Blemish on the City

The recent controversy over the homeless in the city has really caught my emotions. I have heard the story, " I am trying to get bus fare to get back home to visit my sick mother. Can you spare a buck or two." and various other versions from homeless to get money for their booze and drugs, but I have also met those that were truly down on their luck and not living on the street by choice. Some people fall on hard time and lose their job, cars and house. Finding a decent paying job is hard. Finding a well paying job is harder. I was there recently. I had to finally take a job that pays me $12,500.00 less a year! See if that doesn't change your living habits. I have had weeks where I chose between food and meds or food and bills. I am faced with getting a second job. I really don't have much more in luxuries to cut back on..guess I could kill the cable and netflix.....or get rid of the cell phone (after paying the early term fees) if things get really really tough. I am thankful I still have those options. Sometimes I feel I am only a step or two ahead of the homeless road, but then I am fortunate in that I know of a few people who would take me in. The people in tent city aren't so fortunate. Some of those people are employed, working jobs and trying to get it together, some are families.........The people in tent city for the most part were looking out for each other. Keeping an eye on each others stuff. Keeping an eye out for each other after the slaying of two homeless people. Maybe tent city was a possibility for recovery if everyone was trying to be a good citizen and help each other in whatever way they could. So instead of trying to look at the ways these people were working together, and trying to find a solution the city decided to harass them. First they tell them they have to leave private church property, which the church was allowing them on, and then they raid the homeless camps and cut up their tents, tents that were private property. Gosh can't call the cops when your property is being destroyed, cause they're doing it. What the fuck were city officials thinking? Lets just stomp on the down trodden....lets make a bad situation worse........lets just make the homeless disappear by slashing their tents. Gee I don't think it works that way. Those people are still here and they are still going to be seen on the streets. Every city has homeless....I think the real blemish is the city being seen on national tv raiding the homeless and stomping on what little pride the tents may have given them.