Disturbing but incomplete: (“Is homelessness a threat to public safety?” April 16, A1 headline).
The presence of homeless encampments on the streets of Vancouver, huddles of tents and makeshift shelters, often surrounded by trash and dangerous objects, disturbs me, too. I’m disturbed that in a wealthy and uniquely endowed nation there are some of my fellow citizens forced by a wide-ranging set of circumstances to live in squalor and despair on the margins of our society.
There are solutions if we as a community, as a group, as a nation, could only find the will and the compassion to attempt them. But we don’t. Our chosen solution seems just to be to move them on. Out of sight, out of mind.
Do the homeless commit crimes? The answer of course is yes. Desperate people, especially when they are cold and hungry, do desperate things.
I am happy though that The Columbian is addressing the problem and highlighting a group which might be a danger to our community. I wait eagerly for the next articles expounding about other groups that threaten public safety: People who drink alcohol, perhaps, or maybe groups that parade in our streets carrying dangerous military-style guns.
