Farish Street Fire
My wife and I have begun carpooling in an effort to conserve gas. As a result, I get to campus around five-thirty in the morning. Usually I use the extra time to read and get up to speed for class, but I also make sure to allot some time to hobnob with the jocular security guard and wander around. Today I noticed a plume of dark smoke rising against the pale blue sky. So naturally, I drove to investigate. I read far too much Sherlock Holmes to let a mystery go undisturbed.
I turned down Farish Street and quickly found the source of the smoke- a homeless man had placed some dry branches in a drum and had lit them on fire to keep warm. We exchanged glances for a second and then I drove on.
The cold is a problem for those who have no place to spend the night. The local soup kitchens provide three meals a day, but to my knowledge there are no shelters where one can stay the night. I understand that Mississippi is not Chicago, but it still gets dangerously cold here.
I don't understand why the city can't take one of the many abandoned buildings, provide it with heat and place cots inside for people to use. Each person could get a small space, the city could assign a cop to guard the place (hell, it could be right next to the station) and if anybody caused ANY trouble, they would be kicked out with no exceptions.
I understand the argument that this will only encourage people to not work, but in truth I don't care. I think the preservation of human life should be a greater concern to a society than the inculcation of whatever societal standards we deem important.
I turned down Farish Street and quickly found the source of the smoke- a homeless man had placed some dry branches in a drum and had lit them on fire to keep warm. We exchanged glances for a second and then I drove on.
The cold is a problem for those who have no place to spend the night. The local soup kitchens provide three meals a day, but to my knowledge there are no shelters where one can stay the night. I understand that Mississippi is not Chicago, but it still gets dangerously cold here.
I don't understand why the city can't take one of the many abandoned buildings, provide it with heat and place cots inside for people to use. Each person could get a small space, the city could assign a cop to guard the place (hell, it could be right next to the station) and if anybody caused ANY trouble, they would be kicked out with no exceptions.
I understand the argument that this will only encourage people to not work, but in truth I don't care. I think the preservation of human life should be a greater concern to a society than the inculcation of whatever societal standards we deem important.
posted by Yorick at 5:50 PM
2 Comments:
The vast majority of people who are homeless have not "chosen not to work." They have psychological disturbances, and CANNOT work. Perhaps if our country took better care of the sick and infirm, these people would be hospitalized and cured. But instead, they are arrested for lighting fires in garbage cans.
I understand this. Yes, statistics confirm that most individuals without homes do suffer from some sort of mental disturbance. But there is a small subset who truly do choose not to work, and there is a real worry that this subset will grow if shelters are provided.
As in all social programs, we must take care to assure that the resources reach those who truly need it- often the liberal expenditure of these resources lead to opportunities for charlatans and swindlers.
Once again, I'm in favor of the shelters. I feel that the benefits outweigh any risks. I was just pointing out the most likely opposing argument on the issue.
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