The Burden

Via Scout's link this morning, from Blast Off's story about banning feeding the homeless in West Palm Beach's downtown:

"How in good conscience can we allow a segment of our community to take the burden of this?" Frankel said.

Because I've got to defend the mostly insane Mayor Frankel here for a minute.

She's absolutely right.

You can't allow a segment of the community to bear the burden of the poor.

You can't allow a segment of the community to notice that there are poor, that there is need, that people don't have housing and that there's nothing for them to eat. That they're using drugs and sometimes are becoming violent. That there's hopelessness and despair and rage and pain. That this is happening in your parks where you hold your band recitals and community gatherings, that this is happening outside the stores where you shop, that this is slapping you in the face while you try to have some quiche.

You can't allow a segment of the community to face that every day and give everybody else a pass, because they don't come downtown, because they don't have to look at it, because they're far away (so they think, poor fucking delusional morons) from such circumstances themselves, because they're not walking past every day and getting asked the questions: Got any change? Help me out. Give me something. Look at me. You can't allow a segment of the community to struggle with that. You can't allow a segment of the community to live beside it. You can't allow a segment of the community to make that its reality.

Because it's everybody's.

You can't allow a segment of the community to bear the burden. Everybody has to.

And you have to make them.

You have to say to them, Madam Mayor, that if they are uncomfortable with the poor and homeless looking at them while they sip their pinot, that they have to eradicate poverty and end homelessness. You have to ban want and fear, not the feeding of one and soothing of the other. You have to work the problem you have, not what the problem looks like. And you have to, God help your miserable fucking soul, be the conscience of your community as well as its goddamn decorator. You have to point out, unpopular as it may sound, that the reason homeless people are bothering the downtown is because they themselves are bothered.

You have to support measures for shelter, for food, for mental health care and for drug prevention/rehab facilities, and yes, you have to support community policing to deal with people who will commit crimes. And you have to call on your community, all of your community, to support such things as well, and not just whine about the dirty men and women disturbing their views:

Dawn Alba, who lives in a condo next to the fountain, said she's "all about peace and justice and all that" but said the feeding programs could be held nearby. "Wherever it is, they'll go get it," she said.

You have to call that selfishness what it is. You have to fix the problems. You've got no other choice. It is unfair that a segment of the community bears the burden. Because the burden is universal.

A.

Comments

[donna]

I'm sure it must annoy our locals terribly that every time they walk into Starbucks the homeless guy is there.

But hey, he bought his cup of coffee.

[Maitri]

And you have to, God help your miserable fucking soul, be the conscience of your community as well as its goddamn decorator. You have to point out, unpopular as it may sound, that the reason homeless people are bothering the downtown is because they themselves are bothered.

How blissful it must be to live in a closed system sustained by denial. You're absolutely right, especially the "miserable fucking soul" part.

My husband is a lot more generous than I am, willing to part with his money and food quicker and with less analysis. Even so, how heartless must a community be to BAN feeding the homeless. If you don't want to do it, don't do it and get out of the way of others who are ok with it.

[filkertom]

Haven't checked in awhile -- very busy with music stuff, hope you're all doing all right -- but... I still want to have your babies, Athenae. You frickin' rock, and you cut right to the heart of something that should be blindingly obvious to anyone with a functioning soul.

[bdub]

There is sometimes more to the story that yuppies wanting to kick the homeless out of their neighborhood. I live right down the street from a park where many homeless congregate in St. Louis. Groups of people from outside the city, out in the burbs come in with food and hand it out near the park. They leave the trash everywhere and also leave food everywhere. The park is now infested with rats. (See the article below for some detail). The City is trying to put a stop to it. So long as a legitimate attempt is made to find an alternative way to feed the homeless, I have no problem with what they are doing (although from this article, the people come across as selfish pricks and it is difficult to see if alternative measures are being taken and/or considered). Below is the article that explains the situation and discusses the mayor's proposal. I agree that homelessness and poverty are huge issues, often ignored by both citizens and politicians, but sometimes there are better solutions than simply handing out food at public parks. I consider myself a progressive and try to do some volunteer work, but after having homeless people threaten me and my wife on a couple of occassions and after having a homeless person attempt to mug me, I started to think that alternative solutions should be considered. But I think we all agree that more needs to be done. Anyway, here is the article.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/4C565BB87666CB0E8625734200164954?OpenDocument

[bdub]

Oops. Here is the article:

http://www.tiny.cc/Article

[bdub]

crap!!! i don't think that worked either. here, i will try again.

http://www.tiny.cc/stlpostarticle