Houstan Abandons Its Homeless and Poor Ahead of Rita

[kerrygoddess]

Houstan Abandons Its Homeless and Poor Ahead of Rita
September 24th, 2005

Here we go again… AFP News is reporting that “Houston abandons its neediest ahead of Hurricane Rita.”

As the first winds of Hurricane Rita whipped at the power lines across the street, Virginia Lewis Mansfield huddled in a doorway with all her earthly possessions within arm’s reach.

Homeless for the past three years, Mansfield found herself on the streets of Houston Friday night as many of her usual shelters were closed ahead of the hurricane.

Police officers parked a few blocks away had few suggestions: there was one women’s shelter that might be open, or else she could ask at the police station nearby if it would be okay to sit in the lobby until the storm subsided.

But Mansfield had already tried the Salvation Army shelter.

“It’s full,” she said as she brushed her hair in front a soup kitchen door painted with the words “no trespassing or sleeping in doorway” in red capital letters.

“There’s nothing I can do,” the 44-year-old schizophrenic said, adding that she hadn’t eaten in two days.

One homeless man, Charles sat in a chair “on Chartres Street under the I-45 freeway,” questioning why the Astrodome was not opened up to the homesless…

“There’s a big baseball stadium right there how come they didn’t open it up?” he asked, pointing across the road. “They opened the Astrodome to help the people from Katrina, how come they won’t open it up for us?”

MORE - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=664

[rodeodance]

1. Houston did not want a repeat of the Astrodome scene on TV.

[AirAmFan]

3. After Katrina, it seems to be back to "out of sight, out of mind" for poor

people. Even the poor Katrina evacuees from NOLA, thousands of whom were sent to "safety" in Houston.

Dubya's PR nightmare: Some NOLA evacuees who tried to go home and were sent back by order of the WH might be injured by Rita in Houston. Had Dubya allowed them to go home, they would have been safe. But Nooooooo! Dubya had to act as if there were one "correct" answer for every evacuee, ignoring the fact their own decisions about risks THEY must face are at least as valid as Dubya's.

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. Sad, sad, sad and absolutely SHAMEFUL. n/t

[Mutley]

4. Imagine that.

I'm disgusted, but not surprised. I'd also like to know what happened to all the people stranded on the side of the road when they ran out of gas.

[lateo]

5. I wonder what Barb Bush will say?

[Divernan]

6. The US abandoned these people when it closed state mental hospitals

Back in the 70's, with the big push to "empower" the mentally ill and mentally retarded and give them "rich and meaningful lives in the community", people like many of the currently homeless were put out on the streets and/or into profit making "group homes". Every medium to large city in this nation has similar populations of people like this woman - schizophrenic, living on the streets for the past three years and hasn't eaten in two days. When researching this issue for a state legislature, I found that 30% of the US's huge prison population are considered to be mentally ill/retarded who should be in state institutions for the MH/MR, not jails.
These are people who are not competent to take full responsibility for themselves or to make rational decisions. Yet our law enforcement people cannot take them into any form of custody unless and until they have harmed themselves or others.
I bitterly blame the head-in-the-theoretical-clouds, divorced from reality social workers/case workers who pushed for and currently support "de-institutionalization". I have personal knowledge of far too many premature deaths in the MH/MR population. Hitler
euthanized this population (and of course I condemn that) but you know what? That was more humane than the way we abandon them to the mean streets. The politicians go along with the de-institutionalization because it saves the state money. But it is not the mayors or city councils which can solve the problem. The laws governing this issue are state or federal. So don't blame Houston or its police for this situtaion. Let's see some of those conservative "patient advocacy" groups for the "disabled" take responsibility for the situation.