| Don't you just hate homeless people? Okay, maybe | | | | permanent residence. |
| "hate" is too strong a word. Don't you just Love | | | | But we could also conclude that a person desirous of |
| homeless people? Well, maybe "Love" is too much of | | | | living underneath freeways, in cardboard boxes, or in |
| a commitment. So, how do people feel about the | | | | doorway jambs through inclement weather, season |
| homeless in the United States? Neither love, nor hatred | | | | after season missed meal after missed meal, |
| can ever remain secret and silent ultimately, but each | | | | deteriorating health and hygiene, lack of familial or |
| has a much better chance at reconciliation than apathy | | | | friendly support, is suffering from some form of mental |
| and indifference. | | | | illness. In fairness to the homeless population it would |
| So where does Las Vegas Mayor, Oscar Goodman | | | | be inappropriate for any layman to speculate on the |
| fit in all of this? It appears that he has discovered an | | | | mental health of any person in such a condition. |
| effective way to virtually exterminate homeless | | | | But we don't need to speculate. |
| human beings in his city along with their advocates. | | | | At the very least mandatory mental health screening |
| Politicians are not allowed to express or utilize love or | | | | should be required of all homeless people in Las |
| hatred in the performance of their duties - and we | | | | Vegas and everywhere else in the U.S.A. |
| know what that leaves. | | | | But Mayor Goodman has a better idea. His blanket |
| There has been no mass scientific study ( of which I | | | | response is to declare the homeless as "Service |
| am aware) concluding that the majority of homeless | | | | Resistant" and suggest that "These people don't want |
| people are without stable and permanent residence by | | | | help" (as he has in fact suggested), then have them |
| personal choice. I'm going to go out on a limb and | | | | rounded up, on sight, for sitting (not sleeping) on bus |
| suggest that most homeless people i.e. any | | | | stop benches without ever actually riding the bus, and |
| percentage higher than 51%, do not desire existing in a | | | | sitting (not sleeping) or walking in the city park, then |
| condition of homelessness. If we don't want to help the | | | | take them straight to jail. If the resources exist to |
| minority who theoretically don't want help in resolving | | | | criminalize and prosecute homelessness, shouldn't |
| their living condition, we must recognize our obligation to | | | | there be an alternative such as mandatory mental |
| those who do want and need our help. This brings us | | | | health screening in order to decide what level of |
| back to Mayor Goodman (yes, that's his true | | | | support is required for each individual? |
| nomenclature) of Las Vegas. | | | | Speaking of criminalization...Mayor Goodman has also |
| There are a couple of ways that Mayor Goodman | | | | criminalized the feeding of homeless people in the local |
| has officially described the homeless in his city. He has | | | | park. Yes, homeless advocates and people who |
| labeled a specific type of homeless person as | | | | simply have hearts of flesh will be and have been |
| "Service Resistant." According to the Mayor this | | | | charged with a crime for feeding homeless people in |
| means that they simply do not want to work or be | | | | the park. Just what the world needs - another |
| legally employed. If any homeless person is truly | | | | ambivalent law by a government which only serves |
| "Service Resistant" the inference is that they prefer | | | | the ridiculous task of attempting to regulate the |
| transitory homelessness to having a stable and | | | | goodness of some and the hopelessness of others. |