It should be pointed out from the start that ownership of worthless, or near worthless “things” is not an exclusive preserve of the homeless. Anyone who has experienced selling off the estate of a relative will have encountered the shock of how little can be earned by selling hugely cherished but somewhat worn household items, all the way from the tiniest spoon to the largest sofa.
Now, why on earth would a government not only sanction theft from a homeless person, but pretty much encourage it?
The answer is simple enough. The belongings are generally nigh on to worthless, except to their owners. It’s hugely inconvenient, not to say expensive, to preserve those owned items against the possibility they will be reclaimed. Why not just steal those items, or allow them to be stolen? Storage cost eliminated, problem solved. And homeless folks, some of the most powerless persons in any society, can complain but do little about it.
Unless, of course, their belongings have been “disappeared” in a Portland, Oregon tent camp clearance and they have the support of an activist lawyer who is bent on getting belongings reunited with their owners, if not punishing the thieves. Read more in the Portland Tribune: Lawyer: Laurelhurst homeless belongings unlawfully trashed
