Anonymous wrote:Homeless camped out in the north side of DuPont circle. Homeless tents in the grass in front of union station. Homeless tents in key downtown parks/squares.
It's embarrassing for DC as as a city and frankly disgusting.
I was in union station yesterday - first time since the pandemic - and was surprised to see so many tents in the circle out front. I had to go to the bathroom before catching a train and almost threw up while squeezing past the awful smelling homeless people going in and out of the bathroom with all their belongings in tow. What the heck kind of city are we living in?? Business people and families need places like union station and public space to be clean, hygienic, and safe.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There were a bunch of tents and homeless people by Union Station pre-shutdown as well. It seems to be an ongoing issue. The only answer I see is more mental health support, affordable housing, and shelters.
We need institutions and asylums. With actual oversight.
Anonymous wrote:This sounds like San Francisco about 20 years ago. I remember being surprised as a tourist to being far outnumbered in certain areas of San Francisco -- easily 10 or more homeless in some places.
If DC residents don't do something about this, homeless will flock to DC.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mental health holds. The Reagan era decisions were bad ones. We must take care of those who cannot take care of themselves.
The only bad decision was Reagan bowing to pressure from the ultra liberal
APA to de institutionalize people who needed institutionalization.
Anonymous wrote:Mental health holds. The Reagan era decisions were bad ones. We must take care of those who cannot take care of themselves.
Anonymous wrote:THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD ...
Anonymous wrote:We need affordable housing, not more luxury condos! But affordable housing is not a popular political topic. BTW, this is not a DC-specific problem. Take a trip to LA or SF and you'll realize that the problem in DC is nothing comparatively.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Chronic homelessness is one of the most intractable problems cities have to deal with. The pandemic and economic disruptions have made it worse in recent years. I don't understand how people like OP are seemingly just discovering this problem and somehow think it's easy to solve.
Or support the GOP who cuts money from these services in every budget.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There were a bunch of tents and homeless people by Union Station pre-shutdown as well. It seems to be an ongoing issue. The only answer I see is more mental health support, affordable housing, and shelters.
We need institutions and asylums. With actual oversight.
And we need police enforcing basic decency. No defecation on the sidewalk. No accosting other pedestrians for money to buy booze and drugs.
Permanent supportive housing costs less than incarceration for petty infractions, and is much more likely to yield productive citizens.
Nobody said incarcerate them. But police should call them out when they poop on the sidewalk. Intervene when there is booze and drugs in public. And tell them to move along and not block traffic panhandling in the middle of the street during rush hour. Again, basic stuff. Nobody has the right to trash our public space.
What, exactly, do you think police enforcement means? Police should "call them out" by doing what?
I think PP wants the police to make them move. They have to sleep somewhere, the police kicking them out of one location just means they move to another
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There were a bunch of tents and homeless people by Union Station pre-shutdown as well. It seems to be an ongoing issue. The only answer I see is more mental health support, affordable housing, and shelters.
We need institutions and asylums. With actual oversight.
And we need police enforcing basic decency. No defecation on the sidewalk. No accosting other pedestrians for money to buy booze and drugs.
Permanent supportive housing costs less than incarceration for petty infractions, and is much more likely to yield productive citizens.
Nobody said incarcerate them. But police should call them out when they poop on the sidewalk. Intervene when there is booze and drugs in public. And tell them to move along and not block traffic panhandling in the middle of the street during rush hour. Again, basic stuff. Nobody has the right to trash our public space.
What, exactly, do you think police enforcement means? Police should "call them out" by doing what?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There were a bunch of tents and homeless people by Union Station pre-shutdown as well. It seems to be an ongoing issue. The only answer I see is more mental health support, affordable housing, and shelters.
We need institutions and asylums. With actual oversight.
And we need police enforcing basic decency. No defecation on the sidewalk. No accosting other pedestrians for money to buy booze and drugs.
Permanent supportive housing costs less than incarceration for petty infractions, and is much more likely to yield productive citizens.
Nobody said incarcerate them. But police should call them out when they poop on the sidewalk. Intervene when there is booze and drugs in public. And tell them to move along and not block traffic panhandling in the middle of the street during rush hour. Again, basic stuff. Nobody has the right to trash our public space.
Anonymous wrote:Chronic homelessness is one of the most intractable problems cities have to deal with. The pandemic and economic disruptions have made it worse in recent years. I don't understand how people like OP are seemingly just discovering this problem and somehow think it's easy to solve.