Enabling the homeless to sleep in public spaces like park benches and in front of businesses doesn’t make them safer. It creates more conflict for them, leaves them exposed (to people and the elements), and worsens how the community sees them.
And taking away the littlest comfort of not having to sleep on the cold floor next to the bench solves this how?
A little thought experiment, since you’re having trouble following what should be a self evident line: would you rather sleep in your bed or on the floor, if you were forced to choose? Now if I swap your bed with a bench?
Obviously a bench is better than the ground, but what I’m saying is a system that gives you some form of shelter is better than both. Even if that’s a tent and a space heater, or a room in a shelter (which I know can be problematic in their own way).
Thankfully, people are capable of doing more than one thing at a time. Removing hostile architecture doesn’t stop you from campaigning for better policies nor from organizing a leftwing bloc.
That is not the system that exists. The system that exists tries to rob you of your last bit of dignity by denying you even this little bit of comfort. So, staying in the system that actually exists in reality, are you still against removing those bars?
I’m not in favor of adding the bars in the first place, but just removing the bars individually is setting some homeless person up for trouble. I’ve seen cops hassle guys for collecting cans, when they sleep on the bench that used to have a bar those cops are going to take it on the homeless.
I’m saying advocate to change the system. Advocate to remove the bars, advocate for better shelters for the homeless than a bench.
The only effective thing to do is get parties voted that enable general social safety. In countries where people don’t starve when they don’t have a job criminality is much lower.
The American public generally supports the kinds of policies we see in “good socialist” countries like the Netherlands, but our voting and representation system has locked in a right and far-right party. We’re going to have to get Approval Voting and Proportional Representation installed via referendum if we want the elected officials to actually represent the will of the people.
Removed by mod
And taking away the littlest comfort of not having to sleep on the cold floor next to the bench solves this how?
It doesn’t, providing spaces for them and working on improving access to help does.
How is letting them sleep on benches helping them?
A little thought experiment, since you’re having trouble following what should be a self evident line: would you rather sleep in your bed or on the floor, if you were forced to choose? Now if I swap your bed with a bench?
Obviously a bench is better than the ground, but what I’m saying is a system that gives you some form of shelter is better than both. Even if that’s a tent and a space heater, or a room in a shelter (which I know can be problematic in their own way).
Thankfully, people are capable of doing more than one thing at a time. Removing hostile architecture doesn’t stop you from campaigning for better policies nor from organizing a leftwing bloc.
That is not the system that exists. The system that exists tries to rob you of your last bit of dignity by denying you even this little bit of comfort. So, staying in the system that actually exists in reality, are you still against removing those bars?
I’m not in favor of adding the bars in the first place, but just removing the bars individually is setting some homeless person up for trouble. I’ve seen cops hassle guys for collecting cans, when they sleep on the bench that used to have a bar those cops are going to take it on the homeless.
I’m saying advocate to change the system. Advocate to remove the bars, advocate for better shelters for the homeless than a bench.
The only effective thing to do is get parties voted that enable general social safety. In countries where people don’t starve when they don’t have a job criminality is much lower.
The American public generally supports the kinds of policies we see in “good socialist” countries like the Netherlands, but our voting and representation system has locked in a right and far-right party. We’re going to have to get Approval Voting and Proportional Representation installed via referendum if we want the elected officials to actually represent the will of the people.