Re: homelessness *is unacceptable and unnecessary (fwd)
Theodore Latham (tedrico@hotmail.com)
Mon, 10 Aug 1998 22:33:15 PDT
Pat,
I received this same letter on Jul 16th. from the Seattle Mayor's
Office, regarding the "Jungle" issue on June. Maybe it got lost in the
mail.
-- Tedrico
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http://4homeless.hypermart.net/index.html?sig
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P.O. Box 514 Rich Square, NC 27869 (252)539-4228
<tedrico@hotmail.com>
"P. Myers" <mpwr@u.washington.edu> wrote:
>Subject: Re: homelessness *is unacceptable and unnecessary (fwd)
>
>
>only took him 2 months to send the form letter. whoo-hoo. pat myers
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 15:43:00 -0700
>From: "DOM01.P0103:MOFFICE" <Mayors.Office@ci.seattle.wa.us>
>To: "P. Myers" <mpwr@u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Re: homelessness *is unacceptable and unnecessary
>
> Date: 08/08/1998 03:43 pm (Saturday)
> From: Mayors Office
> To: "\"P. Myers\" <mpwr@u.washington.edu> at
> Internet"@COS.ccMail
> Subject: Re: homelessness *is unacceptable and unnecessary
>
>Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about the clearing
of
>homeless encampments. I apologize for the delay in responding.
>
>The recent cleanup of encampments on Beacon Hill, in the East Duwamish
>Greenbelt, was a coordinated effort of State, County, and City human
>services agencies, and is consistent with a 10-year City policy. This
and
>other cleanups are done in the most humane way possible. Notices are
>personally handed out to each resident at the encampment 1 2 days in
>advance, in English and Spanish. Community Service Officers are
on-site
>during the cleanup, to offer those present assistance and referral
>services.
>
>Encampment cleanups are done to address immediate public safety and
health
>issues. In the specific instance of the Beacon Hill encampments, there
>had been growing concern that rodent infestation was threatening to
become
>a public health hazard to the surrounding community. In addition, an
>apprehended, confessed murderer recently described this area as his
>"playground," and we are taking that public safety risk very seriously.
>
>I recognize that these cleanups are not a long-term solution to the
>homeless problem, and I am working with the City Council to come up
with a
>comprehensive strategy involving not only local government, but the
entire
>community. As a first step in that strategy, I have requested an
>emergency funding measure to assure that all homeless children and
women
>are provided with shelter by Christmas of this year. We will also
>continue working to address the underlying problems that create
>homelessness in our society, including the need for affordable housing,
>mental health and substance abuse treatment, and employment and
training
>opportunities. The City of Seattle currently spends nearly $8 million
per
>year on services to help the homeless.
>
>Again, I appreciate your concern about this difficult issue, and
encourage
>you to stay involved as we seek out the best government and community
>options to provide more permanent solutions to the homeless problem.
>
>Very truly yours,
>
>
>
>
>Paul Schell
>
>cc: Ven Knox, Director, Department of Housing and Human Services
>
>
>>>> "P. Myers" <mpwr@u.washington.edu> at Internet 06/12 10:03 AM >>>
>
>Mayor Schell:
>
>I am prompted to write again, concerning the bulldozing of the "Jungle"
in
>Seattle, recently named the most livable of the larger cities in the
U.S.
>In this most livable city, homeless sleep on hot air grates on the
campus
>of the University of Washington... in less inclement weather, they
sleep
>on the grass of campus, proper, largely ignored...invisible.
>
>In this most livable of cities, downtown bus stops have had benches cut
>off, only the standards and small pieces of wood between sanded and
>laminated, leaving room for two sitters...one between each standard.
This,
>to discourage sitting or resting or sleeping by homeless...we go a long
>way in Seattle, to maintain the *image of a city without homeless...
>We have, in this most livable city, mean sweeps; no sitting
injunctions,
>and penalties around most activities not somehow connectable with
middle
>class life. Indeed, in this most livable of cities, we are very close
to
>an Elizabethan Poor Law: ready to lock up the poorest of the poor;
>fragment through sweeps the rest.
>
>And we are not alone. Other cities internationally have adopted
similar
>harrassment tactics. In San Diego, I am told, where for months
homeless
>have been camping in protest of shelter closures during El Nino, June
19th
>has been targetted as the date that police will begin serious
harassment.
>
>This group needs an attorney, for a class action suit that *can be won!
>But in Seattle, the most livable of cities, we have a Mayor Schell, who
>has vowed to end homelessness...but first allows the bulldozing of the
>Jungle, fragmenting and dispersing a community that needs, instead, to
>come together around issues of identity and simple, decent human
rights.
>We all know that ignoring does *not make anything
> go away. We try to teach, if we are parents, responsibility for
making,
>or leaving, t
>he world a better place for eve
>ryone. Yet we accept homelessness; blame the victims (a "lifestyle
>choice" as a Parks Rep. said recently?!); allow one another to
"disappear"
>homeless...on and on...anything but demand that this community of
citizens
>receive the respect and treatment that we demand for ourselves.
>
>Mayor Schell, give back the most livable city label, until we are that,
>for *all our citizens. Because until then, we are the least
livable...for
>far too many.
>
>Pat Myers
>
>
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