As the bloom comes off the COVID ‘Everybody In!’ rose, a nation’s most vulnerable have largely returned from their moments of motel and hotel room pandemic safety to life on the sidewalks.
With shelter (if any) reverting to rip-stop nylon encampments in inconvenient places, the glow of ‘doing right’ has faded into community irritation at the growing frequency of annoying/frightening encounters with neighbours who don’t have homes.
The consequence across North America has recently been an escalation in many jurisdictions of urban anti-homeless people warfare. ‘Sweeps’ eradicate ‘tent cities,’ attacking those with few other alternatives, and often seizing/destroying what they own.
Brunswick, a city in Georgia, is exasperated by the inevitable re-gathering of those with no place else to go. Georgia is considering escalating the homeless wars. City council is exploring its legal frameworks to attack the homeless ‘enablers’ such as homeless shelters, medical outreach teams and battered spouse/children support/rescue, as well as many other forms of support to people who need a home.
Read more in THE BRUNSWICK NEWS: City to consider restricting homeless shelters after issuing cease and desist to The Well
Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Arizona, the media is calling out Jeanette Rajansky as a model citizen. No, she’s not taking down tents with her bare hands. She is putting together treat bags for a local drop in centre to share with people who are homeless so they can feed their pets1. Like the volunteers in Brunswick, Georgia, Jeanette is trying to help with a problem that is much bigger than she is. Brunswick, Georgia might be better off figuring out a way to work with its charities and volunteers, rather than running them out of town on a rail.
Footnotes
- Read more at FOX10: Phoenix volunteer makes treat bags for homeless pets
