Reply to Considering Seaton, but concerned about the homeless encampment

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not a Seaton parent but I am so relieved to hear the school/community is demanding action. There was a thread asking about this several months back and the majority of responses were like “this is harmless, it’s a teachable moment.” No, a homeless camp within arms reach of an ES is not a teachable moment; It’s a recipe for disaster.[/quote]

Seaton parent here. Hearing about the gun was a tipping point. I think it has a lot to do with feeling empathy for the homeless during the pandemic year and not being directly affected bc kids were not in person. More in person kids + guns -- action happened very very quickly.[/quote]

I'll also add that I feel like the Seaton community is a pretty compassionate bunch, and the IB group is extremely economically diverse... We have millionaires and we have students who are dealing with homelessness themselves. So finding the right words and actions took some thought.[/quote]

true, but I bet that the homeless families probably had the least desire to see this as a “learning opportunity” instead of a risk.

in general, well meaning liberals are extremely naive about the nature of encampments. they are foci for criminal activities, trash, and interfere with public space. we can have empathy for the homeless and not tolerate encampments next to schools at the same time. it’s not actually a moral dilemma. it’s a *tent city.* it can be located in a less disruptive spot. [/quote]

Yes, thank you. Naive. The encampments are foci for criminal activity and trash.
We can do better: we should be offering shelter and services to the homeless.
At the same time, we should be banning public-property tent living in cities.
Offer people housing, close the tents in DC.  [/quote].

Did you read the letter? Shelter and services were offered. People didn't use them.[/quote]

Offer services, then remove the tents to the new shelter.  Camping on public lands in DC shouldn’t be possible. It harms kids who live in the city and it harms the tent people.[/quote]

Seating parent here. I feel terrible about how people talk about these folks. Homeless shelters are usually not desirable because they force the residents to leave all day and they're stuff gets stolen. Not to mention the mental health issues that also need to be addressed. If you don't want the challenges that come along with living in a urban environment move to the suburbs. DC is full of guns, drugs and homeless people. Moving these people doesn't make the kids any safer. [/quote]

Of course it makes kids safer. It’s inappropriate to allow a homeless encampment right in front of a school. They can camp elsewhere. There are rules we all follow about public space no matter who we are. They chose to camp there - they have other options. [/quote]

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