Tasered Homeless Woman Dies: 35 years old, mentally ill, handcuffed. Houston ChronicleTent Cities: A dozen homeless people in Edmonton, Alberta stood up to the police and refused to move from their encampment.. Corus Radio
Meanwhile, the city's plans to disrupt a tent city of about 100 people in Gainseville, Florida were brought to a temporary halt when homelessness advocates protested. There are only about 350 beds available for homeless residents in Alachua County on any given night, out of an estimated 950 homeless people in the county. Offtopicz
Now that a federal judge in Fresno, CA has ruled it is unconstitutional for city police to destroy the belongings of homeless people that they roust from encampments, advocates and city officials have to figure out who will store the belongings and how the belongings can be reuinited with their owners. Redding.com
Camp Quixote residents have settled in for a stay at the United Church of Olympia, WA. Olympian Online
The question of what should be done with homeless people's possessions
ReplyDeleteis being debated in Redding, in light of a federal judge declaring it
unconstitutional for a city to destroy items taken during sweeps on
unattended homeless camps.
The debate focuses on whether it's legal for homeless organizations to
hold belongings that police find in camps or whether that should be
the Police Department's responsibility.
Redding Loaves and Fishes / Redding Homeless Alliance is strongly
opposed to any non profit, Christian or otherwise, setting precedent
by receiving from the Redding Police Dept. homeless possessions,and
holding them any less than the 90 days prescribed by law.How could a
victim , should they have a problem with any of the non profits who
decide to hold their possesions, find any justice from a Police and
City Council , who refuse to acknowledge their total legal
responsibility in the first place? I must ask myself why would any,
and i underline any Christian organization want to be in league with a
present City Council who has effectively made homelessness virtually
and completly illegal?" Does a spring send forth fresh water and
bitter from the same opening?"
If we cannot defend as Christians, the constitutional rights of Gods
homeless, poor,and "least of the brethern", can we expect God to
protect our constitutional rights as to what is preached from the
Bible and to what is deemed "hate speech" behind the pulpits of our
Churches ? Can we expect God to protect the medias rights, especially
Christian media? Can our community expect divine protection in times
of disaster ? Will the same measure we use be measured back to us?
Lord willing ,some very seriouse spiritual questions are going to be
addressed about the homeless in our community. My desire is for local
government to have an open and transparent dialog with all community
members.For all those civic leaders,non-profits, and homeless
advocates involved in the decisions, Redding Loaves and Fishes offers
this prayer...
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your hearts being enlightened: that you may know what is
the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His
power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty
power."
Director
Redding Loaves and Fishes
http://reddingloavesandfishes.com/