Downtown St. Pete?

[ferret111]

It's pretty easy to avoid the homeless in Downtown Tampa. There were way more of them in Downtown St. Pete until they kicked them out a few months ago.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by jambo101

As you have no compassion for your fellow humans who have fallen to the bottom of the barrel

Just curious, do you think that the best way to help someone regain their self-respect, inner drive, and desire to follow society's rules is to allow them to congregate in the best part of a city free of charge, collect money from workers, and take drugs? Personally, I think this is the worst possible way to rehabilitate a person's soul.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by ferret111

It's pretty easy to avoid the homeless in Downtown Tampa.

As I asked above, why should we be avoiding law-breakers and misfits? They should be avoiding us. If we tolerate their refusal to reform their behavior, at minimum we should demand that they congregate somewhere other than our most prized public spots.

[user8]

Originally Posted by ferret111

I, too, enjoy eliminating people of lower socioeconomic positions than myself.

my comment wasn't meant to be taken literally () but i agree w/ the others... why should we have to avoid the homeless, especially in places of business and other public congregation?

sorry, but seeing them sitting on street corners and walking out into traffic to panhandle is a blight on the city. that the city outlawed their practice, save for sundays, is a welcome relief. they were getting a little out of hand. i volunteer my time, money, and food at shelters. i know there are some who are in a tough spot and trying to work their way back into society. i have nothing but respect for these folks. the freeloaders, those who have given up on contributing anything to society and refuse to put forth any sort of effort whatsoever (except for sitting on a corner with their hands out, of course) are worthless.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by roadtrip75

Just curious, do you think that the best way to help someone regain their self-respect, inner drive, and desire to follow society's rules is to allow them to congregate in the best part of a city free of charge, collect money from workers, and take drugs? Personally, I think this is the worst possible way to rehabilitate a person's soul.

Many of these homeless people have mental problems and are just trying to survive the best way they know how, ideas of beating them with billy clubs and exiling them to be some one elses problem shows an amazing lack of compassion for ones fellow human being.If you want them out of the downtown area give them a place where they can go and get the basic essentials of life, an old abandoned school or factory could be converted to suffice as their residence.You may balk at having the tax payer foot the bill for such a social program but in a culture/society/country as rich as America taking care of your bottom of the barrel citizens is the right thing to do.

[Maggi07]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Many of these homeless people have mental problems and are just trying to survive the best way they know how, ideas of beating them with billy clubs and exiling them to be some one elses problem shows an amazing lack of compassion for ones fellow human being.If you want them out of the downtown area give them a place where they can go and get the basic essentials of life, an old abandoned school or factory could be converted to suffice as their residence.You may balk at having the tax payer foot the bill for such a social program but in a culture/society/country as rich as America taking care of your bottom of the barrel citizens is the right thing to do.

Agree.

I was at a conference last weekend where one of the speakers was a highly respected psychiatrist. One of the things he emphasized is that so many of our homeless population are mentally ill, specifically with things such as schizophrenia and extreme bipolar disorder. They are too ill to look for help themselves, there is no one who cares to help them (family), and what is available is paltry anyway, unless you happen to be someone with an incredibly awesome insurance policy, or tons of money in the bank (clearly not the case here).

As time goes on and I learn more about the situation, the harder it gets for me to pass judgment.

[Maggi07]

Originally Posted by thethinktank

All of this violent hyperbole ("billy club the homeless into submission" -- crazynip, "catching them with large nets and throwing them out to sea" -- user8) and ugly disdain ("homeless scum" -- chi_tino) is ridiculous, and I'm surprised it's not responded to with outrage. If racist language is frowned upon in our society, why is such extreme classist language tolerated?

This is a very good point.

It's really disgusting that anyone would say such things about fellow human beings, and it's a sad statement on our society.

[Sunscape]

I'm closing this thread. Thanks for the reports.