THIS IS WHAT POVERTY LOOKS LIKE
This is a short and simple vid about what it really means to be poor in America. I hope this link works. As far as St Augustine is concerned, we've got trouble brewing with the local government wanting to quickly pass an ordinance against panhandling. As the attached letter shows, it's way more than a pan handling issue and this just takes the emphasis off the real picture.
I, Sumner, wish to apologize in advance for the length of this letter. It will discuss in detail the moral and ethical consequences of an ordinance the city commission will vote on this Monday night. Many of you may not see what the big deal is. Hopefully, through this small statement I can impress upon you the magnitude of this upcoming decision that affects all of us (unfortunately, specifically the homeless).
A couple of days ago there was a front page article about the new mayor, Joe Boles, being sworn in. Of the two most important things he wanted to get done right away, one was to establish no panhandling zones throughout the city. Imagine you are just elected the new mayor of your hometown. There are so many things to do, to think about, to research, to consider. Mr. Boles decided to pass a law detrimental to veterans (account for approx. 30% of all homeless), minorities (56% of homeless vets), mentally ill (see Food Not Bombs, The Homeless Coalition, St. Francis House, and police staff), elderly (speak with St. Francis staff), physically ill (65% of SJC homeless indicated immediate physical health problems but 61% said they hadn't received medical care in over a year - 80% indicated serious dental problems, 47% indicated they needed glasses), and, in case Mr. Boles forgot, these are people without homes. That's the first thing you want to do! To pass ordinances against the poorest of the poor?!
So I called and emailed every commissioner to setup a meeting since this ordinance has had NO public input. Many complaints were reported on the issue but the city has not proposed how to address the "problem" to the public. Mr. Crichlow got back to me first and you can read his email at the bottom. Mr. Boles finally called me back and "talked" to me (he talked for about 18 of the 20 minutes we were on the phone). I requested Mr. Boles meet with myself and a small group of FNB volunteers and supporters. Three times I requested a meeting since I was at work and could not discuss such a big issue in one little phone call. Guess what, no meeting date.
The mayor will be telling everyone Monday that the homeless and panhandling issue is completely seperate. He has no research to back this up. Why not work on getting a new shelter and more services for the homeless/poor in this county FIRST before proceeding to take away citizens' rights? "Because all of that will take time, this is something we can do now". What this will do now is take away the attention to the homeless people of the county. They've dragged their feet on getting a proper shelter for years and by sweeping the homeless out of downtown, they will further postpone the most viable long term solutions. FNB exist to raise awareness and after three years of selfless servings that has finally occurred. Now, instead of truly doing something about it, the city will go backwards. Will all the efforts by homeless advocates in this city be in vain? Will all the meals provided and volunteer hours donated actually harm the homeless by simply showing that they exist?
This has bothered me intensely the past couple of weeks for many other reasons. Before I delve into those it should be noted that I have spoken with the police chief who said "this is not a police problem, it is a social problem. And I believe an education problem. What people don't realize is that we can't just move the homeless onto another county because this is going on all over the state." When I spoke to assistant attorney Mrs. Upchurch, she said that now is the time to get this done - its in the public's eye, there is an overwhelming lack of services, and we have new county commissioners to work with. She spoke of setting up roundtables, contacting other cities, etc. The city commission will be going specifically against these two staff memeber's statements by trying to sell the public that homeless and panhandlers are different people. True, not all homeless people panhandle (a fancy term for beg) and not all beggars are truly homeless but even mentally ill people can realize when they are hungry and without shelter and ask the most basic of things to another human being: can you help me?
Maybe all the re-enactor events this city holds should be sure there are no beggar re-enactors - lets just rewrite history since this ordinance will take away the simplest form of living that has existed since civilizations began (hope no Buddhist monks want to move to town). Maybe the government will quit saying prayers at their city meetings as we need to keep religion (specifically christianity since many politicians and business owners claim to be a christian) and politics serverly seperate because Jesus would never establish "no begging zones". He would reach out to those people. Anyone who has read one verse of the New Testament cannot dispute Jesus' dealings with the poor.
And perhaps the most disturbing argument I've heard to pass more laws, to increase gov't once again is: "some of those people down there (St. George St. area) are young and healthy kids that can work". This, to me, really gets to the heart of the matter. The powerful and rich disagree with a lifestyle. They are unable to comprehend that some people want nothing to do with our current society. Some people do not want to pay taxes for too numerous reasons to name (war, of course, a big one). Some people will suffer severe mental problems (see half the population on some form of meds) if they integrate themselves into our society so they drop out. Why would any of you reading this want to live in a society where you cannot sit on a sidewalk and hold a sign if you choose? It is different if you want a home and an SUV and video games, etc. but have had some bad luck or some addictions and are reduced to begging. To the mayor, those people are fine because they want to be like "us" one day. But if you choose to live differently than the owners of shops and B&Bs or politicians then you need to step in line. Or at the very least get far enough out of the downtown so that tourist don't have to be exposed to this type of thinking.
The no begging zone reminded me immediately of the "no protest zone" that are popular at major protest nowadays. The idea of a "free speech" ZONE is an oxymoron. Please take a second to imagine a task you do every day - like, say, walk your dog. Now imagine the commissioners pass an ordinance taking that right away - you have to keep your dog inside. And now further imagine this being something that your life depended on and being forced to quit doing it. Imagine being a St. Francis worker who recently went to talk to some business owners and dispel myths about the homeless. Imagine being told that they wanted 'Jeanie' gone - they didn't care how, just get her out of here. Doesn't matter if she has mental problems, just remove her!
I could go on and on but I appreciate those that have read this far (this is Sumner Gray - I am sure Kris agrees with some things I have said but just want you all to know these are my words and not necessarily what Loose Screws or Kris' opinions are). The meeting is this Monday at 5 or 5:30pm when the public can have their crappy three minutes to discuss such large issues. I encourage everyone to email cosa@aug.com or call 825-1005 to voice your opinions. People have begged for centuries in St. Augustine, what is the rush now to pass an ordinance? Why not work on the shelter and services first? Crichlow's email follows - it shows how this is a done deal (I point blank asked Boles and he came right out and said he was hoping it would be). This is two "yes" votes already. Other contact info:
Joe Boles 824-4278, George Gardner 825-3648 gardner@aug.com, Susan Burk 829-1960 fblaw@bellsouth.net, Don Crichlow 824-5785 crich@aug.com, Errol Jones 819-7589 jones2002@erroljones.com
Mr. Gray, I am not sure if there is time to get together between now and the Monday meeting. I will be out of town most of tomorrow and Friday. If you plan on attending the meeting on Monday evening you will have the opportunity to make comments to the commission during the citizen comment period either at the beginning or end of the meeting. I personally support the proposal to restrict downtown panhandlers to one location. I have had more complaints one this one subject than any other issue in my four years on the commission. Something has to be done. The panhandler ordinance under consideration is being proposed by our city attorney who has researched this particular ordiance and assures us that it has passed legal challenges in other cities. I plan to also ask for additional funds for the police department to enforce the ordinance after it is passed. Concerning your activity of feeding the homeless in the park, I would respectfully ask that you work with city staff to relocate this activity to another location as the Salvation Army was willing to do. The city plaza is a showcase for our tourists and not the proper place for this type of activity. I look forward to hearing your comments next Monday. Don Crichlow City Commissioner ---- I again asked Crichlow for a meeting and asked if had met with anyone from any homeless group. He said we could meet later (after the meeting) and no, he hadn't met with any group on the matter.
________________________________________
I, Sumner, wish to apologize in advance for the length of this letter. It will discuss in detail the moral and ethical consequences of an ordinance the city commission will vote on this Monday night. Many of you may not see what the big deal is. Hopefully, through this small statement I can impress upon you the magnitude of this upcoming decision that affects all of us (unfortunately, specifically the homeless).
A couple of days ago there was a front page article about the new mayor, Joe Boles, being sworn in. Of the two most important things he wanted to get done right away, one was to establish no panhandling zones throughout the city. Imagine you are just elected the new mayor of your hometown. There are so many things to do, to think about, to research, to consider. Mr. Boles decided to pass a law detrimental to veterans (account for approx. 30% of all homeless), minorities (56% of homeless vets), mentally ill (see Food Not Bombs, The Homeless Coalition, St. Francis House, and police staff), elderly (speak with St. Francis staff), physically ill (65% of SJC homeless indicated immediate physical health problems but 61% said they hadn't received medical care in over a year - 80% indicated serious dental problems, 47% indicated they needed glasses), and, in case Mr. Boles forgot, these are people without homes. That's the first thing you want to do! To pass ordinances against the poorest of the poor?!
So I called and emailed every commissioner to setup a meeting since this ordinance has had NO public input. Many complaints were reported on the issue but the city has not proposed how to address the "problem" to the public. Mr. Crichlow got back to me first and you can read his email at the bottom. Mr. Boles finally called me back and "talked" to me (he talked for about 18 of the 20 minutes we were on the phone). I requested Mr. Boles meet with myself and a small group of FNB volunteers and supporters. Three times I requested a meeting since I was at work and could not discuss such a big issue in one little phone call. Guess what, no meeting date.
The mayor will be telling everyone Monday that the homeless and panhandling issue is completely seperate. He has no research to back this up. Why not work on getting a new shelter and more services for the homeless/poor in this county FIRST before proceeding to take away citizens' rights? "Because all of that will take time, this is something we can do now". What this will do now is take away the attention to the homeless people of the county. They've dragged their feet on getting a proper shelter for years and by sweeping the homeless out of downtown, they will further postpone the most viable long term solutions. FNB exist to raise awareness and after three years of selfless servings that has finally occurred. Now, instead of truly doing something about it, the city will go backwards. Will all the efforts by homeless advocates in this city be in vain? Will all the meals provided and volunteer hours donated actually harm the homeless by simply showing that they exist?
This has bothered me intensely the past couple of weeks for many other reasons. Before I delve into those it should be noted that I have spoken with the police chief who said "this is not a police problem, it is a social problem. And I believe an education problem. What people don't realize is that we can't just move the homeless onto another county because this is going on all over the state." When I spoke to assistant attorney Mrs. Upchurch, she said that now is the time to get this done - its in the public's eye, there is an overwhelming lack of services, and we have new county commissioners to work with. She spoke of setting up roundtables, contacting other cities, etc. The city commission will be going specifically against these two staff memeber's statements by trying to sell the public that homeless and panhandlers are different people. True, not all homeless people panhandle (a fancy term for beg) and not all beggars are truly homeless but even mentally ill people can realize when they are hungry and without shelter and ask the most basic of things to another human being: can you help me?
Maybe all the re-enactor events this city holds should be sure there are no beggar re-enactors - lets just rewrite history since this ordinance will take away the simplest form of living that has existed since civilizations began (hope no Buddhist monks want to move to town). Maybe the government will quit saying prayers at their city meetings as we need to keep religion (specifically christianity since many politicians and business owners claim to be a christian) and politics serverly seperate because Jesus would never establish "no begging zones". He would reach out to those people. Anyone who has read one verse of the New Testament cannot dispute Jesus' dealings with the poor.
And perhaps the most disturbing argument I've heard to pass more laws, to increase gov't once again is: "some of those people down there (St. George St. area) are young and healthy kids that can work". This, to me, really gets to the heart of the matter. The powerful and rich disagree with a lifestyle. They are unable to comprehend that some people want nothing to do with our current society. Some people do not want to pay taxes for too numerous reasons to name (war, of course, a big one). Some people will suffer severe mental problems (see half the population on some form of meds) if they integrate themselves into our society so they drop out. Why would any of you reading this want to live in a society where you cannot sit on a sidewalk and hold a sign if you choose? It is different if you want a home and an SUV and video games, etc. but have had some bad luck or some addictions and are reduced to begging. To the mayor, those people are fine because they want to be like "us" one day. But if you choose to live differently than the owners of shops and B&Bs or politicians then you need to step in line. Or at the very least get far enough out of the downtown so that tourist don't have to be exposed to this type of thinking.
The no begging zone reminded me immediately of the "no protest zone" that are popular at major protest nowadays. The idea of a "free speech" ZONE is an oxymoron. Please take a second to imagine a task you do every day - like, say, walk your dog. Now imagine the commissioners pass an ordinance taking that right away - you have to keep your dog inside. And now further imagine this being something that your life depended on and being forced to quit doing it. Imagine being a St. Francis worker who recently went to talk to some business owners and dispel myths about the homeless. Imagine being told that they wanted 'Jeanie' gone - they didn't care how, just get her out of here. Doesn't matter if she has mental problems, just remove her!
I could go on and on but I appreciate those that have read this far (this is Sumner Gray - I am sure Kris agrees with some things I have said but just want you all to know these are my words and not necessarily what Loose Screws or Kris' opinions are). The meeting is this Monday at 5 or 5:30pm when the public can have their crappy three minutes to discuss such large issues. I encourage everyone to email cosa@aug.com or call 825-1005 to voice your opinions. People have begged for centuries in St. Augustine, what is the rush now to pass an ordinance? Why not work on the shelter and services first? Crichlow's email follows - it shows how this is a done deal (I point blank asked Boles and he came right out and said he was hoping it would be). This is two "yes" votes already. Other contact info:
Joe Boles 824-4278, George Gardner 825-3648 gardner@aug.com, Susan Burk 829-1960 fblaw@bellsouth.net, Don Crichlow 824-5785 crich@aug.com, Errol Jones 819-7589 jones2002@erroljones.com
Mr. Gray, I am not sure if there is time to get together between now and the Monday meeting. I will be out of town most of tomorrow and Friday. If you plan on attending the meeting on Monday evening you will have the opportunity to make comments to the commission during the citizen comment period either at the beginning or end of the meeting. I personally support the proposal to restrict downtown panhandlers to one location. I have had more complaints one this one subject than any other issue in my four years on the commission. Something has to be done. The panhandler ordinance under consideration is being proposed by our city attorney who has researched this particular ordiance and assures us that it has passed legal challenges in other cities. I plan to also ask for additional funds for the police department to enforce the ordinance after it is passed. Concerning your activity of feeding the homeless in the park, I would respectfully ask that you work with city staff to relocate this activity to another location as the Salvation Army was willing to do. The city plaza is a showcase for our tourists and not the proper place for this type of activity. I look forward to hearing your comments next Monday. Don Crichlow City Commissioner ---- I again asked Crichlow for a meeting and asked if had met with anyone from any homeless group. He said we could meet later (after the meeting) and no, he hadn't met with any group on the matter.
________________________________________
posted by Mary at 7:43 PM
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