St. Pete chosen the 2nd meanest city in the country toward the homeless.

[madfloridian]

Rick Baker has the dubious honor of being the mayor of the 2nd meanest city in the country to the homeless. From what I have heard it doesn't bother him.


Mayor Rick Baker

Hat tip to Ybor City Stogie for the heads up on this.

In a distinction our fair city probably doesn’t want, the National Coalition of the Homeless named St. Petersburg the second meanest city in the country toward homeless people.........

He links to a site called Tales of an unemployed journalist

No surprises here. As the 200-page report from the NCH says, St. Pete has passed numerous laws outlawing basic activities like sitting on the sidewalk and carrying a shopping cart full of stuff. I’m sure the recent lawsuit initiated by some local homeless didn’t help.

Here’s a snippet from the report:

Since early 2007, St. Petersburg has passed 6 new ordinances that target homeless people. These include ordinances that outlaw panhandling throughout most of downtown, prohibit the storage of personal belongings on public property, and make it unlawful to sleep outside at various locations. In January 2007, the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender announced that he would no longer represent indigent people arrested for violating municipal ordinances to protest what he called excessive arrests of homeless individuals by the City of St. Petersburg. According to numbers compiled by the public defender’s office, the vast majority of people booked into the Pinellas County Jail on municipal ordinances were homeless individuals from St. Petersburg.

St. Pete joins three other Florida cities: Gainesville, Bradenton and Orlando. The fact we beat Orlando is amazing considering their ridiculous, mean-spirited campaign against bums. Man, we lose to The Mouse Trap every time.

Now to the National Coalition for the Homeless for the list of the top ten meanest cities.

While more cities are cracking down on homeless people living in public spaces, the housing and homelessness crisis in the United States has worsened over the past two years, particularly due to the current economic and foreclosure crises. According to a report released last week by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 41.8% of the homeless population was unsheltered between January 2007 and January 2008. Most cities do not have adequate shelter space or affordable housing to meet the need, leaving many homeless persons with no choice but to live in public spaces.

“Criminalizing homelessness is not only an inhumane way of approaching people who are poor and vulnerable, but is counterproductive in dealing with the problem of homelessness,” said Tulin Ozdeger, NLCHP Civil Rights Program Director. “It costs more to jail a person than it does to provide permanent supportive housing.”

The report also includes information about costs studies examining criminalization measures, constitutional challenges to measures that criminalize homelessness, how criminalization measures violate human rights law, as well as constructive alternatives to criminalization.

The report recommends that cities adopt constructive measures, such as developing innovative strategies to allocate more city funds for permanent housing, job training and services for homeless people. In addition, NLCHP and NCH recommend that the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, recently charged by Congress with developing such alternatives, urge cities to stop criminalizing homelessness and adopt such constructive measures instead.

Top Ten Meanest Cities:

1. Los Angeles , CA
2. St. Petersburg . FL
3. Orlando , FL
4. Atlanta , GA
5. Gainesville , FL
6. Kalamazoo
7. San Francisco
8. Honolulu
9. Bradenton
10. Berkeley

Four Florida cities in the top ten. Fills me with pride.What does it say about a state to have 4 of the top ten meanest cities toward the homeless.?

Rick Baker prides himself on his strong Christian ethics. When homeless advocates protested outside his church, he got in his big car and was driven away without talking with them.

St. Pete for Peace at Baker's church.

St. Petersburg---On Sunday, January 7, 2007, approximately 70 people took to the street in front of Mayor Rick Baker’s church to protest the mayor’s decision to shut down “Coming Up” Tent City. The crowd contained both homeless residents of Tent City, homeless advocates representing a wide variety of peace and social justice groups, and numerous unaffiliated concerned citizens.

“Coming Up” Tent City was founded on December 29, 2006. Using the model established by Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon, the site was to be established by the homeless, for the homeless. Advocates partnered with residents during the foundational phase in order to secure the land, solicit donations and liaison with the surrounding community. The intent was to develop a safe and secure home base for homeless individuals to build a real community of their own. With access to basic facilities and services – such as food, restrooms, showers and shelter from the elements – and without the constant threat of arrest.."

.."That all changed less than a week later when the Mayor’s office stepped in with threats of fines for code violations. As we understand it, the code that is being violated is one which makes it illegal to live in a tent – even in an orderly, well-run community. Ironically, it is not illegal to live on the street under conditions which virtually guarantee that it will be impossible to ever live otherwise.

True to his word, Mayor Baker closed the tent city in May 2007.

Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis announced Wednesday that all of the tents are down and many of the homeless have been relocated.

72 people were relocated through a voucher program. 27 people were evicted for disobeying rules or curfew. Others simply abandoned their tents. Davis says the city is now working with the Homeless Leadership Network in creating an emergency shelter

[madfloridian]

1. Unrecommended the homeless?

Amazing.

[Ken Burch]

2. Some people here can't stand acknowledging that poverty exists.

People like that joined the DLC to make the party ABANDON the poor, after all.

[EFerrari]

7. Someone unrec'd two Colombian kids blown up by bombs in the LatAm forum.

Maybe it's just as well these things are anonymous.

[madfloridian]

16. Unbelievable.

.

[madfloridian]

17. Dupe

[Ken Burch]

47. THOSE KIDS WERE OBVIOUSLY DRUG KINGPINS AND FARC KIDNAPPERS!

:sarcasm:

(well, a lot of people in this country DO cut Uribe that kind of a break.)

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

56. I've noticed some strange unrecs today

There was a thread with a story critical of Sarah Palin earlier today that started off with some unrecs until some recommends came in. What's going on?

[liberalhistorian]

58. Oh, you wouldn't believe the "hate the homeless" coalition

we have right here on DU. And some of the shit they spew on these types of threads is beyond disgusting. I even remember one doozy of a thread several months ago where one such poster was harassing a homeless poster, it was unfbelievable. So, quite unfortunately, the unrecommends don't surprise me at all.

I had a bible study tonight where we talked about just this thing-living up to the social justice commands of Christ, something too many Christians have forgotten or never recognized in the first place.

[lapfog_1]

3. Wasn't it Las Vegas that made it illegal to feed the homeless

in the city parks? (or public space as I recall)

And they arrested people for it?

Or am I misremembering?

[madfloridian]

4. I think Orlando did also.

[Ken Burch]

48. And the great "liberal hero" Gavin Newsom got his big break in show business

When he started sending in cops to destroy homeless camps with no warning, in the middle of the night, destroying all the belongings of the homeless when he did. I'm sorry, but a few same-sex marriages don't make up for LITERALLY bashing the poor.

[hfojvt]

5. Los Angeles, Ca??? What's the matter with Kansas?

Hardly any red states on that list.

[Greyhound]

6. To the greatest page (at least for now). n/t

:kick: & R

[Greyhound]

8. The criminalization of poverty has been creeping across the nation for some time now.

I'm glad that at least a few people are starting to notice.

[avaistheone1]

9. I agree.

[flvegan]

10. Not a shock to this local. Amazed St Pete wasn't Number 1 by a longshot.

But then, the Bay area DID give the political world Ronda fucking Storms.

[madfloridian]

11. Both good Christian folks...

Storms and Baker

But little compassion it seems to me.

[csziggy]

12. Nothing has changed - in 1970 we had a demonstration against ordinances in St. Pete

That were used to arrest the homeless on various charges. I was a student at a college there and we organized the demonstration to coincide with a visit by Pat Nixon. We got lots of coverage, little involving the actual point of the demonstration, and as I see now, made absolutely no difference.

[madfloridian]

19. Christian conservatives have much power in central Florida

They don't want to pay for the needs of others.

[csziggy]

21. Yes, and it was Christians like that that convinced me it is not a valid religion to live by

When such a high percentage of the followers pay no attention to the teachings of its founder or twist and distort those teachings for perverse goals. Of course, few religions avoid that pitfall, which is why I am an agnostic leaning towards atheism.

[madfloridian]

13. 4 FL cities, 3 CA cities...that's 7 of the top ten.

I assume Berkeley is CA.

Doesn't speak well of the compassion in those two states.

[JVS]

35. Among the cities only Kalamazoo is in an area where it gets cold.

I'm guessing that these cities are on the list because their weather attracts large numbers of homeless people, who in turn find themselves targeted by policies that cities in other states don't need to drive them away.

[bobbolink]

49. And that's relevant because.....???????? ????????? ??

[JVS]

51. ????????? ???????????? ??????????????? ????????????? ????????? ??????????? ???????????? ????????????

Need any more question marks?

[bad_robbie]

67. relavance

It's relevant because you don't have to beat up on the homeless if the weather does it for you. Colder cities likely didn't make the list because nature does such of "good job" of keeping homelessness down, killing or driving off anyone without a warm place to sleep in winter. Allowing a homeless person to freeze to death is a crime of inaction, whereas bullying, harassing and arresting them is a crime of action.

Put another way: Ft. Lauderdale would probably rank low on a list of homeless people freezing to death. But not because they're more generous with blankets there.

[bobbolink]

50. it said it didn't post.

:wtf:

[saltpoint]

14. And not surprisingly, Baker ran Jeb Bush's first gubernatorial campaign.

Lawton Chiles barely won that one -- but it was a very close race.

Baker is sub-Nixon. Way down there on the food chain.

[madfloridian]

15. I had forgotten about Jeb's first campaign

I think you are right. He appears to represent the view that if you are rich you deserve it and if you are poor you deserve it.

[saltpoint]

54. Agree. He lays it on pretty thick, too. I think he goes to a fairly large

Baptist Church in St. Petersburg and used to do lawyer work for one of the more conservative firms in town -- a Wills and Estates firm originally which branched out later on to full-service.

[WI_DEM]

18. San Francisco and Berkeley!? they care I guess, but just don't want to see them.

[ensho]

20. Des Moines pledges to move against homeless camps

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090714/NEWS/907140373/1001


Des Moines city leaders say they intend to fight the spread of homeless camps amid reports that more have popped up along the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers.
-snip-
----------------------------


who are they pledging for? what group is demanding pledges?

[lies and propaganda]

22. Total horseshit with SF and Berkeley

We used to give them $400 bucks a months just a few short years ago!

They may have changed but these too cities have the worst trait in the world when it comes to homeless people... EMPATHY!


(do i really need to put a Sotomayor Empathetic :sarcasm: icon?)

[madfloridian]

23. Those cities gave homeless 400 a month?

Not sure what you mean.

[Dr Fate]

25. It's true- but this was replaced with a "care not cash" program.

Which seemed to go nowhere as well.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

33. San Francisco is a very attractive city -

for people on the fringes who -- for a variety of reasons -- choose homelessness. And yes, some people choose homelessness. Years back our City services offered a cash stipend of $400 a month -- coupled with City, private charity, and other programs it could help get a person by.

"Care Not Cash" came into being as a way to discourage those who were just using the system with no real desire to make changes in their lives.

[liberalhistorian]

59. Ahh, yes, and here's a member of the DU "hate the homeless"

coalition right now. Figured it wouldn't take long.

[Dr Fate]

66. Yes- you seem to have made an attempt to lump me in that club as well.

See your response below- where you suggest that I want poor folks to freeze to death. (I grew up in a mill house heated with a wood stove, BTW-so I know something about being poor & cold- okay?)

Anyone who Saint Liberlahistorian disagrees with obviously hates poor people. Please-spare me.

[Dr Fate]

24. I agree- we have MORE homeless folks than just about anyone.

The sheer volume of homeless folks is probably what drove up the stats for SF. At some point, you cant squeeze anymore blood from a stone.

[slackmaster]

61. Maybe that is the result of handing them cash

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

43. Gavin ran on giving people "care, not cash" and now they have neither. n/t

[HillWilliam]

26. K&R

Those are just a few of the reasons my partner and I couldn't take living in Florida any more. Jeb started turning it into a nightmare and as services got ground into the dust, there wasn't any compelling reason to stay when I lost my job there. We moved to my home state of NC and wound up at least with a Blue legislature and governor, even if the state went for Shrub before regaining its senses in 08.

Once the pugs got hold of Florida, everything went to hell in a handcart. Having lived in ten states and having visited 39, I've seen first-hand the results of pug handiwork: 100% of the time -- and I mean 100% -- when an area goes from Blue to Red, blight and destruction ALWAYS follow. It's like cholera and typhus following natural disaster. EVERY time an area goes red, the standard of living for the average Joe goes right through the basement. The ignorant eat up the "fambly vy-yeews" and "more Kreeshchyin than yew" horseshit like dogs eat puke.

I do miss the climate though and I do miss seeing a lot of my friends. And I'm sorry I never got to meet you in person, MadFlo. Coffee's always on at our house and your presence would always have been welcome.

[Dr Fate]

27. "basic activities like sitting on the sidewalk"

Just as a thought here- but since when is sitting on the sidewalk a "basic activity"?

Walking on the side walk is a basic activity, but sitting on it? Denying SERVICES could be characterized as "mean"- but not letting folks camp on side walks? Please. This is not a "basic activity."

I'm not trying to say that all is well with homeless folks (no-things are worse than ever)- but I'm not so sure this article/list reflects the whole picture.

[madfloridian]

28. Probably doesn't give a whole picture. Many sides to the issue.

Not just two.

I did not post it to give a whole picture. There are 3 cities across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida on the list.

That made it interesting to me.

[Dr Fate]

30. Agreed- the article is informative and very interesting.

But seeing SF on the list, I still have to call BS. Running out of money and being stretched to the limit is not being "mean" to homeless folks.

We seem to have more public & private services for the poor than any city I've ever lived in.

If it were not for the sheer volume of homeless people (many who miagrate here from back East and other cities becuase of SF's benefits), I doubt we would be on that list.

As I said above, you can only squeeze so much blood from a stone...

[liberalhistorian]

60. Yeah, why didn't they just stay

in the east and freeze to death? I mean, how dare they try to actually survive and not be turned into an icicle.

[Dr Fate]

65. Why didnt they stay back East? Probably b/c unlike "mean" SF, there were fewer services-or none...

...and as you point out, the weather here is better too.

Then again, we have homless folks from all over California and the west coast as well. This city does more than most to help homeless folks, so that is why I don't think this list is spot on in many respects...

If you ask me, cities like SF could use more federal funds to help these folks- or better yet- the cities back East could use some as well.

We are broke! Just my opinion, but the homeless problem has reached critical mass. It seems to me that in SF, local govt. & private orgs do more for poor folks than just about any city I've ever lived in.

If you are trying to accuse me of hating poor people, you are barking up the wrong tree, BTW.

Also, if I take a different approach than one you like, it does not mean that you are some kind of saint and I'm some kind of hater- okay?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

29. Here in SF --

There was a backlash because our city is home to a tremendously large homeless population -- our mild weather and liberal leaning make us a popular spot to land.

The issue here is so very complex -- it is nowhere near as simnple as someone not being able to afford a place to live. I work in an area with a huge homeless population and interact daily with many of its members, and have learned a lot I had not known before. We have people here who are professional "homeless", people who are homeless and do not wish to enter the City system, homeless people who work yet chose to remain on the fringes, the "homeless as life-style choice" kids from out of town who hang out on Haight, and people who are suffering from mental illness and addiction. And we have people who want housing but can't afford it.

Some of the "meanness" here grew out of some very hard circumstances to deal with -- seriously aggressive panhandling was becoming a real issue, as was encampments that were posing a genuine health hazzard. And walking down many areas of Market Street -- the stench was unbearable.

My biggest wish is the City would come up with an alternative solution for the homeless people who do not wish to enter the City system or the shelter programs run by the various charities (usually people who object to the shelter rules on booze/drug use and face the loss of their carts/personal belongings) but want a safe, clean place to stay. If that solution could be found, I am confident that easily 80% of our "homeless" issue would be solved.

[Dr Fate]

31. Great post- thanx. n/t

n/t

[Hell Hath No Fury]

36. I don't think people appreciate --

just how complex the issue is. Even though I have lived here my entire life, I can say I wasn't until I really got to know the homeless community here.

There are no easy solutions. :(

[madfloridian]

39. No easy solutions. BUT you don't make it illegal to feed them.

You don't make it illegal for them to push a cart with their belongings. You don't make everything illegal.

Read the part about St. Pete.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

41. Agree conpletely.

I find those kinds of bans ridiculous and simply punative, they do ZERO towards solving a problem.

There was an article in the local paper a bit back about a guy who has developed a "cart" for homeless people that turned into a private, weatherproff sleeping environment -- really ingenuis. He envisioned the cart concept as being part of a larger cart "encampment", where many cart users could gather together on city-provided lots and create a community. I think it is a fascinating idea that would serve the portion of the homeless community who chose not to enter city services.

On edit:

Found the guy with the cart idea --



About EDAR

EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof) is a 501(c)(3) charity that provides unique mobile shelters to those living on the streets all around us. Each EDAR is a four-wheeled mobile unit which carries belongings and facilitates recycling during the day and which unfolds into a special, framed tent-like sleeping enclosure with a bed at night.

Mission

While respecting permanent and temporary housing for the homeless in group settings which use buildings to provide shelter, EDAR addresses the unrepresented hundreds of thousands of homeless people amongst us for whom no beds are available or who are unable or unwilling to participate in those solutions.


http://edar.org/

[Retrograde]

68. A good summary of a complex problem

After awhile you start to recognize the regular homeless, the people who always seem to be hanging around. There are people who are genuinely in need of help, and The Deities know the local governments, churches and non-profits are all stretched thin these days. I don't think anyone begrudges the family who was suddenly turned out of their home any assistance they need to get back on their feet. As Hell Hath No Fury points out, there is a segment of people in California cities (and the suburbs have them too), who for whatever reason choose to panhandle and hang around on the streets. I believe that they're a small percentage of the actual homeless, but they're the most visible, and they're the ones who trigger the backlash.

From the report cited in the original post, here are the mean things Berkeley did to get on the list: "This law targets a wide range of behavior, including lying on or blocking the sidewalk, smoking near doorways, having a shopping cart, tying animals to fixed objects, littering, drinking in public, public urination and defecation and shouting in public."

[lpbk2713]

32. It might also be worth mentioning ...

... that #9 Bradenton was formerly represented by Krazy Katherine Harris.
Bradenton's dubious honor shouldn't be that much of a surprise with this in mind.

[madfloridian]

34. I don't know if SF belongs on the list. 3 cities in Central Florida are on it.

Plus Gainesville...and those cities concern me.

[KamaAina]

37. Not a big surprise we're back on the list -- but Berkeley?!

What is this world coming to??!! The only place where both major political parties are socialist (the breakdown is along geographic lines) is the tenth meanest?! :(

edit: I actually saw evidence of our No. 8 ranking the other day, in the form of a cop rousting a guy sleeping on the sidewalk. At 5 in the afternoon.

[madfloridian]

38. Most likely the good weather. But some of St. Pete's laws are too much.

I simply don't know about the ones in CA. But the good weather is a common thread.

There are many sides. But there's a pattern in Central Florida. Orlando banned feeding the homeless for a while...I don't know if it is still in effect.

You don't charge people with a crime for feeding the homeless.

[trumad]

40. Orlando is right there with you ,,,,

[Hell Hath No Fury]

42. Berkeley got put on the list --

because they finally got fed-up with the sheer numbers of people there lounging on the sidewalks -- mostly the out of town kid crowd that would lounge and panhandle. You know the situation was out of hand if Berkeley took action! :(

[Dr Fate]

44. Not allowing people to sleep on sidewalks at 5PM is evidence of being "mean"?

Seriously?

A drunk business man or a sleepy student is not allowed to pass out on side walks either, for instance.

At least in the case of SF, I'm just not sure that these instances show "meaness" so much as they reflect the sheer volume of homeless people in any given area. If you have a high number of homeless people and no working budget to care for them, then these run-ins with the law will become more frquent.

[KamaAina]

45. Somehow I doubt the drunk businessman would have been kicked

though relatively lightly, to be sure. And this was directly opposite A'ala Park, which has been Homeless Central for generations; it even turns up in a traditional Hawaiian song.

[Dr Fate]

46. You left out that detail- and I admit that you would be right. n/t

n/t

[Dr Fate]

52. kick n/t

n/t

[tucsonlib]

53. Summing Up

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

- James K. Galbraith

[madfloridian]

55. Wow. I had not heard that.

Sums it up well. "superior justification for selfishness"....aka "personal responsibility" carried to the extreme.

If you are rich you deserve it, if you are poor you deserve it.

[guruoo]

57. Wednesday, in my town: Council votes to keep homeless from lying, sitting sitting on sidewalks

Council votes to keep homeless from lying, sitting on sidewalks
An ordinance that will prohibit people from sitting or lying on public sidewalks in the
greater downtown area was approved 6-2 by Knoxville City Council members Tuesday, despite
dozens of protesters who derided the action as an attempt to push local homeless people
out of public view.

"One problem these people already have now is that they're invisible," said Lida Mayer,
a Halls resident who spoke at the council meeting. She characterized the ordinance's logic
as "If we don't have to see them, we don't have to deal with them."

The situation is, perhaps, most visible along Broadway at the Interstate 40 overpass, where
homeless people often congregate near the Salvation Army offices and Knox Area Rescue Ministries.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jul/15/loitering-ordinance-okd/

[L0oniX]

62. Not surprised at all. We feed 45 to 70 every Saturday in Clearwater FL.

2 weeks ago we had a family of 5 show up. I hear the stories about St. Pete and the cops and what they do all the time.

[SOS]

63. "United We Stand"

Except the indigent, who die on our sidewalks.

This is not a civil society, it's a brutal, heartless jungle.

[Ilovevermont]

64. Our culture teaches that poverty is disgraceful.

Instead of looking at root causes, we punish the hungry and
homeless. Mention poverty to many "nice" people and
they quickly change the subject. It's a little like dealing
with native history - just pretend everything is fine or that
the fault is that of poor people. You would think we would
begin to understand when we hear of the huge wealth being
stolen from us by banks, stock brokers, and defense
contractors, but, no, it's easier to fight one another or
blame the poor. 

I wish I could recommend this article, but I am appreciative
of people like Madfloridian who have the courage to share
unpleasant information.   We cannot address a problem until we
are fully, painfully aware of it.

[Retrograde]

69. As Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you"

There are many Christian organizations - and non-Christian ones, and secular ones - that take the teachings of Jesus seriously when it comes to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. However, I think the people they serve are not by and large the ones the anti-homeless laws are directed towards.