I hate to sound like an insensitive person, but homeless men are an issue that no one wants to talk about. Their presence downtown has a very negative effect. Why would the average person live or even visit the downtown when the are "afraid" of someone approaching them on the street who looks like they slept on a sidewalk last night and are asking for money?
Why does the city spend millions trying to promote downtown while they tolerate panhandlers? If the city would encourage the shelters to move just a mile from the Circle, the entire atmosphere of the downtown would be greatly improved, but these are the same politicians who have left us with the property tax mess. They are more interested in building hotels and stadiums.
It is commendable that people take the time and the effort to come downtown to feed and care for the homeless. Many of the homeless suffer from mental illness, alcoholism, drug addictions, and some are registered sex offenders. However, after the volunteers have driven back to their homes in the burbs, the men are still here and the problem is left largely unsolved. They litter the streets, sleep on the sidewalks, and one urinated on my building this morning. It is not exactly the environment that an individual is looking for when one is planning on investing in a luxury condominium.
So, the city can ignore the problem for fear of political repercussions or it can come up with long term solutions along with the property taxes. What do you think the city and we can do to help out the homeless and make the city a better place to live and visit?
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Homeless People
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5 comments:
It could have been worse.....he could have taken a crap on your front porch and lit it on fire. Or even worse, he could have done to you what that SOB did at Jonathan Bird's cafeteria all those years ago (i.e. Poopy Diaper on Windshield)
Oh, no, someone has given Ted E. Meek a bully pulpit. What is the world coming to?
It sounds like the homeless people have developed a dependency on the city for food and shelter, and the city is not seriously asking anything from the homeless people in return for their aid (staying drug-free, applying for jobs, seeking some form of education, etc.).
Maybe the city needs to re-evaluate not just where the homeless reside. Maybe they should also ask the question of whether they are exacerbating the problem and not solving it.
Ted - sounds like the IPD was inspired by your blog. Pissing on Ted Meeks lawn was the final straw for these vagrants.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/LOCAL/708190444
re-open Central State Hospital. It is a beautiful campus for the homeless, mentally ill, and immigrants yearning to breathe free....
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