Like Santa Cruz, the city of Arcata, California is literally going into the crapper, thanks to the homeless, who say they are "oppressed." The city council has appointed a task force, but the retiring city manager says they're off base: social services for the homeless are the county and state's responsibility. The larger discussion has to do with individual responsibility.
More here in an insightful feature from North Coast Magazine. Read the whole thing and you'll see the homeless get their say. But the writer isn't exactly bound and gagged by political correctness either.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON, SAID ONE DOWNTOWN ARCATA business owner last week, for her to start the workday by contemplating the human feces someone plastered to her storefront the night before.The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear that her business would suffer, said that she didn't believe herself to be the victim of anyone holding a grudge -- unless the grudge is one against business in general. She was not the only business person so targeted, she said.
"This has happened in the front of Jambalaya, too," she said. "They poop right in front of your doorway and they smear it up your window."
In the two years that she has had her business, she said, she has conducted a citizen's arrest on someone who urinated on the side of her building in the middle of the day. She has had to roust people sleeping in front of her door. She has continually endured the smell of marijuana smoke drifting into her office from the street.
Lately, she said, she has employed desperate tactics in trying to get the city to address the problem. "The way I deal with this when I go to City Council, I deal with it as a health and safety issue," she said. "There is a health problem in this town, and this is how diseases get passed around."
For her, there is no mystery who is responsible for the various insults to her business -- the destitute, the disturbed and those young folks who choose to live on the streets as a form of social protest -- who together make up Arcata's homeless population. And she's frustrated by city government's inability to either get them off the streets or make them behave.
That would involve law enforcement, and worse, judgement. Bummer, man.
She is not alone. Earlier this year, Arcata MainStreet, an advocacy group for downtown businesses -- polled its members for ideas that would help improve the atmosphere in the town. Business owners were asked to list the things that they believed would help improve the business climate in Arcata. Far and away, the No. 1 suggestion was to clean up the downtown -- clean up human waste, panhandling, noise, drugs and all other "aggressive intrusions upon shoppers, visitors and community members." ("One respondent offered the rallying cry, `Take The City Back From The Bums!'" MainStreet noted in the official report of the survey's results.) The next two priorities cited can be read as versions of the first -- build public restrooms and put more police on the Plaza.
At a recent public forum, a top city official went against the grain.
By the end of the discussion, City Manager Dan Hauser was visibly frustrated. Perhaps because he is set to retire next year, he chose not to mince words. In its zeal to right the world's wrongs, the council appeared to be assuming responsibilities that the state of California and Humboldt County are mandated to address."What the council -- and, apparently, a great deal of the public -- does not understand is that the city has neither the legal mandate nor the funds to provide social and welfare services," he said. "I'm afraid we're giving them the expectation that we're going to do something when it ain't there for us to do."
As the article makes clear, there may still be some practical things the city can do, such as installing more public restrooms, and allowing camping on vacant land (typically a controversial move, if the "Tent City" battles in and around Seattle are an indication).
But what too often gets short shrift in these conversations is: what's the plan for these homeless individuals to get back on their feet? When did we graduate to the idea that government intervention, as opposed to personal responsibility, is the essential ingredient here? Or do many of the homeless, in fact, intend to live on the streets the rest of their lives, or for the forseeable future? And how long will small business owners and local residents continue bearing the costs of incivility rooted in personal failures and individual shortcomings?
The homeless aren't owed dignity by society and government. They owe it to themselves.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 16, 2005 07:51 PM
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Half of Arcata's homeless are rude activists. The other half are summer tourists, arriving with the sun and leaving after Reggae on the River. Arcata wouldn't be plagued if Jerry Garcia was still alive.
Posted by: Joe Quake at January 17, 2005 07:58 AMIf only my favorite ex-Warlock hadn't OD'd on chili dogs and ice cream!
Posted by: Matt R. at January 17, 2005 09:50 AMHere we go again!
Liberal cities like Berkeley,SF, Santa Cruz and Arcata are finding out that they have to get tough with the homeless.
A lot of the homeless are mentally unbalanced and do nasty things like defecating on window, urinating on doors and smoking grass bought with their relief money.
It's not a sin to be homeless but being so is no excuse not to work to get back on one's feet and contribute to society.
They are doing nothing to get out of their own mess and expect society and government to do it for them.
Wake up, Arcata !
Claw
Posted by: Claw at January 18, 2005 09:28 AMOK oK
i once was houseless in Arcata, and yes i smoked grass and drank a little too much. listen life on the streetno picknic, and having to deal with people that you know look upon you a scum of the town is a heavy burden to hold on opnes shoulders. they need to be dealt with in suportive ways not in ways that make them rally against the town. cause they got NOTHING to lose so as i know people do any thing they want. please dont hate homeless it not helpful.
thanks for your time
arcata a wonderful place good friends nice people and good green
I am one Arcata's houseless...can you spare a moment to think for yourself and see through the hype?
how many unhoused folks really shit on business' doorsteps and windows? (not many!!!)
how many of the unhoused people are really out there aggressively pan-handling/talking rudely to shoppers? (just a few!!!)
houselessness is a nation-wide problem that is getting worse as the economy collapses - more houseless, less food, clothing, and shelter.
YOU TOO MAY BE HOUSELESS SOMEDAY
how would you expect to be treated?
community:
Homeless Task Force meeting goes awry
Conflict leads to removal of one man; wrong subject taken away by police
If you are crticial of homeless policies in Arcata and you have a lot to say, don’t say it at a Homeless Task Force meeting or you might have the police called on you.
Last Thursday at its second meeting, conflict arose when facilitator and HSU sociology professor Betsy Watson had police called to remove a man who went over his two-minute time limit for comment.
Watson said she acted with the authority of the Task Force to have the disruptive person removed.
“He wasn’t arrested, he was removed and that will consistently happen here,” Watson said.
Attorney Greg Allen, who was in attendance, said the call was an ominous sign of what may happen in future meetings.
“[If] you have that a few times the homeless who aren’t on the Task Force won’t feel welcome at the meetings,” Allen said after the meeting.
Allen added the Task Force has the authority to remove people from meetings and not the facilitator.
“I felt like a lot of the folks on the Task Force are not clear who has the authority,” Allen said.
Biome, the man who was asked to be removed, raised his hand before speaking and announced that he would go over two minutes. He was then reminded that this was against meeting rules.
He began reading a statement alleging misallocation of taxpayer money and warning Watson and Fox Olsen, director of the Arcata Endeavor.
“[Y]ou are…nearing the end of your leash,” he said.
As Biome went over his two minutes, Watson attempted to reign him in, Biome raised his voice and continued over her interruptions.
Watson glanced at the task force members, and then indicated to her aide Christina Fritschi to call the police.
“I looked at [the Task Force],” Watson said, “and they indicated to me—the vast majority—that I needed to take action.”
Watson said after the meeting that the Task Force had decided at its first meeting how “disruptive behavior” would be dealt with.
In response to Fritschi’s call to the police, a homeless audience member who goes by the name of “Quarter Mike,” said, “Give him his minute,” and began shouting at Watson.
“This is a fraud and you know it…we didn’t vote for you, pig,” Quater Mike said.
The police officer arrived, and removed Quarter Mike, instead of Biome who was originally identified to be removed from the meeting.
Biome, who was neither arrested nor confronted by the police, said after the meeting, “I just had one page. I told them it was going to be three minutes. I can’t believe they were on the horn with those cops within three minutes.”
Discussion followed, occupying most of the public comment period, about whether police should have been called, and whether it had been authorized.
Task Force member Kim Starr appeared passionate as she told the other members, “I don’t agree with calling the police. This is BS to call the police on the second day of dealings.”
Virgil Davis, a medical provider on the Task Force said, “I would much rather have one or two people leave…than have other people lose their public comment time.”
Nicole Alvarado, HSU student representative to the Task Force, said, “It was unfortunate…I don’t think the task force consented to having the police come out, but [Watson] was looking out for the safety of the people.”
The Task Force was created in December by a unanimous vote of the City Council.
Since then, three homeless services providers, three homeless individuals, two business owners, two Arcata residents at large, one medical provider, one clergy member, one formerly homeless individual, and one HSU student have been selected by a city council committee to draft a Homeless Services Action Plan.
The plan is scheduled to be released in November.
Updated Tuesday, March 08, 2005 Written by Adam Creighton - Staff Writer 125 reads
Posted by: arcata at March 31, 2005 04:39 PM"Lawn Defication as a Political Statement" :> .....
Some "Homeless Solutions" are in the
posted web page with a rant of "Lawn Deficatiopn as a Political Statement" at this page with clickable reference links at >
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/soberskidrow/petition.html
A fraud complaint to the HUD Inspector
General was also sent because Sonoma County
uses HUD funding to "Help the Homeless", while
they have declared being homeless to be a crime.