Libraries as homeless centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

[Anonymous]

I am still leary of my daughter hanging out at the library. The OP is not incorrect in that it does create a hostile environment when the vast majority of people who are there for long periods of time are mentally disturbed, many times smell bad (like urine) and hog up the amenities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're *public* libraries. They serve *the public*.

They should be viewed as serving the "taxpayer", rather than the "public". Because the public doesn't fund libraries - taxpayers do. Without taxpayers you can still have a "public", but you won't have any libraries. Or any other community services, for that matter.

While the homeless are certainly members of the public, let's not delude ourselves that they are contributing to funding the library.

There should be a hierarchy of users of public services like libraries, with the needs of those who's taxes sustain libraries placed above the needs of those who contribute nothing and only consume services.

Nope. They're free public libraries, not fee-for-service public libraries. Should people who pay higher taxes also get first dibs on the reserve list?

Yes, they should. They're contributing more, they should get something for that.

Maybe you think they should get faster ambulance response time and cleaner public water, too. Any time you ask for municipal services, be ready with your property and income tax statements, so they can decide what level of service you should get.

I'll go further than that and say that since workers like garbage collectors and janitors and health aides and daycare workers provide MUCH more essential services than this likely paper-pusher PP (and in fact, paper-pusher PP may actually negatively impact the collective good), these essential workers should be paid their TRUE value on the market, and PPP's taxes should go up accordingly until the true value of his work to society (likely 0) is reached.

[Anonymous]

Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

Please think about why "just keep some of the public out of public libraries, please" isn't really feasible or desirable.

[Anonymous]

Why stop at libraries? There are so many homeless sleeping on the benches in the park next to my work that none of us can eat lunch outside. I also get screamed and cursed at by the same man on my walk to work for the past 6 years. If he wasn't homeless, the police would have shut this down already I'm sure. He walks out into traffic often and hits the trunks of cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

Please think about why "just keep some of the public out of public libraries, please" isn't really feasible or desirable.

It isn't feasible because we can't expect librarians to be social workers or police officers. Answer honestly: would you want to go somewhere that smells like death rolled in sh!t? Because, sadly, that is what many homeless people smell like. I stopped going to Rockville Library because the stench is too much to bear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

Please think about why "just keep some of the public out of public libraries, please" isn't really feasible or desirable.

It isn't feasible because we can't expect librarians to be social workers or police officers. Answer honestly: would you want to go somewhere that smells like death rolled in sh!t? Because, sadly, that is what many homeless people smell like. I stopped going to Rockville Library because the stench is too much to bear.

While I don't like going to places that smell, I also don't believe that the answer is to ban people who smell from public places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

Please think about why "just keep some of the public out of public libraries, please" isn't really feasible or desirable.

No one will miss them, promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

New poster.

Immediate PP, since you dismiss as "presumptuous" the poster's regularly giving food to people who apparently wanted or needed that food: Please tell us how you personally have helped anyone. Did you interview people to ensure you understood all their "individual life experiences," as you put it yourself, before you handed them sandwiches or poured cups of coffee? Or do you prefer that no one hand out food because you see that as condescending? I get it. You think it's oversimplification to say that many homeless people have issues of addiction and/or issues with law enforcement; will you be less pissed if we add "mental health issues" too, since that's also true? Maybe you're actually focused on not labeling the homeless; fine. There's a point there. But you are coming across as blasting away at people who provide real, material help. Do you really picture the OP standing there saying, "Poor homeless person, you're an addict, have this banana!"

What do you propose, if feeding people is just too condescending to you? Or should individuals not do it? How about better support systems? Housing and health and employment and mental health programs? Sure. Will those be in place in time for tomorrow's breakfast? Maybe by dinnertime?

If you are out there doing something specific and ongoing like OP and her friend, please tell us what it is so we can try it too. If not, why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

New poster.

Immediate PP, since you dismiss as "presumptuous" the poster's regularly giving food to people who apparently wanted or needed that food: Please tell us how you personally have helped anyone. Did you interview people to ensure you understood all their "individual life experiences," as you put it yourself, before you handed them sandwiches or poured cups of coffee? Or do you prefer that no one hand out food because you see that as condescending? I get it. You think it's oversimplification to say that many homeless people have issues of addiction and/or issues with law enforcement; will you be less pissed if we add "mental health issues" too, since that's also true? Maybe you're actually focused on not labeling the homeless; fine. There's a point there. But you are coming across as blasting away at people who provide real, material help. Do you really picture the OP standing there saying, "Poor homeless person, you're an addict, have this banana!"

What do you propose, if feeding people is just too condescending to you? Or should individuals not do it? How about better support systems? Housing and health and employment and mental health programs? Sure. Will those be in place in time for tomorrow's breakfast? Maybe by dinnertime?

If you are out there doing something specific and ongoing like OP and her friend, please tell us what it is so we can try it too. If not, why not?

Hello NP. I said homeless people aren't one-dimensional caricatures and opined against negatively labeling them. You and everyone else are the masterminds with all the answers so you don't need me, you're more than capable of determining what should/shouldn't be done with the homeless. I'm just suggesting you show them some respect as individuals in the process. Take care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

New poster.

Immediate PP, since you dismiss as "presumptuous" the poster's regularly giving food to people who apparently wanted or needed that food: Please tell us how you personally have helped anyone. Did you interview people to ensure you understood all their "individual life experiences," as you put it yourself, before you handed them sandwiches or poured cups of coffee? Or do you prefer that no one hand out food because you see that as condescending? I get it. You think it's oversimplification to say that many homeless people have issues of addiction and/or issues with law enforcement; will you be less pissed if we add "mental health issues" too, since that's also true? Maybe you're actually focused on not labeling the homeless; fine. There's a point there. But you are coming across as blasting away at people who provide real, material help. Do you really picture the OP standing there saying, "Poor homeless person, you're an addict, have this banana!"

What do you propose, if feeding people is just too condescending to you? Or should individuals not do it? How about better support systems? Housing and health and employment and mental health programs? Sure. Will those be in place in time for tomorrow's breakfast? Maybe by dinnertime?

If you are out there doing something specific and ongoing like OP and her friend, please tell us what it is so we can try it too. If not, why not?

Hello NP. I said homeless people aren't one-dimensional caricatures and opined against negatively labeling them. You and everyone else are the masterminds with all the answers so you don't need me, you're more than capable of determining what should/shouldn't be done with the homeless. I'm just suggesting you show them some respect as individuals in the process. Take care.

DP. So the answer is that you do nothing. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just keep the homeless out of libraries, please

Please think about why "just keep some of the public out of public libraries, please" isn't really feasible or desirable.

No one will miss them, promise.

Evidently you believe that the concept of "people" does not include people who are homeless. That's a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

New poster.

Immediate PP, since you dismiss as "presumptuous" the poster's regularly giving food to people who apparently wanted or needed that food: Please tell us how you personally have helped anyone. Did you interview people to ensure you understood all their "individual life experiences," as you put it yourself, before you handed them sandwiches or poured cups of coffee? Or do you prefer that no one hand out food because you see that as condescending? I get it. You think it's oversimplification to say that many homeless people have issues of addiction and/or issues with law enforcement; will you be less pissed if we add "mental health issues" too, since that's also true? Maybe you're actually focused on not labeling the homeless; fine. There's a point there. But you are coming across as blasting away at people who provide real, material help. Do you really picture the OP standing there saying, "Poor homeless person, you're an addict, have this banana!"

What do you propose, if feeding people is just too condescending to you? Or should individuals not do it? How about better support systems? Housing and health and employment and mental health programs? Sure. Will those be in place in time for tomorrow's breakfast? Maybe by dinnertime?

If you are out there doing something specific and ongoing like OP and her friend, please tell us what it is so we can try it too. If not, why not?

Hello NP. I said homeless people aren't one-dimensional caricatures and opined against negatively labeling them. You and everyone else are the masterminds with all the answers so you don't need me, you're more than capable of determining what should/shouldn't be done with the homeless. I'm just suggesting you show them some respect as individuals in the process. Take care.

DP. So the answer is that you do nothing. Got it.

I don't do a lot of things. I don't criminalize people for being poor and try to ban them from public places. Got it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homeless generally have one or all of the following:
mental illness/ alcoholism/ addiction/ prior felon (unable to get jobs)

Many don't want public services because of the screening.

Your generalization of the homeless is very convenient. Reducing them to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity allowing you to be unapologetically apathetic to their individual experiences and challenges. Good job

I'm the original poster here. My comment comes from someone who has served 23,000 lunches (self funded) once a week on the street to homeless who lined up for
lunch. How many homeless have you personally fed, clothed or homed with your personal monies?

Generally the homeless also help each other, live in camps and have self appointed leaders. Again, my comments came from someone who has actually served
23,000 lunches (self funded) to the unhomed.

How many homeless have you fed? On your own monies?

As my artisan childhood friend who fell into depression after the death of his mother and slowly spiraled into steadily worsening circumstances resulting in him being homeless would say, "If you gonna draw my picture then use the whole damn box don't try and color me with just one crayon and think you've captured my essence."

So like I said, reducing the homeless to one-dimensional caricatures thru disparaging labels takes away their humanity and it doesn't matter how many lunches you've served or how many monies you've donated.
If you're offended because I had the audacity think you're a presumptuous pissant and didn't take into account the entirety of your individual life experiences how do you think the homeless people you conveniently simplify as drunks, addicts, and felons feel? You think they'd be offended by your dismissal of their individual life experiences?

New poster.

Immediate PP, since you dismiss as "presumptuous" the poster's regularly giving food to people who apparently wanted or needed that food: Please tell us how you personally have helped anyone. Did you interview people to ensure you understood all their "individual life experiences," as you put it yourself, before you handed them sandwiches or poured cups of coffee? Or do you prefer that no one hand out food because you see that as condescending? I get it. You think it's oversimplification to say that many homeless people have issues of addiction and/or issues with law enforcement; will you be less pissed if we add "mental health issues" too, since that's also true? Maybe you're actually focused on not labeling the homeless; fine. There's a point there. But you are coming across as blasting away at people who provide real, material help. Do you really picture the OP standing there saying, "Poor homeless person, you're an addict, have this banana!"

What do you propose, if feeding people is just too condescending to you? Or should individuals not do it? How about better support systems? Housing and health and employment and mental health programs? Sure. Will those be in place in time for tomorrow's breakfast? Maybe by dinnertime?

If you are out there doing something specific and ongoing like OP and her friend, please tell us what it is so we can try it too. If not, why not?

Hello NP. I said homeless people aren't one-dimensional caricatures and opined against negatively labeling them. You and everyone else are the masterminds with all the answers so you don't need me, you're more than capable of determining what should/shouldn't be done with the homeless. I'm just suggesting you show them some respect as individuals in the process. Take care.

DP. So the answer is that you do nothing. Got it.

No one has to answer to you. Effing hall monitor of DCUM.