisance of herself in any way. Her only crime was to be sitting on a public sidewalk that the merchants had confiscated. And - I can't repeat this enough - Oakland's welfare policy DRIVES PEOPLE TO BEG! We're talking normal people here - not kids doing "lifestyle begging" or scammers "working a corner" or "scary" people who "can't be helped".

Stop being "scared" of the people on the street and start paying attention to why they are there.

[SnakeEyes]

54. What's Oakland's welfare policy?

[daredtowork]

59. their policy is to starve the vermin out

Click on my sig to get some detailed insight.

[ReRe]

18. Thanks for that 50 Minutes clip!

I don't watch the show, but I must say that segment was well worth the time.

[daredtowork]

23. Yes I'd never seen that before either

I don't watch 60 Minutes as a matter of course - I just stumbled across this article as a matter of luck.

When I did it made me feel so hopeful. Few things do that. Normally I feel this country is doomed. What I see all around me is convoluted policy that drives people into poverty, drives them crazy in the process, and ultimately drives them into homelessness. Perhaps it drives them (deliberately) into suicide. It begins to look like some Rovian plot to implement genocide on those who were insolent enough to think they had a human right to food, shelter, and health care. This is what's going on in Oakland, CA right now, and there's a lot of middle class I'm-safe-and-terribly-busy looking away from the whole mess.

Very depressing.

But then I see people getting shelter and being healed by it. The argument being made by this sensible military person that Middle America might listen to. The whole deal actually saves money. If this were one of those lawyer TV shows, the argument would start with, "The United States of America..."

This rocks. This makes my day. If I had money, I'd go out and get a celebratory ice cream cone.

Maybe there is hope for us yet.

But I wish Oakland were listening.

[ReRe]

24. Here's a five bucks $$$$$...

... go out and have a banana split. I wonder how one would look into getting this for their city? Would someone from social services need to instigate the idea? I say get in touch with that lady in the article and ask where to start.

Yeah, this is the ugly bottom side of capitalism. It's terribly disgusting to see it happening all over the country, especially in light of all these foreign military invasions. I personally think we should ban all foreign wars until we get our own house in order. Take care of our own citizens for a change. Work on the rotten infrastructure that was built over a hundred years ago. Get universal healthcare for everyone. And a million other things that are falling through the floor right now, like our schools!

[daredtowork]

29. When I see it costs a trillion dollars to maintain a danged airplane

And in Oakland we have ZERO direct cash assistance for necessities - or alternative ways of getting necessities - for single people without children? And the only shelter assistance is for three months out of the year if you don't qualify for a disability exception?

WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE IN OAKLAND?

And they don't understand where all that crime is coming from? Why there is begging in crime?

When is the DUH moment going to happen?

People who have been driven down to the point of welfare - and I use the word DRIVEN because certain policies do drive them there - and then on from welfare to homelessness - have to get the necessities of life somehow.

So of course they are going to sit on the sidewalk and beg. And while they still have two brain cells to rub together, they won't beg in poor parts of Oakland - they will go over to richer parts of the county - like Berkeley to do it.

Is banning them from sitting down really going to help matters? Is that the humane thing to do?

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ - someone just look up from your latte and do something about Alameda County's ridiculous, insane, Third World country style welfare policies! (Hint: Alameda County is the organizational umbrella that lumps Berkeley in with Oakland.)

The freaking irony of it all is half of Berkeley is utterly concerned with saving starving people in every corner of the globe, but they are blind to what's going on right in their own backyard.

[ColesCountyDem]

13. And yet some people don't understand the utter terror that possibly becoming homeless holds. n/t

[Aristus]

14. There isn't a Hell hot enough for those who would bleed it out of the homeless...

It's easy to beat up on the helpless and defenseless. That's why so many people do it...

[Denver Progressive]

16. Kicked and Rec'd. Thanks for posting. nt

[grilled onions]

19. There Was Some Compassion During The Depression

They painted curbs to designate homes that would help feed those traveling through. Today we'd have city crews tearing up those curbs!
Today they don't want the homeless to get clean but they think nothing of hosing them down to get them out of an area.
They are not concerned with their warmth but will force them off grates(sometimes the only heat source they have).
They bitch about the cost to feed them but disallow anyone handing out a sandwich or cup of coffee.
We have spiteful laws created by hateful people.

[maddiemom]

46. Reagan made "us" mean-spirited.

[maddiemom]

47. Or I should say, made it OK to be mean-spirited.

[Maedhros]

61. That is the function of right-wing demagogues like Reagan, Limbaugh and O'Reilly.

They stand behind a podium, or sit in front of a camera, and tell the country that it's acceptable to hate, it's good to be greedy, and it's just fine to ignore problems BECAUSE AMERICA!

[SamKnause]

21. K&R

Thanks xchrom.

[ReRe]

22. K&R

They could take the money they put into those 10 shitty things and give them all some sort of housing. Small one-bedroom apartments. If they are physically able, ask them to do community service.

[arcane1]

31. But that's SOCIALISM!!111 We can't have THAT. For some reason.

I was never too clear on the reason. Because it's bad I guess. Some rich guy told me so

[ReRe]

33. Don't believe everything they tell you.

I think I stopped believing everything I was told when I was 5 yrs old. Nothing made sense. Nothing was adding up. The same people who say socialism is bad will tell you they are Christians, too. Ha! Socialism takes care of EVEYONE. Jesus Himself would be a socialist if He was walking on the earth today. That's the real reason they hung Him 2,014 years ago!

[Bette Noir]

34. Long ago, I read that the #of SRO hotel rooms that had been taken off the market

in New York City matched the # of homeless.

There are a lot of out-of-business motels and apartment buildings that could be repurposed so people didn't have to sleep in the street.

[ReRe]

36. That's right...

... and HUD should support it. Listen, you and me could go up there and straighten out this country. You know why? Because we're not beholden' to The Corporation.

[Live and Learn]

25. K&R nt

[tazkcmo]

26. I've been in some of those situations

More than once I was told to prove I was homeless. Each time I asked what documentation I could provide to satisfy this request. Each time I got a "I don't know. NEXT!". But then again, you have to remember we're homeless because we're too lazy to work.

[sheshe2]

27. Our inhumanity is out in full force. eom

[Enthusiast]

28. Kicked and recommended!

Thank you, xchrom.

[AZ Progressive]

30. if your homeless in america, its considered your fault

Your seen as either lazy or crazy or dangerous, and to be left to die. Puritan work ethic basically deems that your homeless because you've been eternally damned by God, and the wealthy are wealthy because they've been chosen by God for salvation.

[Maedhros]

62. In the 90's I was traveling down Highway 101 along the southern Oregon coast.

I was on my way to Coos Bay for a press conference on toy safety, right before Thanksgiving and the Christmas shopping season.

I reached a remote stretch of highway where all the FM radio stations cut out. I was driving a rental car, so my only entertainment option was the radio. I was getting a bit drowsy and needed something to keep me alert, so I scanned the AM dial and found a single radio station that was hosting some kind of Christian talk show. "What the heck," thought I, "I'll see what these whackjobs have to say."

The hosts of the show were discussing the first American colony at Jamestown. According to these folks Captain John Smith established a system whereby every working farm would contribute a portion of their harvest to a central store. If any of the farms were to suffer disaster, supplies could be drawn from the central store to make sure that the unlucky farmers could survive the winter. This, of course, was Socialism, and was the root cause of the Starving Time - the period from 1609-1610 in which all but 60 of the 500 colonists survived. Because of this disaster Captain John Smith was removed from command of the colony and his replacement, George Percy, did away with the Socialist central store and adopted an every-man-for-himself policy. After Percy's renunciation of Socialism the colony thrived, proving that God loves Free Enterprise and hates Socialism!

At this point in their fanciful narrative, the station cut away to an advertisement: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be! Prov 22 : 7 7 tells us that 'the rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.' But did you know that by using U.S currency you are going against the Word of God?" The advertisement went on to tell us how, since evil Socialists took American currency off of the gold standard, simply using cash is "borrowing." That's why Good Christians (tm) buy gold! Here's how!

I had to shut off the radio at that point, because I was becoming terrified and silence seemed to be the better option. I spent the rest of my trip musing on what I had heard, and then it became clear: this is the American Newspeak, whereby Christianity = Freedom = Capitalism. Things like taking care of the sick and homeless just isn't what God wants. He wants American hegemony across the globe, bullish stock markets for the rich and righteous wars.

[world wide wally]

37. I suppose that stiff fines are next

And if they can't pay them, it's off to one of those "for profit prisons", until they can pay for that as well.

[SunSeeker]

40. Yup, and many end up in prison, which costs us way more than housing the homeless would. nt

[Rex]

41. America is a colder place when it comes to the homeless.

I blame the GOP for having no heart and being proud of it.

[hibbing]

42. Timely article...thanks

I was just downtown today in an area with newly refurbished sidewalks and landscaping. I was sitting on the bench and I noticed these weird bars on the bench, I was wondering what the heck they were, and now I know, to prevent anyone from laying down on the cement bench. What a fucked up world we live in.

Peace

[blackspade]

45. Disgusting.

How about spending the money on actual solutions to the problem rather than on vindictive bullshit.

I thought this was a 'Christian' nation?

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

48. K&R

[hunter]

52. How could we abuse our minimum wage workers if we didn't treat the homeless worse?

Sharing a shitty apartment owned by a shitty slumlord in a dangerous neighborhood, eating shitty overpriced processed food, that's got to be better than sleeping rough and eating out of dumpsters, otherwise why would anyone work?

bitter, bitter,

I actually believe non-abusive government jobs paying comfortable living wages, along with a generous welfare system, ought to compete directly with the crappiest employers.

Nobody should be forced to tolerate an abusive employer for fear of rough living on the streets.

Addicts and unemployable mentally ill people ought to be provided safe humane shelter, a place they can call their own, with plenty of opportunities for improving their personal situations and at the very least establishing themselves in such a way they are not a danger to themselves or others.

[Lifelong Protester]

58. K & R

I'm ashamed of what we do to homeless people in this country.

[KamaAina]

64. DU software gags on asterisks in links

and parens (often found on Wiki) and other special characters.