A majority of the Chico City Council and law enforcement continue to dehumanize people surviving without shelter by now referring to them as “nuisances.” They suggest that we should officially make their existence a criminal act. Aside from being inhumane treatment, how many people can our jails “house” and how much would that cost.
The City of Chico has already wasted millions of dollars rousting people from one public camping refuge to another, and we all know that they have nowhere to go.
Stories about homeless people in the news show pictures of piles of trash, but they never actually talk with any of the people who are forced to live this way, actually showing them as human beings, not “nuisances.”
What would the neighborhoods of more fortunate citizens look like after a few weeks if they if had no trash removal service?
Creating humane solutions to eliminate homelessness is a complex and challenging task, but other more civilized communities have done that. They have built partnerships among governmental entities, community organizations, churches, and volunteers committed to providing life-sustaining resources and supports.
But for those solutions to become real, ALL of us must make a commitment to seeing people who are homeless as human beings who need and deserve our help to survive and achieve what they can in their lives. Just like all of us. –– Robert Van Fleet, Chico