This is appalling. How do people sleep with themselves at night when the pass laws against feeding people, e.g. the homeless. Oh yeah, it's because too many people see the homeless as lazy bums rather than human beings like them who have mental problems or have fallen on very hard times. These people typically don't have support networks. Making it illegal for people to feed them just makes it more difficult for the homeless. Ignoring them isn't going to make the problem go away.
I'm sure my friend, Jeromy, can offer some more thoughts on this as he has done a lot of work with the homeless.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Laws Against Helping People
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2 comments:
Although it is disguised many ways, the heart of the issue is this: People are creating laws to remove, visibly and mentally, the plight of the poor and homeless in America. You see, homelessness doesn't fit into comfortable, middle class lives. The homeless person is an indicator that real life is perhaps not the artificial, latte sipping, Nike wearing, Chinese take-out gorging, Ipod listening bubble that we work so hard to create around us. When something doesn't fit onto the false stage of our lives, on which we have spent countless hours designing props, sewing costumes, and memorizing the script, it has to be removed.
Similar laws have been enforced in Philadelphia and Madison as well. And it's happening in our own town, but in a different form. Billings recently passed a law requiring pan handlers to get a permit to ask for money on the street. The crime is now punishable by up to 2 weeks in jail, which most homeless people will serve because they can't afford to pay the fine. I can see it played out in my head: Homeless Joe walks into the courthouse to get a permit to beg for money. When he's told the permit costs $7.00, he walks out onto the street to panhandle until he A) illegally begs the money for the permit which then entitles him to beg legally, or B) a cop picks him up for panhandling without a permit and he goes to jail.
The issue here, unfortunately, is not homelessness. The issue is that people want the problem to disappear so they don't have to feel guilty about it. But hey, isn't that really the American way?
I didn't realize that Billings made such a law or in any other state. This is an outrage!! I am shocked and I really don't know what to say. How can they do this, they are people too. You know this angers me allot and I am going to see what I can do to help change this.
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