Homeless tents creeping into the nice/residential part of DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's bad enough that tents are in all the public spaces downtown, but I was dismayed driving in this morning to see a tent in one of the little green public spaces off Mass Ave near the Cathedral.

I'm worried DC will into SF (and I mean the bad parts of SF). Why are city officials letting homeless people live in tents in all the public spaces? It's unsanitary and extremely unpleasant.

I'd bet my house you are a dem.

Definitely am not a democrat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When criminals remained in prison and the severely mentally ill were housed in institutions, we didn't have as many homeless on the streets. People need to decide what they want.

Seriously. Is mental illness a thing? If it's a real illness and we can acknowledge that some people just can't hold it together well enough to have a job, then we need to provide them with some kind of housing. Not the Ritz Carlton, but if people are just too dirty and hard to look at we do have the option of providing free public housing so we don't have to look at their soiled humanity in the eye.

[Anonymous]

People are wondering what has changed and it isn't covid or policies -- it's the type of meth that has been flooding the US. There's been some recent articles about this surveying mental health providers, police and others who deal with homeless a lot. The new meth that's made from synthetic chemicals is very different than meth made even a few years ago, and it seems to be causing people to have mental problems and brain damage drastically faster than the previous type. This mental change is characterized by an extreme lack of socialization and desire to be alone, and large amount of paranoia.

Makes a ton of sense when you see what's happened with the homeless situation. A lot of them are refusing help and services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - if it's legal under DC regs apparently to pitch a tent on any DC public property (sidewalk, little pocket parks, etc) .... can my teenage son and his friends put up a $ REI tent in little triangle park and camp there for weeks on end?

If not, why not?

Someone's going to reply to this and demand that I check my privilege and to them I say, eff off.

I envison my son, a junior at a private high school in Ward 3, getting a few friends to camp with him. Fires are a no-no, but they could put up some camp chairs (like the ones I see under Whitehurst Fwy?) and bring a quiet guitar and play songs.

Every single night, they can sleep in their REI tent with their Yeti cooler full of snacks. They can read using their REI solar lanterns and then go to sleep on their NorthFace cots. Maybe they could string solar party lights from tent to tent?

Would they be allowed to do this for months on end if their chosen location was smack dab in the center of Ward Circle Park?

I mean, yes, they could, but what is your point here PP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny how liberals are all for affordable housing then turn around and say not in my backyard. Homelessness and affordable housing are dem created problems. Doesn’t happen where republicans control because they fix the issues for the blue collar working class.

How do they fix these issues? Please be specific.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny how liberals are all for affordable housing then turn around and say not in my backyard. Homelessness and affordable housing are dem created problems. Doesn’t happen where republicans control because they fix the issues for the blue collar working class.

You and I probably agree on very little. You are spot on with your observation though, but I must clarify the people you describe as NIMBies aren’t real liberals. They’re pretty much boutique progressives who cower behind slogans but still fleece the workers and obstruct real change. We on the real left know full well who they are and their selfish tactics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One huge need is access to charge their electronics and cell phone. Some have complex solar chargers at their camp sites. If you want to be nice offer to let the homeless access to your outside electrical outlet.

Seriously?! Should I also give them my wifi password so they can watch porn? It's only the polite thing to do, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

Aww, you wanted to say the N word but wouldn't. How cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

Aww, you wanted to say the N word but wouldn't. How cute.

DP. Please tell me that you do not know that the Sami are indigenous people of Finland, similar to the indigenous people of the Americas.

But then the cute race card is never far from your weak hand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's bad enough that tents are in all the public spaces downtown, but I was dismayed driving in this morning to see a tent in one of the little green public spaces off Mass Ave near the Cathedral.

I'm worried DC will into SF (and I mean the bad parts of SF). Why are city officials letting homeless people live in tents in all the public spaces? It's unsanitary and extremely unpleasant.

I'd bet my house you are a dem.

Definitely am not a democrat!

Yes you are. Don’t deny it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Finland’s “housing first” approach to homelessness seems supportive. They are providing housing and services for all who are homeless. It is cheaper than criminalizing homelessness or providing “safe sleeping sites” aka parking lots like we have done. It is a policy choice. Too logical and compassionate to be taken seriously in the US, I fear.

Finland does not compare to the US. Despite the Sami, they are homogeneous.

Aww, you wanted to say the N word but wouldn't. How cute.

DP. Please tell me that you do not know that the Sami are indigenous people of Finland, similar to the indigenous people of the Americas.

But then the cute race card is never far from your weak hand

Bwahahahahaha!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are wondering what has changed and it isn't covid or policies -- it's the type of meth that has been flooding the US. There's been some recent articles about this surveying mental health providers, police and others who deal with homeless a lot. The new meth that's made from synthetic chemicals is very different than meth made even a few years ago, and it seems to be causing people to have mental problems and brain damage drastically faster than the previous type. This mental change is characterized by an extreme lack of socialization and desire to be alone, and large amount of paranoia.

Makes a ton of sense when you see what's happened with the homeless situation. A lot of them are refusing help and services.

Hey, I read one article and now I know everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tent cities because poor people can’t afford DC rents and the housing voucher waitlist has been closed since 2013. Lack of investment in services, shelters, and public housing is what causes tent homelessness. Have compassion.

Completely wrong. Many of these people are on drugs, have mental health issues or both. A large percentage aren’t even from the area. At least one that I’ve seen appears to be running some sort of bike theft enterprise and there was another on CH in a residential area that was serving as an open air drug market.

[Anonymous]

We should not welcome public defecation and open-air drug use.

What we need is a combination of tough laws on vagrancy and loitering coupled with a strong push to move the homeless into our well-funded social services. You don't get to ruin public spaces for everyone else. You don't get to decide you want to live in an area that you can't afford and then just camp out. You also have a right to assistance for addiction, job training and community service options.

Is there some reason why loitering, public intoxication and vagrancy laws aren't enforced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We should not welcome public defecation and open-air drug use.

What we need is a combination of tough laws on vagrancy and loitering coupled with a strong push to move the homeless into our well-funded social services. You don't get to ruin public spaces for everyone else. You don't get to decide you want to live in an area that you can't afford and then just camp out. You also have a right to assistance for addiction, job training and community service options.

Is there some reason why loitering, public intoxication and vagrancy laws aren't enforced?

Agreed. There need to be public toilets that people can use.