Sunday, February 7, 2010

HOMELESS

I am outraged and sickened at the sudden police aggression toward the homeless population surrounding the city rescue mission downtown.

Kicking them and rousing them out of there sleep in the middle of the night to force them to keep moving. Throwing away all of their few remaining personal belongings because it looks like trash.

Where are they supposed to go? When the police come the homeless are forced to scatter like ants, hiding in alleys and behind buildings under trees or bushes or just continuously walking.

It creates a dangerous situation for them. At least near the fence surrounding the shelter, there is a sense of safety. They can watch each other's backs. I have to ask myself where this is coming from.

Is the city's agenda to spend millions to spruce up hemming plaza and get rid of the homeless? Do we believe the homeless are an eyesore to our downtown?
City Rescue Mission serves hundreds of homeless people every day and served over 300,000 meals to the hungry and desolate last year alone without receiving one penny of taxpayer dollars or money from the city.

Donations have seriously decreased because of this economy. Homelessness has increased 33 percent in our city. They are no longer just victims of drugs and alcohol. They are families, children, grandmothers and people of all ages who have fallen on hard times,lost their jobs and their homes.

To sleep on a sidewalk leaning against a fence in the cold with your wife leaning against you, to watch your children stand in line just to eat- this is unthinkable.

City Rescue Mission would like to put up a tent structure behind it's building so hundreds more can sleep on mats and be protected by the elements and crime. It takes money, compassion and a desire to solve this problem rather than hope they magically disappear.

The money taxpayers are spending to have the police arrest homeless people would be so much better spent trying to solve the problem. Is image now more valuable to us then human life? Wake up jacksonville! We have a problem.


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