Homeless Given New Carts in L.A. (fwd)
P. Myers (mpwr@u.washington.edu)
Sat, 18 Jul 1998 18:23:49 -0700 (PDT)
sorry if this is a post that's already been sent... but the police
attitude is *so disgusting, I had to send! Pat Myers
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 6:34:06 PDT
From: AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Some of the city's homeless can now cart
around their belongings without breaking the law.
One hundred $100 shopping carts were given away this week to
replace stolen carts used by many on Skid Row. Stealing carts is a
misdemeanor punishable by up to 100 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
``This one's a Cadillac. I love it,'' said Robert Hosey, 59, as
he rolled a shiny black cart Monday. ``You can't carry a hundred
pounds of glass on your back.''
The carts were paid for by an anonymous donation to the Los
Angeles Catholic Worker, a nonprofit group that runs a soup
kitchen. The carts are private property, with a sign warning that
only homeless people in Los Angeles County can possess one.
Police say the carts can be used as ladders to climb inside
buildings or to hide stolen goods. Capt. Richard Bonneau said the
cart giveaway was ``well-intentioned but misguided'' and called it
a bad idea.
-=-=-