General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 10 Unbelievably Sh**ty Things America Does to Homeless People [View all]daredtowork
(3,732 posts)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.