The United States doesn't treat its homeless well

Spang

Foot Fetisher
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How does the US treat its homeless?

As one state passes a bill of rights for the homeless, others are making it illegal to sleep or beg in public places.

[...]

Most US cities do not provide enough affordable housing, shelter space or food to meet the needs of homeless people. And now many have passed or are considering measures that target the homeless and the people who help them.

In Philadelphia, it is illegal to hand out food outdoors unless you have a permit. And it is illegal to keep belongings on public property or sleep outside in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles has been handing out citations for anything from flicking the ash from a cigarette on the sidewalk to drinking in public. Advocacy groups have labeled it the country's "meanest city".

[...]

Read the whole thing here.
 
I'd never have gotten any exercise when I was homeless if I could have slept in town without being moved on by police. Moving from sleeping places to food and/or free/stolen internet connexions pretty much filled up the gaps of time that were my day.
 
I knew someone who was a homeless advocate in Santa Monica and tried to bring food and supplies to them everyday. He would try to get different groups of people to join him to help, I went with him once (would have gone more, but S.M. is a bit far for me). The homeless people there were treated horribly and giving food to them is illegal, so you had to be careful when handing it out. He videotaped the police taking blankets and sleeping bags from homeless elderly people and then giving them a ticket for illegal camping. :(

He had a blog and would post pictures of the food being served at the shelters and given by some of the churches, it was usually moldy and far beyond the expiration date. He always made sure to give out fresh food, and healthy rather than junk when possible.

Anyway, he was a good guy and even helped to get some of the people off the street. He helped one man, whose son had died, get a new suit, haircut and a ticket home so he could attend the funeral. It turned out he was homeless himself, he had just been too embarrassed to admit it. When he finally did tell his friends, most abandoned him, claiming he hadn't been honest with them. People are awful.
 
The homeless people there were treated horribly and giving food to them is illegal, so you had to be careful when handing it out. He videotaped the police taking blankets and sleeping bags from homeless elderly people and then giving them a ticket for illegal camping. :(

It's so dehumanising and degrading.
 
I knew someone who was a homeless advocate in Santa Monica and tried to bring food and supplies to them everyday. He would try to get different groups of people to join him to help, I went with him once (would have gone more, but S.M. is a bit far for me). The homeless people there were treated horribly and giving food to them is illegal, so you had to be careful when handing it out. He videotaped the police taking blankets and sleeping bags from homeless elderly people and then giving them a ticket for illegal camping. :(

He had a blog and would post pictures of the food being served at the shelters and given by some of the churches, it was usually moldy and far beyond the expiration date. He always made sure to give out fresh food, and healthy rather than junk when possible.

Anyway, he was a good guy and even helped to get some of the people off the street. He helped one man, whose son had died, get a new suit, haircut and a ticket home so he could attend the funeral. It turned out he was homeless himself, he had just been too embarrassed to admit it. When he finally did tell his friends, most abandoned him, claiming he hadn't been honest with them. People are awful.

Wow how sad yet incredible. He was helping others yet the whole time needed help himself.:(
 
I know this will sound a bit odd, but whenever I think of the homeless I always think of the film The Perfect Storm (2000) and the true-life events that inspired the film. This country will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a search-and-rescue mission to find some wealthy dickhead who decided to go out into a hurricane on his sailboat... but can't find a dime to help those who are homeless and just need a good meal. I have always found this to be so perplexing. Why do we value the rich so much more than the poor? Why do we reward the stupid but chastise the unfortunate? Why does the moron who sails into a hurricane deserve so much support?
 
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I know this will sound a bit odd, but whenever I think of the homeless I always think of the film The Perfect Storm (2000) and the true-life events that the film inspired. This country will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a search-and-rescue mission to find some wealthy dickhead who decided to go out into a hurricane on his sailboat... but can't find a dime to help those who are homeless and just need a good meal. I have always found this to be so perplexing. Why do we value the rich so much more than the poor? Why do we reward the stupid but chastise the unfortunate? Why does the moron who sails into a hurricane deserve so much support?

This is unrelated to how awfully homeless people are treated and how super lame that is :( but wasn't The Perfect Storm about a sword fishing boat and it's crew, not about a sailboat?
 
Speaking of Food Not Bombs:

DSC_0625.jpg


I am in this photograph, holding a picture-taking device.
 
i agree its horrible....i volunteer at a homeless shelter here and hate that we can hand out food, clothes ect and let people use a cot for the night and then kick them out in the morning after breakfast it breaks my heart and I hope that they find their way back the nights after that......

peace:)
 
I know this will sound a bit odd, but whenever I think of the homeless I always think of the film The Perfect Storm (2000) and the true-life events that inspired the film. This country will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a search-and-rescue mission to find some wealthy dickhead who decided to go out into a hurricane on his sailboat... but can't find a dime to help those who are homeless and just need a good meal. I have always found this to be so perplexing. Why do we value the rich so much more than the poor? Why do we reward the stupid but chastise the unfortunate? Why does the moron who sails into a hurricane deserve so much support?

They are the job creators. At least that's what Romney tells me.

Ya for Cambridge MA for making begging legal and spelling out their rights.